Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Thirsty in Spanish: Sediento
Sediento · adjective · seh-dee-EHN-toh
While sediento is the direct adjective for thirsty in Spanish, native speakers overwhelmingly use the phrase tener sed (literally to have thirst) in everyday conversation. Sediento appears more often in literary, poetic, or emphatic contexts. Understanding both forms is essential because English uses an adjective construction (I am thirsty) while Spanish relies on a noun construction (I have thirst).
Sediento is pronounced seh-dee-EHN-toh, with stress on the third syllable. The phrase tener sed is simpler: teh-NEHR SEHD, with sed rhyming with the English word red.
Tengo mucha sed después de correr.
I'm very thirsty after running.
Thirsty in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for thirsty, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| sediento | thirsty | seh-dee-EHN-toh | Default, widely understood |
| tener sed | thirsty | the most natural everyday expression: to be thirsty | |
| reseco | thirsty | colloquial for parched or dried out, used in Mexico and Central America |
How Native Speakers Use Sediento
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Everyday thirst
Los niños tienen sed y quieren jugo de naranja.
The kids are thirsty and want orange juice.
Tener sed is the standard way to express thirst in daily conversation across all regions.
Literary or emphatic use
El viajero sediento caminó por horas buscando un oasis.
The thirsty traveler walked for hours searching for an oasis.
Sediento appears in descriptive or narrative writing where a more evocative adjective fits the tone.
Asking about thirst
¿Tienes sed? Hay limonada en el refrigerador.
Are you thirsty? There's lemonade in the fridge.
Questions about thirst always use tener sed in natural spoken Spanish.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Sediento
Using ser or estar with sed
Incorrect: Estoy sed después del entrenamiento.
Correct: Tengo sed después del entrenamiento.
Spanish expresses thirst with the verb tener (to have), not estar or ser (to be). Saying estoy sed is a direct but incorrect translation from the English I am thirsty structure.
Forgetting gender agreement with sediento
Incorrect: La atleta sediento necesita agua.
Correct: La atleta sedienta necesita agua.
Sediento is a gendered adjective. When describing a feminine noun, it must change to sedienta to maintain proper agreement.
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Why word lists alone don't stick
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See Sediento used by native speakers
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Common Questions About Thirsty in Spanish
- How do you say I'm thirsty in Spanish?
- The natural way to say I'm thirsty in Spanish is tengo sed, using the verb tener (to have) plus the noun sed (thirst). While sediento exists as an adjective, native speakers rarely use estoy sediento in casual conversation.
- What is the difference between sediento and tener sed?
- Tener sed is the colloquial, everyday expression that all Spanish speakers use in normal conversation. Sediento is a literary adjective reserved for emphatic, poetic, or figurative contexts, similar to how English speakers might say parched instead of thirsty for dramatic effect.
- Can sediento be used figuratively?
- Sediento works as a figurative adjective meaning eager or hungry for something, such as sediento de poder (thirsty for power) or sediento de justicia (thirsty for justice). This metaphorical usage parallels how English uses thirsty beyond its literal meaning.