Meaning
To be extremely hungry.
Cultural Background
The wolf is the national animal of Romania and was the symbol of the ancient Dacians. This makes the wolf a powerful cultural metaphor for many things, including hunger and bravery. In villages, 'foame de lup' is often associated with the winter season when food was historically harder to come by and wolves would approach villages. Romanian portions are traditionally very large. Saying you have a 'wolf hunger' is a way to signal that you are ready for a traditional feast. Young people use this phrase frequently on social media when posting photos of large burgers or traditional platters.
Use 'o' for emphasis
Saying 'Mi-e o foame de lup' (with the 'o') makes you sound much more like a native speaker.
Avoid 'Am foame'
Even if you hear it occasionally, 'Mi-e foame' is the gold standard for learners.
Meaning
To be extremely hungry.
Use 'o' for emphasis
Saying 'Mi-e o foame de lup' (with the 'o') makes you sound much more like a native speaker.
Avoid 'Am foame'
Even if you hear it occasionally, 'Mi-e foame' is the gold standard for learners.
Grandma's favorite
Use this phrase when visiting a Romanian home to make the host feel proud of their cooking.
Test Yourself
Complete the sentence with the correct Dative pronoun for 'I'.
___-e foame de lup!
In Romanian, 'Mi-e' is the contraction of 'Îmi este', used to say 'I am (hungry)'.
Which animal is used in this Romanian idiom for hunger?
Mi-e foame de...
The wolf (lup) is the traditional animal used to describe extreme hunger in Romania.
Choose the best response for the dialogue.
Andrei: Vrei să mergem la restaurant? Maria: Da, ...
This is the natural way to express enthusiasm for eating when very hungry.
Match the phrase to the most likely situation.
When would you say 'Mi-e foame de lup'?
The idiom is used for extreme hunger, which is common after intense physical activity.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercises___-e foame de lup!
In Romanian, 'Mi-e' is the contraction of 'Îmi este', used to say 'I am (hungry)'.
Mi-e foame de...
The wolf (lup) is the traditional animal used to describe extreme hunger in Romania.
Andrei: Vrei să mergem la restaurant? Maria: Da, ...
This is the natural way to express enthusiasm for eating when very hungry.
When would you say 'Mi-e foame de lup'?
The idiom is used for extreme hunger, which is common after intense physical activity.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIt is always singular: 'foame de lup'.
No, for thirst we say 'Sete de crapă pietrele' or just 'Mi-e foarte sete'.
Not at all! It's just informal and very expressive.
No, that's a common mistake. Always use 'Mi-e' or 'Îmi este'.
Usually, we use it for humans. For a real wolf, we just say 'Lupului îi este foame'.
Mi-a fost foame de lup.
O să-mi fie foame de lup.
Yes, 'Sunt hămesit' is a more slangy way to say you're starving.
Probably not. It's a bit too casual for a professional interview.
Wolves are seen as wild and having a more intense, predatory hunger.
Related Phrases
A muri de foame
similarTo die of hunger
Foame de bani
specialized formHunger for money
A mânca ca un lup
builds onTo eat like a wolf
Sătul până peste cap
contrastFull up to the head
