The core distinction in one sentence: use vil ha for a plain everyday "want" of a thing, ha lyst (på/til) for "feel like / fancy", ønske (seg) for a more considered or formal "wish", and vil gjerne ha for the polite "would like". The mental adjustment for an English speaker is that Norwegian has no single verb meaning "to want" the way English does. "Want" is assembled — most often as vil ha (literally "will have") — and the pieces matter: drop the ha and the sentence breaks. This page sorts the cluster so you stop saying jeg vil kaffe and start sounding natural.
vil ha = the everyday "want" (a thing)
When you want an object — a coffee, the bill, that one — the verb is vil ha ("want to have"). The crucial point: vil on its own is a modal and needs a verb after it. To want a noun, you need the verb ha ("to have"): vil ha + object.
Jeg vil ha en kaffe, takk.
I want a coffee, please.
Hva vil du ha til middag?
What do you want for dinner?
Han vil ha den blå, ikke den røde.
He wants the blue one, not the red one.
You cannot say jeg vil en kaffe — that is the single most common beginner error. vil must be followed by a verb (here ha) or by a clause. Think of it as locked together: vil ha is the unit that means "want [a thing]".
To want to do something, vil takes the action verb directly (no ha), because now there is a verb for it to govern:
Jeg vil reise til Norge neste år.
I want to travel to Norway next year.
Vil du danse?
Do you want to dance?
ha lyst på / ha lyst til å = feel like / fancy
ha lyst (literally "have desire/inclination") is the warm, everyday way to say you feel like something or fancy it — softer and often more natural than blunt vil ha. It splits by what follows:
- ha lyst på
- a noun ("fancy a thing"): på before the object.
- ha lyst til å
- a verb ("feel like doing"): til å before the action.
Jeg har lyst på noe søtt.
I fancy something sweet.
Har du lyst på en is?
Do you fancy an ice cream?
Jeg har lyst til å reise et sted varmt.
I feel like travelling somewhere warm.
Vi har ikke lyst til å bli hjemme i kveld.
We don't feel like staying home tonight.
The på vs til å split mirrors the noun-vs-verb logic exactly: på for a thing, til å for an action. This is the same instinct you already have with vil ha (thing) vs vil + verb (action).
ønske (seg) = a considered or formal wish
ønske is "wish" — weightier, more deliberate, and more formal than vil ha. It is the verb of birthday and Christmas lists, of good wishes, and of considered desires. For wanting something for yourself (a gift, a goal), the reflexive ønske seg is idiomatic:
Jeg ønsker meg en sykkel til jul.
I'd like / I'm wishing for a bike for Christmas.
Hva ønsker du deg til bursdagen?
What do you want for your birthday?
Jeg ønsker deg lykke til på eksamen.
I wish you good luck on the exam.
Using vil ha in these contexts would sound blunt or greedy — jeg vil ha en sykkel til jul sounds like a demand, while jeg ønsker meg en sykkel is the gracious "what I'm hoping for". ønske also appears in formal and written registers ("we wish to inform you"):
Vi ønsker å takke alle som har bidratt.
We wish to thank everyone who has contributed. (formal)
(neutral–formal; ønske seg for personal wishes/gifts is everyday)
vil gjerne ha = the polite "would like"
English softens "want" into "would like" with a conditional. Norwegian does not use a conditional of "like" — there is no ville like. Instead it inserts the adverb gjerne ("gladly / willingly") into the vil ha frame: vil gjerne ha = "would like". This is the standard polite request in cafés, shops, and service situations.
Jeg vil gjerne ha en kopp te, takk.
I would like a cup of tea, please.
Vi vil gjerne bestille bord til to.
We'd like to book a table for two.
For extra politeness or a more tentative tone, the past-tense skulle gjerne ha ("would have liked") softens it further:
Jeg skulle gjerne hatt litt mer tid.
I would have liked a bit more time. / I could really use more time.
There is no conditional verb here doing the "would" — gjerne is what carries the politeness. (polite/neutral)
Decision table
| You mean… | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Want a thing (plain) | vil ha
| Jeg vil ha vann. |
| Want to do something (plain) | vil
| Jeg vil reise. |
| Fancy / feel like a thing | ha lyst på
| Jeg har lyst på is. |
| Feel like doing something | ha lyst til å
| Jeg har lyst til å dra. |
| A considered / formal wish | ønske (seg) | Jeg ønsker meg en sykkel. |
| Polite "would like" | vil gjerne ha | Jeg vil gjerne ha kaffe. |
A quick decision flow: Is it a polite request? → vil gjerne ha. A wish/gift? → ønske seg. Feeling like it right now? → ha lyst på / til å. Just a blunt statement of want? → vil ha. And whatever you choose, if a noun follows a plain vil, you need ha.
Why there is no single "want"
English packs intention, desire, inclination, and politeness into one verb, "want", and then adds "would" for politeness. Norwegian distributes those meanings across different idioms, and each carries a register: vil ha is plain and direct, ha lyst is warm and casual, ønske is considered and gracious, vil gjerne is polite. Choosing the right one is partly a politeness decision — saying vil ha to a host who offers you cake is fine and friendly, but in a formal email ønske fits better. There is no single shortcut; you learn the four idioms and the situations they belong to.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg vil en kaffe.
Incorrect — 'vil' needs a verb; for a thing you need 'ha'.
✅ Jeg vil ha en kaffe.
I want a coffee.
❌ Jeg ville like en kaffe.
Incorrect — 'would like' is not a conditional of 'like'.
✅ Jeg vil gjerne ha en kaffe.
I would like a coffee.
❌ Jeg har lyst til en is.
Incorrect — a noun needs 'lyst på', not 'lyst til'.
✅ Jeg har lyst på en is.
I fancy an ice cream.
❌ Jeg har lyst på å reise.
Incorrect — a verb needs 'lyst til å', not 'lyst på'.
✅ Jeg har lyst til å reise.
I feel like travelling.
❌ Jeg vil ha en sykkel til jul. (to a gift-giver)
Sounds like a demand; for a wish use 'ønske seg'.
✅ Jeg ønsker meg en sykkel til jul.
I'm hoping for a bike for Christmas.
The first two are the classic English-transfer errors: dropping ha after vil, and trying to translate "would like" with a conditional of "like". The next two confuse the på (noun) / til å (verb) split inside ha lyst. The last is a register slip — blunt vil ha where a gracious ønske seg belongs.
Key Takeaways
- There is no single verb "to want" — assemble it from vil ha, ha lyst, ønske, or vil gjerne ha.
- vil needs a verb after it: for a thing, that verb is ha → vil ha
- noun. Never vil
- ha lyst på
- noun, ha lyst til å
- verb — match the preposition to what follows.
- noun, ha lyst til å
- ønske (seg) is the considered/formal wish (gifts, good wishes, written register).
- "Would like" = vil gjerne ha, built with the adverb gjerne — there is no ville like.
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- vil / ville: Want, Will, WouldA2 — The modal vil (ville / villet) — primarily volition ('want', vil ha = want), with a secondary prediction/future sense and the conditional 'would', plus the false-friend trap that vil is not neutral English 'will'.
- like (to like)A1 — Conjugation and usage of like, a weak Class 2 verb, including like + noun, like å + infinitive, the reflexive like seg, and the contrast with glad i and elske.
- Politeness Without a Formal 'You'A2 — Norwegian has no everyday 'please' word and no polite pronoun — so politeness lives in tone, modals and understatement. Why a bare 'Kan du hjelpe meg?' is perfectly polite, and why English speakers should dial their politeness routines down, not up.