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Italian expressions with ‘avere’: How to say “I am thirsty” or “I am hungry” in Italian?

By: Miriam Muccione Fri Sep 19 2025
Italian
Verbs

“I am thirsty” and “I am hungry” in Italian are ho sete and ho fame, respectively. In these sentences, ho is the of the verb avere(to have), so the literal meaning is “I have thirst” and “I have hunger!” In Italian, the verb avere, just like “have,” is typically used to express possession:

  • Ho una penna verde.

    I have a green pen.

  • Hanno una bella casa.

    They have a beautiful home.

However, avere is also used in a variety of Italian expressions, in which avere stretches its usual meaning. In this post, we’ll focus on these more unexpected uses of avere in Italian. Do you want to learn more about them? Just keep reading!

What are the expressions with ‘avere’ and how to form them in Italian?

Expressions with avere in Italian have at least two words: the first is the verb avere, which you can in all and , and the second word is a .

  • noun

    Avevo sete perché non avevo bevuto il mio solito tè quella mattina.

    I was thirsty because I hadn't drunk my usual tea that morning.

    lit. I had thirst…

    → avere in the past imperfect tense
  • noun

    Andrea parte stasera, ha fretta di ritornare a casa.

    Andrea leaves tonight, he is in a hurry to go back home.

    lit. …he has (a) hurry…

    → avere in present tense
  • noun

    Sono sicura che il progetto avrà successo.

    I am sure the project will be successful.

    lit. ...will have success

    → avere in future tense

We can classify the expressions with avere into two subgroups:

  • expressions with avere that are the equivalent to the English expressions with “to be” + adjective

    BE CAREFUL!
    🧠 Try to memorize the expressions in this group because your first instinct as an English speaker may be to use essere(to be) instead of avere!

  • expressions that do not fall in that group but that are still very common and idiomatic

Let’s start with the first group!

When to use ‘avere’ (to have) to translate “to be”?

You will use avere(to have) to translate the English verb “to be” in a few specific expressions. The key to memorizing this group of expressions is to notice the following pattern:

English
"to be" +

=

Italian
avere +

Here’s a list of the Italian expressions with avere that are expressed with “to be” in English.

Italian
English

avere x anni

to be x years old

avere importanza

to be important

avere successo

to be successful

avere fretta

to be in a hurry

avere fame

to be hungry

avere sete

to be thirsty

avere paura

to be scared

Italian
English

avere sonno

to be sleepy

avere caldo

to be hot

avere freddo

to be cold

avere ragione

to be right

avere torto

to be wrong

avere fortuna

to be lucky,
to have luck

avere sfortuna

to be unlucky,
to have bad luck

To help you memorize these expressions, we have grouped them as follows:

  • the expressions highlighted in yellow express feelings;

  • the last six expressions are opposite pairs!

Keep reading for examples of all of these different types of expressions!

How to use expressions with ‘avere’ in compound tenses?

In all compound tenses, expressions with avere all use the auxiliary verb avere! Just remember this rule:

avere(2x) in compound tenses

For example:

Avete avuto torto molte volte, ma questa volta avete proprio ragione.

You have been wrong many times, but this time you are absolutely right.

How to modify or describe expressions with ‘avere’?

If you want to modify, describe, or add specificity to an expression with avere (i.e. if you want to say that you are “really thirsty,” “a little sleepy,” etc.) you have two main options, or you can combine them!

  • Option 1:

    Since avere followed by a noun, we can use an adjective to describe that noun. For instance, we can describe fame(hunger) and sete(thirst) using the adjective molto(a lot of), so that we’re literally saying: “I have a lot of hunger” or “I have a lot of thirst.”

    adjective

    Ho molta fama/sete.

    I am really hungry/thirsty.

    Remember that the adjective must in gender and number with the noun! So, for example, since fame(hunger) and sete(thirst) are feminine and singular, molto needs to be feminine and singular: molta.

    If you wanted to say, “I am really sleepy” though, you’d need to use molto since sonno(sleepiness) is a masculine noun:

    adjective

    Ho molto sonno.

    I’m really sleepy.

