Breakdown of Друзья часто приглашают меня в кино, когда им хочется отвлечься от работы.
друг
the friend
в
to
работа
the work
часто
often
Questions & Answers about Друзья часто приглашают меня в кино, когда им хочется отвлечься от работы.
Why is им used here instead of они? What case is it?
Им is the dative plural form of они (they).
The structure кому хочется? (who feels like it / who wants to) requires the dative case:
- им хочется = they feel like (it) / they want (to)
- literally: it is wanted by them → them = dative = им
So:
- они – nominative (subject: they)
- им – dative (to them / for them)
In impersonal constructions like мне/ему/им хочется, the person who has the desire is in the dative case.
What’s the difference between им хочется and они хотят?
Both express wanting, but the nuance is different:
- они хотят отвлечься – they want to take a break (more straightforward, volitional, “they want”).
- им хочется отвлечься – they feel like taking a break (more about mood, impulse, inner feeling, softer/less direct).
Хочется sounds more spontaneous and less “rationally decided,” closer to “they’re in the mood to…” in English. It’s also somewhat more polite/softer than blunt они хотят in many contexts.
Why is the verb хочется in this form and not хочут or something with ?