Breakdown of Mam ochotę na kawę.
kawa
coffee
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
mieć ochotę
to feel like (mieć ochotę na + Acc / + infinitive)
Questions & Answers about Mam ochotę na kawę.
Why do we use Mam ochotę na to mean "I feel like"?
In Polish, you don't literally say you "feel like" something. Instead, you use the phrase mieć ochotę na, which translates literally to "to have a desire for" or "to have an appetite for". Here, mam means "I have" and ochotę is the word for "desire" or "fancy".
Why do both ochotę and kawę end in -ę?
Both words are feminine nouns that normally end in -a in their dictionary form (ochota, kawa). They change to -ę because they are in the accusative case, which is used for direct objects. Ochota takes this ending because it is the direct object of the verb mam (I have), and kawa takes it because it follows the preposition na in this specific phrase.
Could I just say chcę kawę (I want a coffee) instead?
Yes, chcę kawę is perfectly correct grammar. However, mam ochotę na kawę is softer and more conversational. It is exactly like the difference between saying "I want a coffee" and "I am in the mood for a coffee" or "I fancy a coffee" in English.
If I want to say "I feel like drinking a coffee", do I still use na?
No! If you want to follow "I feel like" with an action (a verb), you drop the word na and just use the dictionary form (infinitive) of the verb. For example, you would say Mam ochotę pić kawę (I feel like drinking coffee). You only use na when the phrase is followed directly by a noun.
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