  • Option 2:

    We can use an adverb to describe the verb instead! Because adverbs are invariable, you do not need to worry about the agreement with the noun.

    adverb

    La bambina aveva proprio fame.

    The little girl was really hungry.

  • Combine Option 1 and Option 2:

    The third option is simply a combination of option 1 and option 2, because nothing prevents you from having both an adjective and an adverb in the same sentence! Just be mindful of word order: first goes the adverb, then the adjective.

    adverbadjective

    Hai sempre così tanto sonno?

    Are you always that sleepy?

How to use individual expressions with ‘avere’ in sentences?

In this section, we’ll go through some of the individual expressions we saw above and give you some examples of how to use them in sentences. We’ll start with age!

How to say how old someone is in Italian?

To say how old someone is in Italian, use avere and not “to be,” as you do in English.

Mio nonno ha ottantun anni.

My grandfather is eighty-one.

lit. My grandfather has eighty-one years.

How to use the expressions ‘avere fretta,’ ‘avere successo,’ and ‘avere importanza’ in sentences?

Here is how to use the expressions avere fretta, avere successo, and avere importanza in Italian sentences:

  • Avere fretta means “to be in a hurry.” It can be used by itself, meaning “to be in a hurry (in general),” or it can be used before di + infinitive, meaning “to be in a hurry to do something.”

    • Ha detto che richiamerà. In quel momento aveva fretta.

      S/He said s/he will call back. At that moment s/he was in a hurry.

    • Vado in taxi perché ho fretta di incontrare il mio amico.

      I go by taxi because I'm in a hurry to meet my friend.

    Tip

    The phrase avere fretta (di) has the same meaning as two other phrases: essere di fretta, and andare di fretta. They can be used interchangeably to express the state of being in a hurry.

    Mi scusi, non posso fermarmi, ho fretta / sono di fretta / vado di fretta.

    I am sorry, I can't stop, I'm in a hurry.

    The opposite of these expressions could be avere tempo di/per...(to have time to/for...) or simply non avere fretta(to not be in a hurry).

    Certo, ho tempo per un caffè: oggi non ho fretta.

    Of course, I have time for a coffee: today I'm not in a hurry.

  • Avere successo(to be successful) is used to express that someone or something had a positive outcome.

    • Mio padre ha avuto molto successo nel suo lavoro.

      My father was very successful in his job.

    • Ti ammiro molto perché hai successo, ma sei anche umile e alla mano.

      I admire you a lot because you are successful, but you are also humble and easy going.

  • Avere importanza(to be important) is used to express that something matters.

    Ha importanza per noi salvaguardare le specie a rischio.

    It is important for us to safeguard endangered species.

    Or in the negative form, it means that something does not matter.

    Non ha importanza, non ti preoccupare.

    It doesn’t matter, don’t worry.

    FUN FACT:
    There is a song by the Italian songwriter Virginio Simonelli whose title is, indeed, Non Ha Importanza! 🎵 🎶
    Tip

    It is equally common to use the verb “to be” and say è importante(it is important) or non è importante(it is not important).

    Note, though, that when è importante / non è importante is followed by che(that), and it requires the present subjunctive.

    present subjunctive

    È importante che tu legga bene questo documento.

    It is important that you read this document well.

How to express some feelings in Italian using ‘avere’?

In Italian you can use the verb avere basically to mean sentire, provare (to feel) when you use it with certain nouns for feelings. For example:

  • avere sete(lit. to have thirst)→ sentire sete(lit. to feel thirst)

  • avere fame(lit. to have hunger)→ sentire fame(lit. to feel hunger)

  • avere sonno(lit. to have sleepiness)→ sentire sonno(lit. to feel sleepiness)

  • avere paura(lit. to have fear)→ sentire paura(lit. to feel fear)

However, the versions with avere are more common. here are some examples of how to use expressions for feelings with avere in sentences:

  • Ieri notte Maria non ha dormito bene e stamattina ha sonno.

    Last night Maria did not sleep well and this morning she is/feels sleepy.

  • Non riesco a guardare i film horror: ho troppa paura.

