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Elle a envie de danser.

Elle a envie de danser.
She feels like dancing.
From Lesson 30:Age and physical states (avoir)·French

Breakdown of Elle a envie de danser.

danser
to dance
avoir envie de
to feel like, to want

Questions & Answers about Elle a envie de danser.

Why does this use a (to have) instead of a word for 'feels'?
Just like in the expressions avoir faim (to be hungry) and avoir soif (to be thirsty) from this lesson, French uses the verb avoir (to have) for many personal feelings and states. The expression avoir envie de literally means 'to have desire of', which we naturally translate as 'to feel like' or 'to want' in English.
What does envie mean on its own?
Envie is a noun that means 'desire' or 'wish'. So, elle a envie literally means 'she has a desire'. While it looks like the English word 'envy', in this expression it simply means a want or craving.
Why do we need de before danser?
The complete set phrase is avoir envie de (to have a desire for / to feel like). Whenever you want to say you feel like doing an action, you must always link envie to the action verb using the little word de.
Why is danser in the infinitive form (to dance) when the English translation says 'dancing'?
In French, when a verb directly follows a preposition like de, it must stay in its original, unconjugated dictionary form (the infinitive). English often uses the '-ing' form after prepositions ('like dancing'), but French always uses the infinitive (danser).

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