dar la gana
verbCEFR B1
What does “dar la gana” mean in English?
to feel like
to feel like (doing), to want to (colloquial, assertive; most common in negative: no me da la gana = I don't feel like it / I refuse)
Example sentences
No voy a explicar mis decisiones cada vez; hago lo que me da la gana cuando no afecta a nadie más.
I'm not going to explain my decisions every time; I do what I feel like when it doesn't affect anyone else.
A él no le dio la gana de pedir disculpas aunque todo el mundo sabía que había sido un error suyo.
He didn't feel like apologising even though everyone knew it had been his mistake.
¿Y por qué no fuiste a la reunión? — Porque no me dio la gana; nadie me avisó con tiempo y ya tenía otros planes.
And why didn't you go to the meeting? — Because I didn't feel like it; nobody warned me in time and I already had other plans.
How to use it
Dar la gana means 'to feel like (doing something)', carrying a colloquial, often defiant or assertive tone. Like dar igual, it follows the gustar pattern: me da la gana, no te da la gana, le da la gana. The most common use is in the negative (no me da la gana — 'I don't feel like it / I don't want to') or in assertive statements about someone's autonomous choice. It is distinctly colloquial and informal; in formal contexts, use querer or tener ganas de instead. Darle a alguien la gana de + infinitive is the full construction.
Common mistake
Register is the main trap. Dar la gana is colloquial and can sound rude or defiant in the wrong context. The formal equivalents are no tener ganas de (not feel motivated) or no querer (not want to). The indirect object clitic is always required: '*dar la gana' without me/te/le etc. is incomplete. The negative 'no me da la gana' is far more frequent than the positive form.