i learned that aimer is to love a person or animal but it means like for an object and if you want to love an object you use adorer eg j'adore le chocolat - i love chocolat. j'aime le chocolat - i like chocolat. Is this wrong?
Depending on context and whether you use it on its own, the verb aimer can mean to love something / someone, or to like something / someone.
Aimer - to love <someone> / <something>
Used on its own, aimer generally means 'to love' <someone> and 'to love or to like' (depending on intensity) <something>:
NOTE that you can also use the verb adorer to emphasise love of something or someone:
-> Here note that adorer does NOT mean "to be in love with", but expresses a strong liking of someone.
When aimer is used in a question about something, it actually means "Do you like ...?" (for someone, it still means 'love'):
Aimer bien / beaucoup - to like <someone> / <something> (a lot)
Note that when using aimer bien, it actually lessens its meaning from 'to love' to 'to like' <someone> / <something>.
When you use aimer beaucoup, it means 'to like a lot' / 'to really like'.
ATTENTION: If you wanted to say "I love you very much" in French, you would use a different expression:
Ne pas aimer - to not love / like <someone> / <something>
ATTENTION: You cannot use aimer bien in a negative sentence (ne ... pas) in French. To express dislike, you will revert to using simply aimer with the negation ne ... pas, to say both "not love / not like", as such:
In this case, the context will remove ambiguity.
You can also use ne pas aimer beaucoup to say 'not like much'.
Note that beaucoup will come after pas:
See also Using "plaire" to express liking something / someone
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
aimer
Q&A Forum 15 questions, 44 answers
Hi Helen,
Yes, you can say -
J'aime le chocolat = I like chocolate
and even stronger -
J'adore le chocolat = I love chocolate
It is with people that it can be tricky.
If you say -
J'aime David = I love David (and can be seen as a love declaration!)
J'aime bien David = I like David
Hope this helps!
Helen asked:View original
aimer v adorer
i learned that aimer is to love a person or animal but it means like for an object and if you want to love an object you use adorer eg j'adore le chocolat - i love chocolat. j'aime le chocolat - i like chocolat. Is this wrong?
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CsKwiziq community member
Like vs Love
What does "Elise aime beaucoup Fred." mean ?
- The correct answer was she likes Fred very much. Why can't it be, "She loves Fred very much"?
Asked 7 months ago
Hi Cs
"Aimer" is a peculiar verb in that its intensity is lessened when it is qualified by an adverb.
Je t'aime - I love you -but- Je t'aime bien - I like you
Hope this helps,
Tom
Cs asked:View original
Like vs Love
What does "Elise aime beaucoup Fred." mean ?
- The correct answer was she likes Fred very much. Why can't it be, "She loves Fred very much"?
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LizKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I learned that aimer is used only for people including children, not for things. For things you use adorer, which can also be used for people.
Asked 9 months ago
You can also use aimer with things to express a general liking of something, as in: j'aime la musique.
Liz asked:View original
I learned that aimer is used only for people including children, not for things. For things you use adorer, which can also be used for people.
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Yes, it's just a bit stronger than aimer. Except for romantic love, where "je t'aime" is the uncontested idiomatic phrase.
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FahadKwiziq community member
Does “aimer bien quelqu’un” still have a romantic connotation (albeit lesser than love)?
Is it more akin to “I think he/she is cool/fun” or does it indicate a crush on someone?
Asked 1 year ago
AndreaKwiziq community member
Perhaps it means something more like "I quite like", but I'm not certain.
Fahad asked:View original
Does “aimer bien quelqu’un” still have a romantic connotation (albeit lesser than love)?
Is it more akin to “I think he/she is cool/fun” or does it indicate a crush on someone?
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SherryKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Aimer bien and negation
Just a few days ago I came across Jacques Brel's song "Le moribund", which has the line: "Adieu l'Antoine, je t'aimais pas bien", which I took to mean that the speaker didn't like Antoine. Is the rule that "aimer bien" can't be used in a negative sentence something that can be overridden in some cases, such as in art to make a line scan better, or does its use in the song suggest that the speaker isn't well spoken? Maybe an exception that tests the rule?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Sherry,
I love that song and Jacques Brel's work in general...
