native
How do I say ‘I’m full’?
The clearest natural way to say you have had enough food.
我吃饱了
I’m full.
LITERAL
I have eaten to fullness.
WHAT IT REALLY MEANS
I’m full.
WHEN IT FITS
Finishing a mealDeclining more food politelyTalking with a host or friends
饱 describes satiety, while 吃饱 packages it as the result of eating and sounds especially natural after a meal.
饱 is satiety — a physical state reached by eating. 吃饱 packages it as the result of the action: you ate until full. This result-complement pattern (verb + 饱) is natural Chinese grammar, not a vocabulary choice. 我吃不下了 (“I can’t eat any more”) emphasizes hitting your limit, while 我很满 is a word-for-word English translation that does not describe fullness after a meal in Chinese.
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT
我吃饱了，谢谢。
I’m full, thank you.
Polite response to a host你们继续吃，我已经吃饱了。
Keep eating. I’m already full.
Leaving others to continueCHOOSE BY SITUATION
我吃不下了
I can’t eat any more.
Emphasizing that you have reached your limit