How to Express Likes and Dislikes in French

Ask most beginners how to say "I like chocolate" in French, and they'll drop the article without thinking twice -- "j'aime chocolat" -- because that's exactly how English works. In French, that sentence sounds off the moment it leaves your mouth, and it's one of the most common mistakes English speakers make when they start talking about what they love, like, and can't stand.

Talking about likes and dislikes isn't a niche skill -- it's some of the most useful French you'll ever produce. It's how you make small talk at a dinner party, describe your taste in music to a language exchange partner, fill out the "interests" section of a profile, or just tell a waiter you don't eat mushrooms. And because the grammar here differs from English in a small but consistent way, it's worth getting right early rather than un-learning a habit later.

French has a small set of verbs that cover almost everything you'll need to talk about preference, and they sit on a scale of intensity. Adorer (to love, to adore) sits at the top. Aimer (to like, to love) covers the broad middle ground and can mean anything from "like" to "love" depending on context and tone. Aimer bien (to like, moderately) is a slightly cooler version of aimer, used mostly for people so it doesn't come across as a declaration of romantic feelings. Détester (to hate, to detest) sits at the bottom. Between aimer and détester, préférer (to prefer) lets you compare two things without committing to loving or hating either one.

Here's the rule that trips up almost every English speaker: after aimer, adorer, détester, and préférer, French uses a definite article (le, la, l', les) even when you're speaking generally, not about one specific thing. In English, "I like chocolate" and "I like the chocolate" mean two different things -- the first is a general statement, the second points to a specific chocolate bar on the table. French collapses that distinction: j'aime le chocolat covers both meanings, and dropping the article (j'aime chocolat) isn't a stylistic shortcut, it's simply wrong. The same holds for plural and feminine nouns: j'adore les films (I love movies), elle déteste la pluie (she hates the rain), nous préférons le thé au café (we prefer tea to coffee).

These verbs also work directly with an infinitive when you're talking about an activity instead of a thing -- no preposition needed. J'aime lire (I like to read, I like reading), il déteste attendre (he hates waiting), elle adore voyager (she loves traveling). This is actually simpler than English, where you have to choose between "to read" and "reading" -- French just uses the infinitive every time, full stop.

Once you can state a preference, the next skill is reacting to someone else's. If a friend says something you agree with, you don't repeat the whole sentence -- you just say moi aussi (me too) after a positive statement, or moi non plus (me neither) after a negative one. To disagree, use moi si (I do, actually) to contradict a negative statement, or pas moi (not me) to contradict a positive one. Mixing these up is a common beginner slip: moi aussi only works after "I like/love," and moi non plus only works after "I don't like/I hate" -- French keeps positive and negative agreement grammatically separate in a way English's all-purpose "me too" doesn't.

One cultural note worth knowing: French speakers tend to state preferences more bluntly than English speakers are used to. Where an English speaker might soften "I don't like it" into "it's not really my thing," a French speaker will often just say je n'aime pas ça (I don't like that) without much cushioning -- it isn't rude, it's just direct. You'll also hear bof a lot, an all-purpose interjection usually paired with a shrug, meaning something between "meh" and "I could take it or leave it" -- useful for when you genuinely have no strong opinion either way.

Key phrases to know: adorer (ah-doh-ray) -- to love, to adore. Aimer (eh-may) -- to like, to love. Aimer bien (eh-may byan) -- to like, moderately. Préférer (pray-fay-ray) -- to prefer. Détester (day-tess-tay) -- to hate, to detest. J'aime le/la/les... (zhem luh/lah/lay) -- I like the... (general or specific). Je n'aime pas (zhuh nem pah) -- I don't like. Moi aussi (mwah oh-see) -- me too. Moi non plus (mwah nohn ploo) -- me neither. Pas moi (pah mwah) -- not me. Moi si (mwah see) -- I do, actually (contradicting a negative). Bof (boff) -- meh, whatever.

Picture a dinner party in Lyon. Someone asks, Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire le week-end ? (What do you like to do on weekends?) You answer: J'aime lire et je déteste faire du sport (I like reading and I hate doing sports). Someone else chimes in: Moi aussi, je déteste ça ! (Me too, I hate that!) -- using moi aussi correctly, because they're agreeing with a statement phrased as "I hate," which counts as negative, not with "I don't like" -- a small distinction, but one that shows you're tracking the grammar, not just the vocabulary. Later, someone says Je n'aime pas le vin rouge (I don't like red wine) and you disagree: you'd say Moi si, j'adore ça (I do, I love it), not moi aussi, since aussi only ever follows a positive statement.

Try it yourself. 1) Fill in the blank: J'aime ___ chocolat. (le / du / -- ) 2) Translate: "She hates waiting." 3) Someone says Je n'aime pas les épinards (I don't like spinach) and you agree -- do you say moi aussi or moi non plus? 4) Translate: "I love to travel, but I prefer the mountains to the beach." 5) True or false: aimer bien is a stronger feeling than aimer. 6) Fill in the blank: someone says J'adore ce film, and you disagree -- you say ___ moi, je le déteste.

Answer key: 1) le -- j'aime le chocolat. 2) Elle déteste attendre. 3) moi non plus, because you're agreeing with a negative statement. 4) J'adore voyager, mais je préfère la montagne à la plage. 5) False -- aimer bien is milder than plain aimer, not stronger. 6) Pas moi, je le déteste.

Three things to remember: always keep the article (le, la, les) after aimer, adorer, détester, and préférer, even when you're speaking generally, not about one specific thing. Use the infinitive directly with no preposition when the thing you like is an activity rather than an object. And match moi aussi and moi non plus to positive or negative statements instead of using them interchangeably. Next time you're chatting with a French speaker, try steering the conversation toward music, food, or weekend plans -- it's the fastest way to turn this grammar point into a real habit. Head over to Exercises to practice a few more of these on your own, or browse Vocabulary to build out your list of things to love and hate in French.