Breakdown of Esta noche tengo ganas de ver una película en casa.
Questions & Answers about Esta noche tengo ganas de ver una película en casa.
Both are correct, but they don’t sound the same.
- Quiero ver una película = I want to watch a movie. (a straightforward wish/want)
- Tengo ganas de ver una película = I feel like watching a movie / I’m in the mood to watch a movie.
Tener ganas de + infinitive is a bit softer and more about your mood or desire at that moment. In everyday speech in Spain, tengo ganas de… is very common and sounds natural and conversational.
Tener ganas de + infinitive literally means to have desire to… and is used like to feel like doing something.
Structure:
- tener (conjugated) + ganas de
- infinitive
Examples:
- Tengo ganas de comer. – I feel like eating.
- No tenemos ganas de salir. – We don’t feel like going out.
- ¿Tienes ganas de viajar? – Do you feel like travelling?
You always keep the de before the infinitive.
Ganas is a plural noun and is used almost always in the plural in this expression. There is practically no singular form in normal modern use.
You say:
- Muchas ganas, pocas ganas, tengo ganas, no tengo ganas
But you don’t say una gana in everyday Spanish. It’s just a fixed pattern: tener ganas (de algo / de hacer algo).
Because the structure is tener ganas de + [something].
- Tener ganas de algo: Tengo ganas de chocolate. – I feel like (having) chocolate.
- Tener ganas de + infinitive: Tengo ganas de ver una película. – I feel like watching a movie.
So de is required by the verb–noun combination tener ganas de…. You can’t drop it:
❌ Tengo ganas ver una película (incorrect)
✅ Tengo ganas de ver una película (correct)
Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct.
- Esta noche quiero ver una película en casa. – Tonight I want to watch a movie at home.
Difference in nuance:
- Quiero ver…: more direct “I want to…”
- Tengo ganas de ver…: more like “I feel like / I’m in the mood to…”
In many contexts, you can use either. Tengo ganas de… just sounds a bit more informal and “mood-based.”
Esta noche means tonight (this coming night). In Spanish, you use este/esta with times like this:
- esta noche – tonight
- esta tarde – this afternoon
- esta mañana – this morning
La noche on its own is more general: the night / at night.
Compare:
- Esta noche tengo ganas de ver una película. – Tonight I feel like watching a movie.
- Por la noche veo la tele. – At night I watch TV. (a general habit)
Spanish very often uses the present tense with a future time expression to talk about near‑future plans.
- Esta noche tengo ganas de ver una película. – Tonight I feel like watching a movie.
- Mañana trabajo. – I’m working tomorrow.
- La semana que viene vamos a Madrid. – We’re going to Madrid next week.
The time expression (esta noche) makes it clear that it’s about the future, so the present tense is natural and common.
En casa normally means at home (the speaker’s home), without any article:
- Estoy en casa. – I’m at home.
- Cenamos en casa. – We have dinner at home.
En la casa means in the house (a specific building), focusing on the place as a physical house:
- Hay mucha gente en la casa. – There are many people in the house.
In your sentence, the idea is “at home”, so en casa is the natural choice.
Yes, you can say:
- Esta noche tengo ganas de ver una película en mi casa.
Both en casa and en mi casa can mean at my home, but:
- en casa: default, neutral “at home”, usually understood as my home in context.
- en mi casa: slightly more explicit that it’s your place (useful if there could be confusion).
In many everyday situations in Spain, en casa is enough and more natural.
You need una because película is a countable noun in this context.
- Ver una película – watch a movie (one movie, not specified which)
- Ver películas – watch movies (in general, plural)
You normally can’t say: ❌ Tengo ganas de ver película (incorrect in this meaning)
So you use: ✅ una película for “a movie” (unspecified, singular, feminine).
Because película is a feminine noun (ends in -a, and by meaning it’s feminine). Articles and adjectives must agree in gender and number.
- una película interesante – an interesting film
- la película española – the Spanish movie
Un is for masculine nouns (un libro, un coche, un problema).
Una is for feminine nouns (una casa, una mesa, una película).
In Spain:
- Ver una película is the normal expression for to watch a movie.
- Mirar is more like to look at / to watch in the sense of where you direct your eyes.
You can hear mirar una película, but it’s much less common and can sound a bit off in many contexts. The standard, natural choice is:
- ver la tele – watch TV
- ver una serie – watch a series
- ver una película – watch a movie
So in your sentence, ver is the best verb.
Yes. Spanish word order is fairly flexible, especially with time expressions.
All of these are correct:
- Esta noche tengo ganas de ver una película en casa.
- Tengo ganas de ver una película en casa esta noche.
Putting esta noche at the beginning is very common and gives it a bit more emphasis: you start by setting the time frame. The meaning is the same.