In Portuguese, you can use the word vontade (wish, or desire) in a number of different ways. Let’s take a look.

1. Ficar à vontade – This means make yourself at home. You’ll hear this if you’re in someone’s home or office.

Bem-vindo! Fique à vontade. Quer um cafezinho? Welcome. Make yourself at home. Do you want a coffee?

2. Estar com vontade de – This means, “Are you in the mood to” or “Do you feel like.” Similarly, estar sem vontade is to not be in the mood for something.

Você está com vontade de ir no cinema? Do you feel like going to the movies?

Estou sem vontade de estudar hoje. I’m not in the mood to study today.

3. Que vontade de – This expresses a wish to do something, roughly: “What desire to.”

Que vontade de pular na piscina! What desire to jump in the pool!

Que vontade de comer feijoada! What desire to eat feijoada!

4. vontade – In some cases, you can use vontade as “the urge,” particularly when talking about physical needs.

Ele sempre está com vontade de urinar. He always has the urge to pee.

A vontade de tossir é maior à noite. The urge to cough is worse at night.