Italian Phrase
Sì, muoio di fame!
Meaning
Literally ‘Yes, I die of hunger!’, this idiomatic expression is used to say that you are extremely hungry. It is a hyperbolic, informal way to stress how much you would like to eat.
When to use
Use it in casual conversation with friends, family, or colleagues when you want to emphasize your hunger, especially after someone asks if you’d like something to eat or when you see a delicious dish.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Sìmuoiodifame
Sì (affirmation)
Used to answer positively to a question or to confirm a statement. It is always written with an accent on the i.
muoio (present indicative, 1st person singular)
From the verb morire ‘to die’. In colloquial speech it is used hyperbolically to express a strong feeling, e.g., hunger, thirst, etc.
di fame (prepositional phrase)
The construction di + noun expresses the cause or reason. Here it literally means ‘of hunger’, i.e., ‘because of hunger’.
🗨In Conversation
Vuoi qualcosa da mangiare?
Do you want something to eat?
Sì, muoio di fame!
Yes, I'm starving!
✕Common Mistakes
Sì, moro di fame!
The verb is morire, not morire in the sense of ‘to die’; the correct form is muoio.
Sì, muoio di fame?
The phrase is a statement, not a question; keep the exclamation mark.
Sì, muoio fame!
The preposition di is required to link the cause.
↔Alternatives
Sto morendo di fame
I'm dying of hunger
Ho una fame da lupi
I'm famished (literally ‘I have a wolf‑like hunger’)
Sono affamato/a
I am hungry
Cultural Tip
Italians love to talk about food and often use vivid, exaggerated expressions to describe how they feel about eating. ‘Muoi o di fame’ is informal and best reserved for familiar settings; in a formal or professional context you would use a milder phrase such as ‘Ho molta fame’. Regional variations exist – in the south you might hear ‘Ho una fame da lupi’, while in the north people often say ‘Sto morendo di fame’.