The most I’ve ever eaten in one sitting was at a wedding (matrimonio) in the south of Italy. I made the amateur mistake of filling up on the first course – which, to be fair, was a mouthwatering array of freshly caught seafood – only to discover that there were seven courses to go! By the end of the event, the only words I could muster were: Sono sazia! (I’m full!)
Sono sazio!
I’m full!
Sazio (and the feminine sazia) come from the verb saziare which translates in numerous ways including to satiate, to satisfy, or to have enough. For this reason, it can also translate as I’m satisfied.
Ne vuole ancora un po’? – No grazie, sono sazio.
Would you like some more? – No, thank you, I’m full.
Sono sazio/a is also considered more polite than the common alternative Sono pieno/a. Some people consider the word pieno (full) more vulgar, especially in polite circles, because it projects the unpleasant image of a full belly.
Of course, there are various adverbs you can add to sazio to emphasise your state of fulness.
- Sono così sazio! = I’m so full!
- Sono talmente sazio che… = I’m so full that…
- Come sono sazio! = I’m so full! (lit. How full I am!)
- Che sazio che sono! = I’m so full! (lit. How full I am!)
Sono talmente sazio che non mangerò per una settimana!
I’m so full that I won’t eat for another week!
Another fun expression is essere pieno/a come un uovo, which literally translates as to be as full as an egg.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
