avoir envie
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French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Literally, “to have desire”.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
- to want; to desire (sexually) [+ de (object)]
- Est-ce que tu as envie de fraises, par hasard ? ― Would you like some strawberries, by any chance?
- J’ai envie de toi. ― I want you.
- to feel like, to want to [+ de (object)]
- J’ai envie de baiser. ― I wanna fuck.
- Je n’ai pas envie de danser. ― I don't feel like dancing.
- to feel an urge [+ de (object) = to]
- J’ai envie de vomir. ― I wanna puke.
- J’ai envie de chier. ― I gotta take a shit.
- (by apocope) to need to use the toilet
- Maman, j’ai envie! ― Mommy, I have to go!
Usage notes[edit]
- Even though envie is a noun, it can take an adverb: j'en ai très envie (“I want it a lot”), and likewise for avoir trop envie, avoir tellement envie, and the like.. This usage, frowned upon in the past, is now perfectly standard; conversely, an adjectival modifier (j'en ai grande envie) sounds dated. The same is true of the other French nouns that are used with avoir and without an article to indicate states or emotions: avoir faim, avoir soif, avoir chaud, avoir froid, avoir mal, avoir honte, avoir peur, avoir besoin, avoir raison, avoir tort, avoir sommeil, avoir marre.