01
verhungern
to starve
To die from lack of food.
example
Ohne Hilfe von außen werden die eingeschlossenen Menschen verhungern.
Without outside help, the trapped people will starve.
verhungern
to starve
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Inseparable prefix
The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable and here often indicates a negative or fatal end. It intensifies the base verb 'hungern' (to be hungry/to hunger) to its final consequence: dying from hunger.
EXAMPLE
Die Tiere sind im harten Winter leider verhungert.
Sadly, the animals starved during the harsh winter.
Auxiliary verb 'sein'
Since 'verhungern' (to starve) describes a change of state (death), the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be), not with 'haben' (to have).
EXAMPLE
Viele Menschen sind in der Dürreperiode verhungert.
Many people starved during the period of drought.
Context clue
You can recognize the colloquial meaning from the context. If someone says 'Ich verhungere' (I'm starving) in everyday life, it is an exaggeration and only means that the person is very hungry and waiting for food.
EXAMPLE
Können wir eine Pause machen? Ich verhungere bald!
Can we take a break? I'm going to starve soon!
Compare with
verhungern vs satt
full / fed up
'satt' and 'verhungern' are strong opposites in the area of food and hunger. 'satt' means that you have eaten enough. 'verhungern' literally means to die from too little food. Colloquially, however, people also say 'Ich verhungere' (I’m starving) when they are extremely hungry. So the contrast is very strong: 'satt' describes no longer being hungry, while 'verhungern' describes extreme hunger or, in the serious sense, a life-threatening lack of food.
verhungern
Können wir bald essen? Ich verhungere gleich.
Can we eat soon? I’m starving.
satt
Nach zwei Tellern Nudeln sind die Kinder satt.
After two plates of pasta, the children are full.
In real life
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