have lyst til
Feel Like (Have Lyst Til)
have lyst til + [noun/verb] = 'to feel like' or 'to want'.
It is the standard way to express a subjective desire or craving in Danish.
How It Works
The expression have lyst til is a core idiom in Danish. It consists of the verb have (to have), the noun lyst (desire/inclination), and the preposition til (to).
1. Usage with Nouns:
When you want a specific thing, you place the noun directly after til.
Example: Jeg har lyst til en is. (I feel like an ice cream.)
2. Usage with Verbs:
When you want to perform an action, you must use at + the infinitive form of the verb.
Example: Jeg har lyst til at sove. (I feel like sleeping.)
3. Nuance and Register:
- have lyst til: Personal, subjective, 'I fancy this'.
- vil gerne: Polite, standard for ordering or requesting.
- vil: Direct, strong intention, or future will.
Note: In Danish, til is used for both nouns and verbs. While you might hear lyst på (common in Norwegian), lyst til is the standard Danish form for both categories.
Examples (5)
- Jeg har lyst til kaffe.
I feel like [having] coffee.
Word by Word: I have desire to coffee.
Here, the expression is followed directly by a noun (kaffe).
- Har du lyst til at se en film?
Do you feel like watching a movie?
Word by Word: Have you desire to to see a film?
In a question, the verb 'har' moves to the front. Since 'se' is a verb, we use 'at' after 'til'.
- Vi har ikke lyst til at gå hjem endnu.
We don't feel like going home yet.
Word by Word: We have not desire to to go home yet.
To negate the desire, place ikke after the verb 'har'.
- Jeg havde lyst til at ringe til dig i går.
I felt like calling you yesterday.
Word by Word: I had desire to to call to you yesterday.
The verb 'have' is conjugated into the past tense (havde) to show a past desire.
- Hun har altid lyst til noget sødt.
She always feels like [having] something sweet.
Word by Word: She has always desire to something sweet.
The expression works perfectly with indefinite pronouns like 'noget'.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the preposition 'til' before a verb.
Jeg har lyst at danse.Jeg har lyst til at danse.In English, we say 'I want to dance,' but in Danish, the idiom 'have lyst' requires the preposition 'til' before the infinitive marker 'at'.
Omitting the infinitive marker 'at' after 'til'.
Har du lyst til gå en tur?Har du lyst til at gå en tur?When using a verb, you need both 'til' (part of the idiom) and 'at' (the infinitive marker).
Using 'på' instead of 'til' for nouns.
Jeg har lyst på chokolade.Jeg har lyst til chokolade.While 'lyst på' is used in Norwegian and occasionally in casual Danish for food, 'til' is the grammatically standard preposition for all objects in Danish.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'have lyst til' correctly, you need to know how to conjugate the verb 'have' and understand how to link it to either a noun or an action using the preposition 'til' and the infinitive marker 'at'.
- haveTo Have (Have)
The pattern uses the verb 'have' as its core functional element, requiring knowledge of its conjugation.
Level 1 - tilTo
The preposition 'til' is a fixed part of this idiomatic expression and links the feeling to the object or activity.
Level 1 - at + InfinitiveInfinitive with at
When 'have lyst til' is followed by an action, the infinitive marker 'at' is required.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- jeg vil gerne haveI Would Like (Jeg Vil Gerne Have)
A more polite way to express a request, often contrasted with the more personal 'have lyst til'.
Level 1 - vil + InfinitiveWill / Want to (Vil)
The modal verb for 'want', which is more direct and forceful than 'have lyst til'.
Level 2 - Finite Verb + ikkePlacement of Ikke
Important for understanding where to put 'ikke' to say you 'don't feel like' something.
Level 2 - gideBe Bothered to (Gide)
A more colloquial (and often negative) way to express being 'bothered' to do something, similar to 'have lyst til'.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice have lyst til in Bubblegum
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