The pattern

"I feel like" plus an -ing verb or a noun means you are in the mood for it. "I feel like pizza" means pizza is what you want right now. "I feel like going out" means going out sounds good tonight. It is lighter than "I want": a mood, not a demand, which is why people use it for food, plans and small pleasures.

The negative is where it earns its keep. "I don't feel like it" is the universal soft no for anything optional: cooking, going out, talking. No reason needed, nobody offended.

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

  1. The all-purpose soft refusal for anything optional.

  2. The question form is an easy invitation.

  3. With a clause, "feel like" means "have the impression": I feel like I know you.

Check yourself

1"I feel like pizza" means...
2What form follows "I feel like" when it is a verb?
3Someone suggests going out and you want a quiet night. Which is the soft no?

Practice · 3 min

Say what you are in the mood for. Prompt on the left, one natural sentence on the right.

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  5. 5

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.