Mi hermano tiene hambre después de trabajar.

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Breakdown of Mi hermano tiene hambre después de trabajar.

• el hermano: the brother
• trabajar: to work
• después de: after

Questions & Answers about Mi hermano tiene hambre después de trabajar.

Why does Spanish use tiene hambre instead of a verb like is hungry?

In Spanish, hunger is usually expressed with tener (to have), not with estar or ser.

So:

• tener hambre = to be hungry
• literally, it looks like to have hunger

This is one of several very common Spanish expressions:

• tener sed = to be thirsty
• tener sueño = to be sleepy
• tener miedo = to be afraid

So Mi hermano tiene hambre is the normal, natural way to say it.

Why is there no article before hambre?

Because tener hambre is a fixed expression. Spanish normally does not say tener la hambre here.

Compare:

• tiene hambre = he is hungry
• tiene sed = he is thirsty

Even though hambre is a noun, in this expression it appears without an article.

Can I say Mi hermano está hambriento instead?

Yes, but it is less common in everyday speech than tiene hambre.

• tiene hambre = the most natural, everyday phrasing
• está hambriento = understandable, but often sounds stronger, more descriptive, or less neutral

In most normal situations, especially in Latin American Spanish, tener hambre is the safer and more common choice.