Ter Fome, Ter Sede, and Ter Sono: Talk About Needs in Portuguese
Portuguese often uses ter in everyday expressions where English uses ‘be’: ter fome, ter sede, and ter sono.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
English speakers often say “I am hungry,” but Brazilian Portuguese commonly says tenho fome (I have hunger). The same pattern appears in ter sede (be thirsty) and ter sono (be sleepy). Conjugate ter for the person: eu tenho, você tem, a gente tem, nós temos.
Use ter in common expressions for physical needs
You may also hear estar com fome, sede, or sono. Both patterns are used; learn ter expressions as reliable chunks and notice the form your conversation partner chooses.
Estou com fome. Vamos almoçar?
I’m hungry. Shall we have lunch?
A gente está com sede depois da caminhada.
We’re thirsty after the walk.
Estou com sono, então vou dormir cedo.
I’m sleepy, so I’m going to bed early.
Use other ter phrases for feelings and urgency
The pattern also appears in ter medo (be afraid), ter pressa (be in a hurry), and ter vontade de + infinitive (feel like doing something). These are common combinations, but not every English “to be” phrase translates with ter; for emotions such as being sad, Portuguese usually uses estar triste.
Tenho pressa, mas posso esperar cinco minutos.
I’m in a hurry, but I can wait five minutes.
Você tem vontade de tomar um café?
Do you feel like having a coffee?
Ela tem medo de altura.
She is afraid of heights.
Put it into practice
Learn frequent combinations such as ter fome, ter sede, and ter sono as complete phrases. Check the Portuguese expression instead of translating every English ‘be’ sentence with one verb.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I’m sleepy, so I’m going to bed early”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.