chce sa mi / darí sa mi

Feeling Like It and Doing Well

Level 3

Chce sa mi spať (I feel sleepy), Ako sa ti darí? (How are you doing?) and Podarilo sa mi nájsť byt (I managed to find a flat) have no subject; the person is in the dative.

How It Works

A sentence without a subject. In chce sa mi and darí sa mi nothing is in the nominative. The verb is always third person singular, and in the past it takes the neuter ending -lo. The person is in the dative.

chce sa mi + infinitive means I feel like doing something. It describes an urge or a mood rather than a plan. Compare:

  • Chcem spať. I want to sleep. (a wish or decision, see chcieť)
  • Chce sa mi spať. I'm sleepy. (a physical urge)

Useful phrases: chce sa mi piť (I'm thirsty), chce sa mi plakať (I feel like crying), nechce sa mi (I can't be bothered). Past: Chcelo sa mi smiať. (I felt like laughing.)

darí sa mi means things are going well for me. Ako sa ti darí? (How are you doing?) is a warm, everyday question. Answers: Darí sa mi dobre. / Nedarí sa mi. You can add a place: V novej práci sa mu darí. (He is doing well in his new job.)

podarilo sa mi is the perfective past and means I managed or I succeeded: Podarilo sa mi nájsť byt. Nepodarilo sa nám to. (We didn't manage it.) The present form refers to the future: Podarí sa ti to. (You'll manage it.) Podariť sa can also have a subject, the thing that turned out well: Koláč sa ti podaril. (Your cake turned out well.)

Word order. Sa and the dative pronoun are short words that come early in the sentence: Dnes sa mi nechce vstávať. (I don't feel like getting up today.) See reflexive verbs with sa.

Examples (6)

  1. Chce sa mi spať.

    I feel sleepy.

    Word by Word: Wants itself to-me to-sleep.

    An urge, not a plan. Chcem spať would mean I want to sleep.

  2. Dnes sa mi nechce ísť do práce.

    I don't feel like going to work today.

    Word by Word: Today itself to-me not-wants to-go to work.

  3. Chcelo sa mi smiať.

    I felt like laughing.

    Word by Word: Wanted(neuter) itself to-me to-laugh.

    In the past the verb takes the neuter ending -lo, whoever the person is.

  4. Ako sa ti darí?

    How are you doing?

    Word by Word: How itself to-you succeeds?

  5. Darí sa mi dobre, ďakujem.

    I'm doing well, thanks.

    Word by Word: Succeeds itself to-me well, I-thank.

  6. Podarilo sa mi nájsť byt.

    I managed to find a flat.

    Word by Word: Succeeded(neuter) itself to-me to-find flat.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the first person of chcieť together with sa.

    Chcem sa spať.
    Chce sa mi spať.

    Either say Chcem spať (I want to sleep) with no sa, or use the impersonal Chce sa mi spať with the dative mi.

  • Making the past tense agree with the person.

    Včera sa mi nechcel ísť von.
    Včera sa mi nechcelo ísť von.

    With no subject, the past is neuter: chcelo, darilo, podarilo, even when the speaker is a man.

  • Using the person as the subject of podariť sa.

    Podaril som nájsť byt.
    Podarilo sa mi nájsť byt.

    The person who succeeds is in the dative (mi), and the verb is the impersonal podarilo sa.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

chce sa mi / darí sa miLevel 3Feeling Like It and Doing Well

Learn This First

Before Feeling Like It and Doing Well, learn Reflexive Verbs With sa and Dative Pronouns. chce sa mi and darí sa mi are built with sa. The person is in the dative: mi, ti.

Words in This Pattern

chcieťdariťpodariť sa