Module 5 of 10
What you like and what you do not
Four verbs, a strength order, and the reason that follows.
Adorer, aimer, aimer bien, ne pas aimer, détester — that is the ladder, and it is enough for every opinion you will be asked for at this level. Two mechanics come with it. When you like a thing in general, French puts the definite article in where English has nothing: j'aime le café, not j'aime café. And when you like doing something, the second verb stays in its dictionary form: j'aime lire, je déteste attendre — never a second conjugated verb.
One warning worth having. Je t'aime means I love you, and je t'aime bien means I like you — the bien that softens everything else softens that too, in the direction of friendship. For things, aimer is simply like and adorer is love, so j'adore ce film is the safe way to be enthusiastic. Then add parce que. An opinion with a reason is twice the sentence for one extra word, and it is the cheapest way to sound like someone having a conversation rather than answering a questionnaire.
Played by your device’s own French voice. It is a synthetic voice, not a recording of a teacher — close enough to learn the shape of a word, not close enough to copy exactly.
- J'aime le caféI like coffee — in general, so it takes le
- J'adore la musique indienneI love Indian music
- Je n'aime pas le froidI do not like the cold
- Je déteste attendreI hate waiting — the second verb stays in its plain form
- J'aime bien lireI quite like reading — bien softens it
- Je préfère le théI prefer tea
- Parce queBecause — the word that turns an opinion into a sentence
- J'aime le français parce que c'est utileI like French because it is useful
J'aime le + thing in general, j'aime + plain verb for doing. Add parce que and the opinion becomes a conversation.