How to Say “I Got Hungry” in Italian
When you want to say, “I got hungry” in Italian, you use the expression mi è venuta fame. It literally translates to “hunger came to me”. It shares the same structure as “I got thirsty”.
Let me show you some examples to get a feel for how this is used:
Ho pranzato presto oggi e mi è già venuta fame.
I had lunch early today, and I already got hungry.
As you can see, we use the auxiliary verb essere followed by the past participle of the verb venire. Of course, remember that when you create passato prossimo with the auxuliary essere, the past participle must change in gender and number according to the subject.
And this is exactly what happens here: la fame is a feminine noun, therefore venuta agrees to the feminine feature.
Ieri mi è venuta fame durante la notte e mi sono alzata a bere.
Yesterday I got thirsty at night, and I got up to drink.
Venire + Indirect Pronouns
The verb venire works here with an indirect object pronoun. This allows you to determine who exactly is feeling hungry – or thirsty.
Keep in mind that indirect pronouns can also be replaced by the following construction: preposition a + unstressed pronoun. For example, a me, a te, a lei….
A me viene spesso fame mentre faccio sport.
I often get hungry when doing sports.
You can use this same structure to describe other states or sensations, like feeling hot or cold:
Ti è venuto freddo?
Did you get cold?
Mi sta venendo caldo qui dentro, usciamo.
I am getting hot in here, let’s go out.
Using “Venire” in Different Contexts
To Express “Feeling Like”
Venire can express when you “feel like” doing something. This can be used with expressions like venire da ridere (feel like laughing) or venire da piangere (feel like crying):
Mi viene da ridere.
I feel like laughing.
A Giacomo veniva da piangere.
Giacomo felt like crying.
To Indicate a Craving or Desire
As you might know already, the expression avere voglia di means to crave something or to desire something. Before experiencing that feeling, the craving might “come” to you.
Here is where the expression venire voglia di + present infinitive / noun comes in handy:
Ci è venuta voglia di gelato.
We are craving an ice cream.
Mi viene sempre voglia di abbracciarti quando ti vedo!
I always want to hug you when I see you!
To Mean “Having an Idea”
This structure can describe when an idea or thought comes to you:
Mi è venuta una bella idea.
I had a good idea.
Gli stanno venendo dei dubbi.
He’s having doubts.
To Describe Catching an Illness
When talking about getting sick, like catching a cold or a headache, venire fits right in:
Mi sta venendo il raffreddore.
I am getting a cold.
A Paolo è venuto il mal di testa.
Paolo got a headache.
