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German Phrase

Ich hab' Bock auf Pizza.

/ɪç haːp bɔk aʊf ˈpɪtsa/
Meaning"I feel like having pizza."
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Meaning

Literally, ‘I have a craving for pizza.’ In everyday speech it means ‘I feel like having pizza.’ The phrase is informal, playful and conveys a strong, spontaneous desire.

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When to use

Use this sentence with friends, family, or in casual settings such as a chat with classmates. It’s too slangy for formal situations, business emails, or when speaking to strangers you want to impress.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Ichhab'BockaufPizza

1

Ich

Personal pronoun for the first person singular, always capitalised in German.

2

hab'

Colloquial contraction of the verb *haben* (to have) in the present tense, 1st person singular. The apostrophe marks the dropped *e*.

3

Bock

Informal noun meaning ‘desire, mood, craving’. It is used mainly in spoken, youthful language.

4

auf

Preposition that governs the accusative case when it indicates direction or a target of desire (here: ‘on/for’).

5

Pizza

A loanword from Italian; in German it stays in the nominative/accusative form and is treated as a neuter noun.

🗨In Conversation

A

Ich hab' Bock auf Pizza.

I feel like having pizza.

Super, ich bestelle dann eine Margherita!

Great, I’ll order a Margherita then!

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich hab Bock auf Pizza.

    Missing the apostrophe makes the sentence look less natural; native speakers usually drop the *e* and write *hab'*.

  • Ich hab' Bock Pizza.

    The preposition *auf* must be followed by the accusative; omitting it changes the meaning.

  • Ich hab' Bock zu Pizza.

    ‘Bock’ is followed by *auf*, not *zu*.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich habe Lust auf Pizza.

    I’d like pizza.

  • Ich möchte Pizza.

    I want pizza.

  • Ich habe Appetit auf Pizza.

    I have an appetite for pizza.

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Cultural Tip

‘Bock haben’ is a piece of colloquial German that originated in northern Germany and spread through youth culture. It’s perfectly fine in a relaxed atmosphere, but avoid it in formal contexts or with older people you don’t know well. In some regions (e.g., Bavaria) you’ll hear the longer form *Bock haben* more often than the clipped *hab' Bock*.