Today's words · 😴 How you feel physically
Tired, hungry, freezing: 10 German words for how you feel
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When someone asks how you are, have you ever said more than “Gut!”?
I get home late from work and my German flatmate says, “Du bist so blass. Alles okay?” I'm hungry, cold and completely worn out… and all that comes out is “Gut, danke.”
Today's ten words are for saying how your body feels. Tired, full, cold, a bit sick — you'll be able to say it honestly. After all, people can only look after you if you can tell them. 😴
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
müde
[MUE-duh]tired(müde – müder – am müdesten)
📌 Ich bin heute sehr müde.
→ I'm very tired today.
💡 Say it slowly, like a yawn: ‘MUEEE-duh’ 🥱
Bonus You look tired = Du siehst müde aus.
wach
[VAHKH]awake📌 Bist du noch wach?
→ Are you still awake?
💡 Same root as English awake 👀 Still up? = Bist du noch wach?
Bonus to wake up = aufwachen
hungrig
[HOONG-rikh]hungry📌 Nach dem Sport bin ich immer hungrig.
→ I'm always hungry after sport.
💡 English hungry's twin 🍔 Hunger + -ig = hungry
Bonus In speech people usually say Ich habe Hunger.
durstig
[DOOR-stikh]thirsty📌 Nach dem Sport bin ich immer sehr durstig.
→ I'm always very thirsty after sport.
💡 A cousin of English thirsty 🥤 Durst + -ig = thirsty
Bonus Ich habe Durst. sounds more natural in conversation.
satt
[ZAHT]full (after eating)📌 Danke, ich bin schon satt.
→ Thanks, I'm already full.
💡 The sat in satisfied — your stomach is satisfied 😋
⚠ Don't say Ich bin voll. It can mean ‘I'm drunk’. When you're full, say Ich bin satt.
frieren
[FREE-ren]to be cold, feel cold; to freeze(friert – hat gefroren (to freeze solid: ist gefroren))
📌 Ich friere, mach bitte das Fenster zu.
→ I'm cold, please close the window.
💡 Same root as English freeze 🥶 Ich friere. = I'm freezing!
Bonus Same meaning: Mir ist kalt.
schwach
[SHVAHKH]weak(schwach – schwächer – am schwächsten)
📌 Nach der Krankheit fühle ich mich schwach.
→ I feel weak after my illness.
💡 Sounds like all your energy whooshing out 🫠
Bonus opposite: stark (strong) · a weakness: die Schwäche
erschöpft
[air-SHERPFT]exhausted, worn out📌 Nach der langen Reise war ich völlig erschöpft.
→ After the long journey I was completely exhausted.
💡 From schöpfen (to scoop out): all your energy has been scooped out 🪫
Bonus Much stronger than müde: völlig erschöpft = completely worn out
blass
[BLAHSS]pale; faint📌 Du bist so blass, geht es dir nicht gut?
→ You're so pale – are you not feeling well?
💡 All the colour has drained from your face 😶
Bonus When someone looks ill: Du bist so blass, geht es dir nicht gut?
übel
[UE-bel]sick, nauseous; bad📌 Mir ist übel, ich glaube, ich habe etwas Falsches gegessen.
→ I feel sick, I think I ate something bad.
💡 Same root as English evil — an evil feeling in your stomach 🤢
⚠ Use the dative for people: Mir ist übel. (not Ich bin übel)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Lots of German ‘how I feel’ phrases start with mir (to me): Mir ist kalt (I'm cold), Mir ist übel (I feel sick), Mir ist schwindelig (I feel dizzy). Ich bin kalt can sound like ‘I'm a cold person’.
Germans also often blame their Kreislauf (circulation) when they feel dizzy or weak: “Ich habe Kreislaufprobleme.” It sounds dramatic at first, but people say it for a mild wobbly feeling on a hot day or after too little sleep. 😴
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You've had a lovely dinner at a friend's and they offer you more. How do you politely say no?
- ① Ich friere.
- ② Ich bin so müde.
- ③ Danke, ich bin schon satt.
Show the answer
③ Danke, ich bin schon satt.
Danke, ich bin schon satt. = Thanks, I'm already full. The perfect way to turn down more food.
Before bed, sum up how you feel today in one German sentence — like Ich bin müde, aber satt! 🌙
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🌅 Morning routine