Learn Italian: Quando abbiamo fame, abbiamo bisogno di cibo.

In English we use "to be" for physical states, but in Italian you use the verb avere (to have). Fame is a noun meaning "hunger," so abbiamo fame literally translates to "we have hunger."

How does abbiamo bisogno di cibo mean "we need food"?

Just like with hunger, Italian uses avere to express needing something. Bisogno is a noun meaning "a need." The set phrase avere bisogno di literally means "to have need of." So here you are saying "we have need of food."

Is the word di always required after bisogno?

Yes, when you are stating what it is that you need, you must connect bisogno to the object with the preposition di (of). You cannot just say abbiamo bisogno cibo without the di.

Why doesn't the sentence include the word noi for "we"?

In Italian, the verb ending usually tells you who the subject is. Since abbiamo can only mean "we have," the pronoun noi (we) is already understood and is dropped to sound more natural.