It is true to say that you would rather say,
'Je t' aimais pas beaucoup' for 'I didn't like you much' but for the song's poetic rhythm it works well and serves to contrast the other 'Je t'aimais bien' ...
SherryKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Merci, Cécile. I'm just becoming acquainted with Brel's work and like it very much. Yes, that usage does work well as a contrast—I hadn't thought of that. Hooray for artistic license!
Sherry asked:View original
Aimer bien and negation
Just a few days ago I came across Jacques Brel's song "Le moribund", which has the line: "Adieu l'Antoine, je t'aimais pas bien", which I took to mean that the speaker didn't like Antoine. Is the rule that "aimer bien" can't be used in a negative sentence something that can be overridden in some cases, such as in art to make a line scan better, or does its use in the song suggest that the speaker isn't well spoken? Maybe an exception that tests the rule?
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Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
So Kwiziq says you can use aimer to "love" a thing?
So Kwiziq says you can use aimer to "love" a thing e.g. J'aime le sucre? That's not how I learned how to use aimer.
Aimer means TO LOVE a person or other animate object. And aimer bien means to like same.
How can j'aime le sucre mean I LOVE sugar? Kwiziq seems to have a different opinion about how to use AIMER.
And WORKREFERENCE.COM agrees with what I am saying.
Kwiziq needs to fix this, or explain why WordReference.com is wrong.
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Darren,
‘Aimer’ is to love OR to like in French depending on the context.
If you read the Q&A section at the bottom of the lesson you will see interesting takes on the verb aimer....
Incidently I have some friends who have a love affair with sugar!
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I agree AIMER meaning depends on context. I have WordReference open in front of me. And Thoughtco.com. And DuoLingo.
Kwiziq sentence j’aime le sucre doesn’t mean I love sugar according to these references, it means: I like sugar.
J’aime le sucre means I like sugar. Aimer followed by a noun means LIKE.
AIMER with a direct object pronoun la le and les can ONLY be used with people. Je t’aime. I love her.
Otherwise, with a noun like sugar, the sentence would be j’aime ça. I like it.
Glad to know your friends are addicted to sugar.
Tom Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Darren,
I think your interpretation of the meaning of AIMER is much too narrow and prescriptive.
The 9th edition of the Dictionary of the Académie française provides a definition of AIMER:
"Apprécier, estimer bon ou beau, trouver agréable"
The French (including Kwiziq's) use of AIMER entirely correlates to this use and to my use of TO LOVE in my native English dialect.
I love wine, I love music, I love driving my car. This in no way indicates I would like to form a union with these entities.
In fact, I adore football : this does not literally mean that I lie prostrate in font of some altar dedicated to the glory of the beautiful game!
You can, of course, temper the intensity of AIMER by appending the adverb BIEN to more or less correlate with the English verb TO LIKE.
This usage exactly coincides with Cécile's reply and this, coming from a native speaker would, for me, would always, in the first instance, eclipse that of some random website.
p.s Je t’aime means I love you not I love her
Tom
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Darren
Just wanted to chip in here too as it's quite common (and completely understandable) for people to check online resources when they aren't sure about one of our lessons and you may find what looks like contradictory information.
However, checking a dictionary or google isn't a reliable way to understand whether something is correct, or the full scope of the use of language.
All of Kwiziq's content is authored by expert language teachers who are native in the county of the language, grew up speaking it and have many years of experience teaching it.
So if you find anything online that appears to contradict one of our lessons, it's extremely unlikely that it's our content that's incorrect.
Of course, that shouldn't stop you from asking questions on here or asking for further explanation or clarification, but be reassured that you are getting expert and correct explanations from us.
All the best, Gruff
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I would agree that Google is never the best source for grammar or overall usage, but them seem to be good enough for startups like Lilt in San Francisco to begin building upon. Nevertheless, I never stated that Google was my source as it is unreliable.
But, you may care to comment upon WordReference specifically if you see any inconsistencies between what they have and what Kwiziq is saying.
Respectfully,
Darren
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Tom,
You are correct, as Je t'aime means I love her. But you failed to acknowledge that the structure of a sentence utilizing aimer can change based upon whether the direct object pronoun is appropriate when the pronoun represents a person or an object.
Nevertheless, I'm fairly sure that WordReference and Thought.co web site would generally not be considered "random" websites.
