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When someone is off their food would probabely say something like:

  • I lost my appetite.

But how about the situation in which they feel they want to eat? What would you usually say here?

The only sentence I've found is:

  • I got a heck of appetite.

But I'm not completely sure if it is the way usually native speakers would say it. Please let me know how would you imply such a message?

Added: Meanwhile, could you please tell me if it would be possible to say: I feel hungry or I don't feel hungry instead of all these sentences here?

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    There are numerous ways to indicate one's hunger, but what exactly you would say depends on the social distance between you and your conversation partner, and the formality or informality of the setting. I could go for a bite or I'm feeling a might peckish may not adequately indicate your level of hunger passing a friend in the hallway, while I'm ravenous or I could eat a horse might be too forward to share in a meeting with your boss. – choster Apr 25 at 19:09
  • Thank you @choster, but as I tried to explain through the original post, I'm looking for a way to indicate that "I didn't want to eat for awhile but for some reason I feel I want to eat now or in the past few days." Something undefined has happened to me that I feel I want to eat right now or eat more." This is the definition of the precise meaning in at hand which I'm trying to find a sentence in English through which I could convey the same message. – A-friend Apr 26 at 7:13
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    present tense: I've got a heck of an appetite. Past tense: I got. Which is it? My appetite has returned. – Lambie May 7 at 18:51
  • Well, @Lambie I meant the present perfect tense I've got. – A-friend May 7 at 19:21
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    Be careful: have/have got is present tense in British and American English. Only in British English is "have got" present perfect and present tense. In AmE,it's have gotten. – Lambie May 8 at 15:17
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Having a "big appetite" means that this person usually likes to eat a lot. You could say:

I'm (really) hungry

or hyperbolically:

I'm starving!

If you have been busy doing physical work or exercise you might say:

I've built up (or been building up) an appetite.

The girls had been digging the garden all afternoon and building up an appetite. Mum knew they would be hungry so she had made a big pan of spaghetti for their tea.

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  • Thank you @James K; just in order to reach a conclusion, could you please tell me if it would be possible to say: I feel hungry or ** I don't feel hungry** instead of these sentences here? – A-friend Apr 23 at 15:52
  • @A-friend Why didn't you post that in your question?? James's answer is fine for the way your question was posed.... – Lambie May 7 at 18:50
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Both "I'm really hungry" and "I'm starving" are standard ways to express a great desire to eat, as well as James K's other suggestions. Here are some more colorful ways:

I'm famished.

I'm ravenous.

I could eat a horse/ox/bear/etc..

My stomach is growling.

I'm starvin' Marvin.

I'm as hungry as a [wolf/bear/lion/nanny goat/hunter/schoolboy/etc.]

and in the UK:

I could murder [some food], (e.g. "I could murder a curry".)

There's also nothing stopping you from being creative:

My stomach is singing the national anthem. I need to eat. Now.

Some fun ones from https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/22704/what-words-can-i-use-to-indicate-how-hungry-i-am

My belly thinks my throat's been cut.

I could eat the north end of a southbound bear

I could eat an ox between two bread vans.

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  • Very interesting suggestions @Andrew; signing the national anthem :))) – A-friend May 7 at 18:09
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Addressing your comment where you say:

"I didn't want to eat for awhile but for some reason I feel I want to eat now or in the past few days." Something undefined has happened to me that I feel I want to eat right now or eat more."

A good phrase to describe an increase in one’s appetite is “I’ve worked up an appetite”.

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