    I can't watch horror movies: I'm too scared.

More expressions like this can be found shaded yellow in the table above!

Important

Avere paura(to be scared) can be used by itself or followed by di + noun / / infinitive to express the cause or reason of that feeling.

    • Non capisco come tu possa avere paura del mio chihuahua.

      I don't understand how you can be afraid of my chihuahua.

    • Non sono io ad avere paura di lui, è lui che ha paura di me e non smette di abbaiare.

      It is not me who is afraid of him, he is the one who is afraid of me and does not stop barking.

  • Marco preferisce prendere il treno perché ha paura di volare.

    Marco prefers to take the train because he is afraid of flying.

In addition, you can use avere paura che + .

subjunctive

Gli amici di Luigi hanno paura che lui abbia perso il lavoro.

Luigi's friends are worried that he lost his job.

How to express some feelings in Italian using ‘avere’?

Many expressions with avere have an expression with the opposite meaning (an “antonym”) that is also formed using avere! Let’s look at a few examples:

  • Avere caldo(to be hot) is the opposite of avere freddo(to be cold).

    Marta ha caldo, accendiamo il ventilatore?

    Marta is hot, shall we turn on the fan?

    Alfonso ha freddo, accendiamo il riscaldamento?

    Alfonso is cold, shall we turn on the heating?

    Tip

    Note that there is a difference between fare caldo(to be hot) and avere caldo(to be hot), and between fare freddo(to be cold) and avere freddo(to be cold).

    As we saw above, avere caldo/freddo express the physical sensation of a person, they talk about the feeling of being hot/cold.

    Instead, fare caldo/freddo are used to talk in general about weather and temperature and correspond to the English “it is hot / cold.”

    • Oggi fa molto caldo, ci sono trenta gradi.

      Today it is very hot, it is thirty degrees.

    • L’inverno scorso faceva molto freddo.

      Last winter it was very cold.

    To talk about the temperature of things, instead, you use essere(to be).

    Aspetta un po’ prima di mangiare: la zuppa è molto calda.

    Wait a bit before eating: the soup is very hot.

  • Avere ragione(to be right) is the opposite of avere torto(to be wrong).

    Avete ragione: oggi pioverà.

    You are right: it will rain today.

    L'avvocato vuole provare che la difesa ha torto.

    The lawyer wants to prove that the defense is wrong.

  • Avere fortuna(to be lucky) is the opposite of avere sfortuna(to be unlucky).

    Gianna ha vinto alla lotteria! Quella ragazza ha sempre fortuna.

    Gianna won the lottery! That girl is always lucky.

    Stamattina ho perso le chiavi del motorino: ho proprio sfortuna.

    This morning I lost the keys to the scooter: I am really unlucky/I have really bad luck.

    You can use avere fortuna(to be lucky) or avere sfortuna(to be unlucky) before di + infinitive to express that someone “had the luck to do something” or “had the misfortune to do something” For example:

    • Paolo ha avuto la fortuna di avere un mentore eccezionale.

      Paolo was fortunate enough to have an exceptional mentor.

    • Ha avuto la sfortuna di essere nel posto sbagliato al momento sbagliato.

      S/He had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    Important

    Note that there is a difference between avere fortuna(to be lucky) and fare fortuna(to have financial success, to make a fortune):

    Clara farà sicuramente fortuna grazie alla sua conoscenza del mercato immobiliare.

    Clara will for sure make her fortune thanks to her knowledge of the real estate market.

    Tip

    You can use essere fortunato/sfortunato instead of avere fortuna/sfortuna. The meaning is the same: to be lucky/unlucky.

    So, for instance, if we replace avere fortuna/sfortuna with essere fortunato/sfortunato, the two examples above become:

    • Gianna ha vinto alla lotteria. Quella ragazza è sempre fortunata.

      Gianna won the lottery. That girl is always lucky.

    • Stamattina ho perso le chiavi del motorino: sono proprio sfortunato.

      This morning I lost the keys to the scooter: I'm really unlucky.

      Note that fortunato and sfortunato are adjectives, so they need to agree with the noun they describe!

