aimer

Aimer is one of the most fundamental French verbs, covering both "to love" (aimer qqn) and "to like" (aimer + infinitive or noun) — context, and the softening addition of bien, distinguish the two. It's a first-group -er verb, but its sheer frequency makes it one of the first irregulars-in-practice learners must master, since idiom and register matter more than conjugation here.

• Je t'aime. — I love you.
• Elle aime beaucoup lire le soir. — She really likes reading in the evening.
• Nous aimons ce restaurant. — We love this restaurant.

Learners often don't realize that aimer bien qqn (rather than plain aimer qqn) softens "love" down to "like" for people — j'aime bien mon collègue means you like your colleague, while j'aime mon collègue without bien can sound like an unintended declaration.

• song Je l'aime à mourir — Francis Cabrel's 1979 hit from the album Les Chemins de traverse — its single sold over 700,000 copies, the biggest-selling single of his career, and the title line remains one of the most quoted in French pop music.