I have desires - tener ganas
The next couple of posts will be about expressions using the word "ganas". If you look in a dictionary, you might find it translated as "desires", which sounds kind of weird in English, but it is a good tool to help you understand the mechanics of how it works in Spanish ( tengo ganas de cantar = "I have desires to sing").
You'll never see the word "gana(s)" on its own - it's always in some sort of phrase. Today's post will have examples about what I think are the two most common ones: tener ganas de, and darle ganas de. The former is more popular (about 2 million hits on a Google search for "tengo ganas de") than the latter (about 1 million hits for "me dan ganas de").
Both phrases translate as "I (don't) feel like doing something". The best way to understand them is with some examples. Grammar point: notice that the verb after the "de" is an infinitive. That's always the case - it's never conjugated.
Spanish
tener ganas de + infinitive:
1. Tengo ganas de vivir en otro país.
2. No tengo ganas de hacer nada hoy.
3. Si no tienes ganas, no lo hagas.
4. Tenía ganas de ir contigo, pero ya no.
darle ganas de + infinitive:
1. Me dan ganas de llorar cuando pienso en él.
2. A Pepe siempre le dan ganas de bailar cuando bebe.
3. ¿No te dan ganas de comerlo entero?
English
tener ganas de + infinitive:
1. I feel like living in another country.
2. I don't feel like doing anything today.
3. If you don't feel like it, don't do it.
4. I did want to go with you, but I don't now.
darle ganas de + infinitive:
1. I feel like crying when I think about him.
2. Pepe always feels like dancing when he drinks.
3. Don't you feel like eating the whole thing?
Brad