    An additional way to convey the idea of having been lucky in a specific circumstance is to use the idiomatic, more colloquial expression:

    Mi è andata bene.

    Things went well / I was lucky.

    lit. It went well to me.

    The opposite is mi è andata male.

    Sono caduto dalla bici e non mi sono fatto male: mi è andata bene.

    I fell off the bike and I was not hurt: I was lucky.

How to express ailments with ‘avere’?

In the same way, and like in English, avere is used to talk about ailments and illnesses forming the expression avere mal di + body part, which literally means “to have/to feel pain at” + body part. Some examples of expressions like this:

Expressions with
avere mal di + body part
Translation

avere mal di testa

to have a headache

avere mal di panchia

to have a bellyache

avere mal di stomaco

to have a stomach ache

avere mal di gola

to have a sore throat

avere mal di denti

to have a toothache

Here are some examples of how to use these expressions in sentences:

  • Oggi non mi sento bene, ho mal di pancia.

    Today I'm not feeling well, I have a stomach ache.

  • Metti una sciarpa o domani avrai mal di gola.

    Put on a scarf or you'll have a sore throat tomorrow.

  • Dopo tante ore davanti al pc, Lara ha un forte mal di testa.

    After many hours in front of the PC, Lara has a strong headache.

What are some more expressions with ‘avere’?

There are many expressions with avere that do not match the English “to be” + adjective pattern, such as the following:

Expression
Example

avere bisogno di…

to have a need to/for…

Ho sonno, ho bisogno di fare un pisolino.

I'm sleepy, I need to take a nap.

avere voglia di...

to feel like...

lit. to have the desire of...

Hai caldo? Hai voglia di un ghiacciolo?

Are you hot? Do you fancy a popsicle?

avere intenzione di…

to have the intention to…

Quest’anno abbiamo intenzione di andare in palestra tre volte alla settimana.

This year we intend to go to the gym three times a week.

avere una buona / ottima / cattiva / pessima memoria

to have good / great / bad / awful memory

Federico ha un’ottima memoria per le date di compleanno.

Federico has an excellent memory for birthday dates.

avere esperienza (come)

to have a need to/for…to have experience (as)

HLa Dr.ssa Bianchi ha esperienza come cardiologa.

Dr. Bianchi has experience as a cardiologist.

avere luogo a / in...

to take place at / in…

L’evento avrà luogo il 10 dicembre alle ore 17:00 al Parco Sempione.

The event will take place on 10 December at 17:00 in Parco Sempione.

Since you've made it this far by reading this post, you deserve a bonus expression with avere! And the expression is…

avere da fare

to be busy; to have things to do

Ho da fare(I am busy) is the perfect expression for times you cannot or do not want to attend an event. However, it also sounds a bit mysterious and vague, so it may not prevent further inquiries on the matter.

  • Mi dispiace, non posso venire stasera, ho da fare.

    I'm sorry, I can't come tonight, I'm busy/I have things to do.

  • Cosa hai da fare esattamente di sabato sera?

    What exactly do you have to do on a Saturday night?

  • 😬 !

To find out about many other Italian expressions with avere (some of them very idiomatic and fun), check out our extra resources!

To sum up

Here are the main points to remember from this post:

  • Usually the verb avere(to have) is used to express possession and ownership. Yet, avere also features in a variety of idiomatic expressions.

  • Some of those idiomatic expressions are the equivalent of English constructions with “to be” + adjective, which instead in Italian are formed with avere + noun (e.g., avere sonno(to be sleepy)), avere freddo/caldo(to be cold/hot)...)

  • As with “have” in English, avere is also used to talk about ailments and illnesses in the expressions avere mal di... (to have/feel pain at...), such as avere mal di testa/mal di stomaco(to have a headache/stomachache).

  • Finally, avere appears in a variety of very common expressions: some of them are formed with “to have” in English also, like in avere una buona/cattiva memoria(to have a good/bad memory).

  • There are many other (very) idiomatic expressions with avere in Italian, and you can learn some of them from checking out our avere idiom list by consulting an Italian dictionary! 😄

Ready to practice Italian expressions with avere? Click the link!

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