With due respect, thanks for your input.
Darren
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Darren,
I didn't mean that WordReference wasn't a reliable source of information, but that a dictionary (no matter how good - and WordReference is excellent - it's my personal favourite) isn't going to tell you the full scope of how language is used in reality.
In fact, their entry on 'aimer' is fairly comprehensive and isn't contradicting this lesson. I'm not sure why you felt it was?
Third entry:
aimer vtr (être contenté par, goûter [qch]) like⇒ vtr enjoy⇒ vtr (stronger) love⇒ vtr
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Gruff, thank you for your comments and support. I appreciate your interest in my comments.
My conclusions overall so far in my brief use of Kwiziq are that:
My age seems to be a factor in my ability to grasp the information you are presenting in a deep and meaningful way.
The process of testing inherently seeks to expose weaknesses in the user’s knowledge. And then hopefully provide guidance to move the user through the learning process. So far I’m not feeling the examples are enough, or I need to focus on one area longer. The testing process has begun to feel more like a dentist visit where my teeth are constantly being probed for painful weaknesses. (Sorry but the best analogy I could come up with).
The Kwiziq process, while perhaps effective for most learners, lacks an enjoyment component for me. I just feel on trial every time I open the site. Oh no, here we go again with the minutiae of faire mal à/ faire du mal à, faire peur à, etc.. I feel like I have hit a wall.
I shall continue using DuoLingo, Memrise, a private tutor and probably Kwiziq as I purchased a year of access, but appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts, frustrations and hopefully my respect for the work you have done here.
Darren
GruffKwiziq team member
Hi Darren - thanks for this honest feedback! I feel your pain!
Hopefully my link in the other post with learning tips was helpful - it really is very normal to feel this way transitioning from A1 to A2. It's a very tough stage.
I should have mentioned also that Kwiziq is designed specifically for post-beginner learners and yes, it deliberately seeks out weak areas in order to drill them to correct them. I don't know how recently you started to learn French but if you've only started (or restarted) recently started then Kwiziq might be a little too early for you. Duolingo is a fantastic resource for beginners and if you have a personal tutor then that is one of the best ways to learn for sure.
In terms of how to make the best of Kwiziq, given your stage, I would suggest you check out the notebook feature if KwizBot's recommendations are not quite right for you. You can use these to construct your own lists of topics that you want to master (even better if you get your tutor to help you decide what to focus on). Then you can kwiz against your own lists at your own pace - they won't change but KwizBot will still pick questions for you each time (and he'll also try to find exercises that match your notebook too and display them on the notebook page - this is a bit of a hidden gem of feature - we haven't really promoted it yet).
As a Premium subscriber, you can create as many notebooks as you like so lots of small, focussed lists (5 - 8 topics max) can be very helpful to master specific areas.
You can browse the library and find lessons by level or area and build up smaller lists themed around what you would like to practise.
I highly recommend the reading, dictées and writing exercises - which you'll also find in the library - as a more relaxed way to practise. These are guided but self-marked so they can be easier (but they're still challenging!). I don't think you've tried these yet from what I can see so do check them out!
Here's an example A1 dictation:
A1: Une Journée Chargée (part 1)
The improvement timeline on your dashboard is there to show you that you're making progress even when you feel you're not (and yours looks fantastic!).
Oh one more useful tip: you can always choose to test at a different level so if you need a break from A2, try testing at A1 again and maybe go for your A1 gold shield (and your A0 silver, gold and diamond!). You don't have to follow KwizBot's level recommendations - he'll adapt to your choices. We build the foundation trophy system to reward students who go back and work on their foundations - it pays off!
Hope this is helpful!
And Courage!
Gruff
D asked:View original
So Kwiziq says you can use aimer to "love" a thing?
So Kwiziq says you can use aimer to "love" a thing e.g. J'aime le sucre? That's not how I learned how to use aimer.
Aimer means TO LOVE a person or other animate object. And aimer bien means to like same.
How can j'aime le sucre mean I LOVE sugar? Kwiziq seems to have a different opinion about how to use AIMER.
And WORKREFERENCE.COM agrees with what I am saying.
Kwiziq needs to fix this, or explain why WordReference.com is wrong.
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Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
ne pas aimer vs ne aimer pas?
