Learn Greek › B1 › πεινάω
πεινάω
to be hungry /pi.ˈna.o/
verbB1#1196 most common
Also: to hunger for something, to crave (figurative)
Example sentences
Πεινάω πολύ.
I am very hungry.
Παιδιά, πεινάτε; Θα φάμε σε λίγο.
Kids, are you hungry? We'll eat soon.
Δεν έχω φάει από το πρωί και πεινάω πάρα πολύ.
I haven't eaten since morning and I'm very hungry.
Όταν γυρίσαμε από την πεζοπορία, πεινούσαμε τόσο που φάγαμε όλο το ψωμί.
When we got back from the hike, we were so hungry that we ate all the bread.
Αν πεινάσεις στη διάρκεια της πτήσης, θα σου φέρουν κάτι να φας.
If you get hungry during the flight, they will bring you something to eat.
Πείνασε τόσο πολύ κατά τη διάρκεια της απεργίας πείνας, που οι γιατροί ανησύχησαν για την υγεία του.
He grew so hungry during the hunger strike that the doctors worried about his health.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | πεινάω | πείνασα | θα πεινάσω |
| 2sg | πεινάς | πείνασες | θα πεινάσεις |
| 3sg | πεινάει | πείνασε | θα πεινάσει |
| 1pl | πεινάμε | πεινάσαμε | θα πεινάσουμε |
| 2pl | πεινάτε | πεινάσατε | θα πεινάσετε |
| 3pl | πεινάνε | πείνασαν | θα πεινάσουν |
Word family
πείναhunger
πεινασμένοςhungry, starving
ξεπεινάωto satisfy one's hunger
πεινάρηςsomeone always hungry (colloquial)
Etymology
Πεινάω comes from ancient Greek πεινῆν/πεινάω, built on the noun πεῖνα, meaning hunger. Beekes' dictionary marks the origin of πεῖνα as unclear, with no agreed root outside Greek. The word has stayed in continuous use from antiquity through Modern Greek with the same core sense.
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