by Jacqueline Schaalje

“When angry, count four; when very angry, swear” – Mark Twain

You probably know how to say you’re hungry, thirsty, tired, etc.

But did you know that English speakers often use more colourful expressions to say the same thing?

Here are some examples:

What do you say when you’re …?

Of course there are many more!

Here is a list of very common things that people say to describe they’re hungry, thirsty, sad, tired, bored, happy, etc.

Hungry

I’m starving. (starve means die from hunger)

I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

I’m ravenous.

I’m famished. (same meaning as starve.)

I’m peckish. (informal) (This means you feel like eating something, but you’re not really very hungry. Peck is what a bird does when it eats.)

Thirsty

I’m dried out.

I’m parched.

I’m dying for a drink.

I’m dehydrated.

Cold

I’m freezing. / I’m frozen (to the marrow). (Marrow is the inside of a bone.)

I feel chilly.

I’m shivery.

I’m numb. (Numb means not feeling.)

Hot

I’m boiling (hot).

I’m scorching. (burning)

I’m baking.

Angry

I’m cross. (often said to a child)

I’m seething. (seethe = bubble when boiling, of a liquid) When a person says he is seething, he means he is keeping his anger inside; he’s not showing it.

I’m boiling (mad). (Can also mean hot, see above.)

I’m annoyed.

I’m irritated.

I’m furious.

I’m pissed (off). (rude & slang)

I’m sore. (informal)

I’m enraged. = I’m in a rage.

Tired

I’m worn out.

I’m knackered.

I’ve lost my mojo.

I’m exhausted.

I’m spent.

I’m drained of energy.

I’m weary.

I’m fagged. (informal)

I’m zonked. (slang)

I’m (dead) beat. (informal)

I’m done in. (informal)

I’m asleep on my feet. (informal)

I’m fatigued.

I’m ready to drop.

I’m dog-tired. (informal)

I’m wasted.

Sad

I’m blue.

I’m depressed.

I’m unhappy.

I feel glum.

I feel gloomy.

I feel dispirited. Or low-spirited.

I feel dejected.

I feel wretched.

I feel miserable.

I’m distressed.

I feel down in the mouth. (informal)

I feel down.

I feel low.

I feel downcast.

I’m grief-stricken.

I’m tearful.

I’m doleful.

I’m heavy-hearted.

I feel sick at heart.

Ill or sick

I feel under the weather. (This can also mean that suffering from a hangover.)

I’m out of sorts. (Can also mean irritable = in a bad mood.)

I feel below par.

I feel queasy.

I feel down in the dumps. (informal)

Happy

I’m elated.

I’m ecstatic.

I’m glad.

I’m euphoric.

I’m jubilant.

I feel joyful.

I’m contented.

I’m delighted.

I’m thrilled.

I’m overjoyed.

I’m on cloud nine. (informal)

I’m walking on air. Or: floating on air. (informal)

I’m over the moon. (informal)

I’m gratified.

I’m pleased.

I’m rapt.

I’m tickled.

Bored

I’m fed up.

I’m uninterested.

Sick and tired. (informal)

I feel listless.

I’m weary or wearied. (can also mean tired)

Test your knowledge in this quiz!

Quiz

You can do this quiz online here. 

Choose the correct expression.

1 Your friend and you are crossing the English Channel by ferryboat. Suddenly you notice that you’re friend is green around the nose. What’s he saying?

I’m a bit queasy.

I’m ready to drop.

2 You go inside your cabin, and your friend lies down on his berth. He says:

I feel peckish.

I’m spent.

3 While your friend is sleeping, you go back on deck. The sun is high in the sky and soon you need to find some shade. You say:

I’m baking.

I feel sick at heart.

4 You find a nice spot on a wooden bench. There is a fresh wind and you get wet from the spray. After ten minutes you say:

I’m asleep on my feet.

I’m getting shivery.

5 You go inside and at last the temperature is agreeable. You sigh with delight and say to yourself:

I’m gratified. Isn’t this a pleasant journey!

I feel glum. This trip is blowing hot and cold.

6 It seems to be lunchtime as you stumble upon a buffet with a wonderful array of food: salads, olives, breads, cold cuts, you name it. You pick up a plate and cry:

I’m starving.

I feel below par.

7 Just as you carry your overloaded plate to a table, you bump into your friend with a similarly full plate. He says:

I’m enraged. How could you leave me alone in our cabin?

I’m numb. Hopefully this food will make me feel better.

8 Of course you get upset when your friend is angry with you. You apologize:

I’m so sorry. I thought you’d be thrilled that you’d get some time alone.

I’m so sorry. I thought you were sleeping and I didn’t know you’d get sore when I left.

9 You sit down at a table together and start eating together. Soon everything’s forgotten. The food is great. Your friend gets up and says:

My, is this soup salty. I’m dying for a drink.

I’m feeling under the weather because of this delicious soup.

10 After lunch, you play in the casino and win 45 pounds, which you spend in the duty free shops. You’re elated, but your friend feels doleful.

“We spent our money,” he says. “And we’re not even in London.”

“I’m sick and tired of this boat,” he says. “Are we almost there?”