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The verbe “aimer” is particular, he can mean “to love” but also “to like”, according to the context.
To talk about a person
Aimer + person (= to love), like the famous sentence "Je t'aime" ❤️
Examples: J'aime mes enfants. J'aime ma famille. J'aime mon mari/ma femme. (I love my kids, I love my family, I love my husband/wife.)
J'aime Martin. (I'm in love with Martin)
Aimer bien + person (= to like)
Examples: J'aime bien mes voisins, ils sont sympas. (I like my neighbors, they are nice.)
J'aime bien mes collègues. J'aime bien Benoît. (I like my colleagues, I like Benoît.)
You can also use "aimer bien" to talk about an artist for example: J'aime bien Brad Pitt. (I like Brad Pitt.)
To talk about something
To say you like something, you also use "aimer bien".
Examples: J'aime bien Pulp Fiction. (I like Pulp Fiction.)
J'aime bien aller à la salle de sport le week-end. (I like to go to the gym on the weekend.)
Tu aimes bien les brocolis ? 🥦 (Do you like brocolis?)
To express a stronger taste, you can use: "aimer beaucoup" (to like very much, to enjoy) or even "adorer" (to love).
Examples:
J'aime beaucoup les films de Quentin Tarantino. (I really like Quentin Tarantino's movies.)
J'adore le chocolat. (I love chocolate.)
In the negative form
To form a verb in the negative form, you have to use "ne" and "pas" at each side of the verb: ne + verbe + pas
If you want to say you don't like something, simply use the verb "aimer" in the negative form, without "bien" or "beaucoup".
Examples :
Je n’aime pas la pluie. Je n’aime pas les insectes. Je n’aime pas mon patron. (I don't like rain. I don't like insects. I don't like my boss.)
If you really don't like something, you can use the verb "détester" (=to hate).
"Je déteste" (I hate) is stronger than "Je n'aime pas" (I don't like).
Examples:
Je déteste prendre l'avion. Je déteste la grammaire. (I hate to take the plane. I hate grammaire.)
In the past tense (passé composé)
In the past tense, the adverbs "bien" and "beaucoup" are placed between the auxiliary "avoir" and the past participle "aimé".
Examples:
Tu as bien aimé le dessert? (Did you like the dessert?)
J'ai beaucoup aimé le concert. (I really liked the concert.)
Is that clearer? Let me know in the comments what you like and don't like!
To go further
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