Have you ever wanted to say “I’m hungry” or “I’m sleepy” in Spanish and got stuck? Good news: it’s simpler than you think—and very common in everyday conversation. In this lesson, you’ll learn the must-know expressions with tener: tener hambre, tener sed, and tener sueño. We’ll practice asking and answering, add intensity (a little vs. a lot), and learn polite ways to use them in real life.

By the end, you’ll be able to use these phrases naturally at a café, with friends, or when you just need a nap.

The core pattern: tener + noun

In Spanish, we don’t use “to be” for these physical states. Instead, we use tener (to have) + a noun.

• Tengo hambre = I’m hungry (literally “I have hunger”).
• Tengo sed = I’m thirsty.
• Tengo sueño = I’m sleepy.

These are super high-frequency. Native speakers use them all the time!

Intensifiers: a little, a lot

You can say how much hunger/thirst/sleepiness you have:

• Tengo mucha hambre = I’m very hungry.
• Tengo un poco de sed = I’m a little thirsty.
• Tengo mucho sueño = I’m very sleepy.

Note: with un poco, use de before the noun: un poco de sed, un poco de hambre.

Yo sed.

Tengo un poco hambre.

Asking and responding

Use ¿Tienes…? to ask a friend. For formal address (usted), use ¿Tiene…?

• ¿Tienes hambre? = Are you hungry?
• ¿Tienes sed? = Are you thirsty?
• ¿Tienes sueño? = Are you sleepy?

Possible answers:

• Sí, tengo mucha hambre. = Yes, I’m very hungry.
• No, no tengo sed. = No, I’m not thirsty.
• Un poco. Tengo un poco de sueño. = A little. I’m a little sleepy.

Then you can add an offer or plan:

• ¿Quieres comer algo? = Do you want to eat something?
• ¿Quieres beber agua? = Do you want to drink water?
• Necesito dormir. = I need to sleep.

Real-life mini-dialogue practice

Imagine you’re at a café with a friend. Put the conversation in a logical order.

Key vocabulary

Here are the essential words and phrases you’ll use all the time.

Estoy hambre. → Tengo hambre. Use tener + noun, not estar + adjective for hunger/thirst/sleepiness. Tengo muy sed. → Tengo mucha sed. Use mucho/mucha with nouns; "muy" is for adjectives/adverbs. Tengo un sed. → Tengo sed. No article with "sed" in this expression.

Bonus grammar: present of tener

Since these expressions use tener, let’s review the present tense. It’s irregular in some forms.

Try saying these out loud:

• Yo tengo hambre. Tú tienes sed. Ella tiene sueño.
• Nosotros tenemos un poco de hambre.
• Ellos tienen mucha sed.

Pronunciation tip: The diptongos (vowel changes) appear in stressed forms (tienes, tiene, tienen), but not in nosotros/vosotros (tenemos, tenéis).

Culture note: using these phrases politely

In Spain and Latin America, it’s natural to say “Tengo hambre/ sed/ sueño” to friends. When ordering or asking kindly:

• Para mí, un vaso de agua, por favor. = For me, a glass of water, please.
• ¿Me puede traer agua, por favor? = Could you bring me water, please?

You can also explain your need:

• Tengo sed, ¿podemos entrar a un café? = I’m thirsty, can we go into a café?

Meal times vary by country. In Spain, lunch is later (around 2–3 pm), so hearing “Tengo mucha hambre” before that is common!

Quick practice

Make two answers for each question: one strong (mucha/mucho) and one mild (un poco de).

• ¿Tienes hambre?

  • Strong: Sí, tengo mucha hambre.
  • Mild: Sí, tengo un poco de hambre.

• ¿Tienes sed?

  • Strong: No, no tengo mucha sed.
  • Mild: Sí, tengo un poco de sed.

• ¿Tienes sueño?

  • Strong: Sí, tengo mucho sueño.
  • Mild: No, tengo un poco de sueño.

Summary

Remember the pattern: tener + noun.

• Tengo hambre / sed / sueño.
• Add intensity: mucha/mucho, un poco de.
• Ask: ¿Tienes…? Respond with sí/no + tengo.

Keep practicing in real situations: at a café, at home, or while traveling. Poco a poco (little by little), these will feel natural. ¡Buen trabajo!