J'ai envie de voyager.

I feel like traveling.

Breakdown of J'ai envie de voyager.

• je: I
• avoir: to have
• voyager: to travel
• de: of
• l'envie: the desire

Questions & Answers about J'ai envie de voyager.

How is the sentence J'ai envie de voyager constructed grammatically?

The sentence uses a fixed expression avoir envie de to express desire. It breaks down as follows:
• J' is the contraction of je, the subject meaning “I”.
• ai is the first-person singular of avoir (“to have”).
• envie is a noun meaning “desire” or “longing”.
• de is the preposition that links envie to what follows.
• voyager is an infinitive verb meaning “to travel”.
So, literally, it says “I have desire of traveling,” which idiomatically means “I feel like traveling” or “I want to travel.”

Why is the preposition de required after envie in this expression?

In French, the noun envie is typically paired with the preposition de when introducing what one feels desire toward. This structure—avoir envie de—is fixed, so whether it is followed by an infinitive (as in voyager) or a noun, de is necessary to connect the two elements. The preposition acts as a bridge between the feeling (envie) and the desired action or object.

What is the difference in nuance between saying J'ai envie de voyager and Je veux voyager?

While both sentences express a desire to travel, there is a subtle difference in nuance:
• J'ai envie de voyager conveys a mood or a spontaneous feeling of wanting to travel. It emphasizes the sentiment or craving rather than a firm decision.
• Je veux voyager states a direct intention or will to travel, often suggesting a more determined or planned desire.
Thus, avoir envie de can be seen as lighter or more mood-based compared to the more emphatic vouloir.

Can the expression avoir envie de be used with both verbs and nouns? If so, how does that work?

Yes, the expression is quite versatile. When followed by an infinitive (a verb), it expresses a desire to perform an action—as in J'ai envie de voyager (“I feel like traveling”). It can also be used with a noun to indicate a desire for something; for example, J'ai envie d'un café means “I feel like having a coffee.” Note that when the noun starts with a vowel sound, de often contracts to d'.

How is the contraction J'ai formed, and why is it commonly used in French?

J'ai is a contraction of je ai, the subject pronoun je (“I”) and ai, the first-person singular of avoir (“to have”). In French, when a subject pronoun ending in a vowel is followed by a verb that begins with a vowel sound, they are often contracted for smoother, more natural pronunciation. Hence, je ai becomes j'ai in everyday usage.