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French grammar

J'aime and je n'aime pas: likes and dislikes in French

Aimer means to like and to love, and it comes with a twist: the thing you like keeps its article. J'aime le chocolat is literally I like the chocolate, and J'aime les chats is I like (all) cats. The negative wraps the verb in ne ... pas, and ne shrinks to n' before the vowel: je n'aime pas le café.

In short

  • Liking takes the definite article: j'aime le chocolat, j'aime les chats. Never drop the le, la or les.
  • je + aime squeezes to j'aime; tu aimes stays two words and sounds the same, since the -s is silent.
  • Ask by raising your voice: Tu aimes le cinéma ? Agree with moi aussi.
  • Negative: ne ... pas around the verb, with ne shortened before a vowel: je n'aime pas le café. The article stays after the negative with aimer.

Liking, the French way

«j'aime» — I like, I love (zhem — je + aime squeezed into one word, the c'est move again). The French twist: liking takes THE. «J'aime le chocolat» — I like chocolate — literally 'I like THE chocolate'. Name the side, then love the thing.

  • J'aime le chocolat

    I like chocolate

  • J'aime le thé

    I like tea.

  • J'aime la musique

    I like music

  • Le chat

    the cat

Bounce it back

«Tu aimes… ?» — do you like…? Just aim the sentence up: «Tu aimes le cinéma ?» (tu EM — that -s is silent, and the aime sounds exactly like j'aime's). To agree: «moi aussi» — me too (mwa oh-SEE).

  • Tu aimes le cinéma ?

    do you like the movies?

  • Tu aimes la musique ?

    Do you like music?

  • Moi aussi

    me too

  • J'aime le cinéma

    I like the movies

The polite dislike

«je n'aime pas» — I don't like (zhuh nem PAH). It's the same ne…pas that built «je ne comprends pas» — but before the vowel of aime, «ne» squeezes to «n'», the d'où move yet again. «Je n'aime pas le café» — said with a shrug, never an apology.

  • Je n'aime pas le café

    I don't like coffee

  • J'aime le café

    I LIKE coffee.

  • Je n'aime pas le thé

    I don't like tea

  • La maison

    the house

Liking, at last, in plural

«J'aime le chocolat» says you like chocolate in general. For countable things French likes them all: «J'aime les chats», I like cats (lay shah, no -s to hear, just «les»). Either way the article stays: French never says j'aime chats.

  • J'aime les chats

    I like cats

  • J'aime les chiens

    I like dogs.

  • Les chats et les chiens

    the cats and the dogs

  • Tu aimes les chats ?

    Do you like cats?

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