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Questions & Answers about Ik heb zin in een salade.
What does zin mean on its own, and how does it work here?
Literally, zin can mean a sentence or sense, but in the fixed phrase zin hebben in, it means to feel like or fancy something. It expresses a craving or desire for right now.
Why is the preposition in used here?
The phrase zin hebben is almost always followed by the preposition in when you specify what you want. It is a fixed combination, so it is best to memorize zin hebben in together as one chunk.
In English we say we feel like having a salad. Why isn't there a verb like eten or hebben in the Dutch sentence?
In Dutch, you do not need an extra verb when you use zin hebben in followed by a noun like een salade. The idea of eating, drinking, or experiencing it is already built into the expression.
How is zin hebben in different from using graag, which we are learning in this lesson?