Breakdown of Ho fame, ma il cibo non è pronto.
Questions & Answers about Ho fame, ma il cibo non è pronto.
Why does the sentence use ho (I have) instead of the verb for 'I am' to say 'I'm hungry'?
In Italian, you do not say that you are hungry. Instead, you say that you have hunger. Ho is the 'I' form of the verb avere (to have), and fame is the noun for 'hunger'. You will use avere for several other physical feelings too, like being thirsty or cold. Is the 'h' in ho pronounced?
No, the 'h' is completely silent in Italian. You pronounce ho exactly like the English letter 'O'. The 'h' is just there in writing so you do not confuse it with the word o, which means 'or'. Why does non come before è instead of after it?
In English, we say 'is not', putting the negative word after the verb. In Italian, the negative word non almost always goes immediately before the verb. So 'is not' becomes non è. If a woman is speaking, should pronto change to pronta?
No, because pronto describes il cibo (the food), not the person speaking. Cibo is a masculine noun, so the adjective describing it must also be masculine and end in -o, regardless of who is hungry. Learn Ho fame, ma il cibo non è pronto and more in Italian
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