In the notes above, it says:
"You can also use ne pas aimer beaucoup to say 'not like much'.
Note that beaucoup will come after pas: "
Is this supposed to say ""You can also use "ne aimer pas beaucoup"?
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Je n'aime pas beaucoup sortir ce soir. -- I don't like very much to go out tonight.
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Ne pas + <infinitive> is the most common instance where ne pas does not bracket the verb. For example:
C'est mieux avoir aimé une fois que ne jamais avoir aimé du tout. -- It is better to have loved once than never to have loved at all.
Note that ne jamais are together and stand before the past infinitive (avoir aimé).
Uber asked:View original
ne pas aimer vs ne aimer pas?
In the notes above, it says:
"You can also use ne pas aimer beaucoup to say 'not like much'.
Note that beaucoup will come after pas: "
Is this supposed to say ""You can also use "ne aimer pas beaucoup"?
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DavidKwiziq community member
Hi,
In the examples above, 'j'aime Paris' means 'I lové Paris'. If 'j'aime beaucoup Paris' means 'I like Paris a lot', them how do you say plain old 'I like Paris'?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi David ,
'Aimer' quelque chose is, 'to like' and 'to love' something .
Your intonation would clarify the intensity of meaning I think.
You could always use the verb 'plaire' and its unusual construction to indicate plain old 'liking something' -
Paris me plaît.
Have a look at the following lesson if you are not familiar with the verb 'plaire'
Using "plaire" to express liking something / someone
Hope this helps!
With 'things' you need to add an adverb to 'aimer' to convey a higher intensity of feeling:
"J'aime beaucoup Paris" is stronger than for example,
"j'aime Paris au printemps" ( I like Paris in the Spring)...
DavidKwiziq community member
Thank you Cécile.I was a little puzzled, as I answered the multi-choice question as to what 'j'aime beacoup Paris' means with 'I like Paris' (which was marked incorrect, should have been 'I like Paris a lot). Seems I can user 'aimer' to express love or strong liking of Paris, but not a straightforward 'like'.
Regards
David
DavidKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
However today in a quiz I was asked to select multiple possibilitires for "How could you say 'I love sugar'?". I selected both "J'aime le sucre" and "J'adore le sucre". I was marked down because "J'aime le sucre" was only "Nearly" right. Why is that?
This lesson says:
Used on its own, aimer generally means 'to love' <someone> and 'to love or to like' (depending on intensity) <something>:
J'aime Marie
I love Marie
J'aime Paris
I love Paris
Elle aime sa nouvelle veste.
She loves her new jacket.
In the third example here "sa nouvelle veste" is a thing and in the quiz "le sucre" is a thing so why is "love" appropriate in the first case but not the second?
DavidKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Sorry. Please disregard the above. I was tired last night and confused the two columns. I had only offered one choice and Kwiziq was correctly suggesting that there were two valid choices.
DonKwiziq community member
Hi David. As I recall, I believe to say "I like Paris" in french, you could say "J'aime bien Paris" which turns 'love' into 'like'.
David asked:View original
Hi,
In the examples above, 'j'aime Paris' means 'I lové Paris'. If 'j'aime beaucoup Paris' means 'I like Paris a lot', them how do you say plain old 'I like Paris'?
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Kwiziq community member
Is j'aime for romantic love or is it appropriate for me to say it to my daughter?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Mary,
"Je t'aime" is much more a fixed idiomatic formula to express romantic love than it is in English. Particularly in American English you the phrase "I love you" is almost in inflationary use in many different situation. Not so in French.
That said, it is apparently OK to say "Je t'aime" to one's child, too. I have this on the authority of a Belgian mother. Though that might be different in some other French speaking parts of the world.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Mary asked:View original
Is j'aime for romantic love or is it appropriate for me to say it to my daughter?
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DavidKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Aime vraiment
In the quiz "aime vraiment" was marked wrong and "aime beaucoup" was required.
As far as I can tell both are equally valid and in common use, even though this lesson does not mention "aime vraiment". And from a literal point of view, since the English said "really like" and not "like a lot" "aime vraiment" seems more appropriate.
Asked 1 year ago
RobertaKwiziq community member
I agree, I keep getting marked wrong for "aime vraiment" but doesn't that mean "really like"?
ChuckKwiziq community member
Google translate says "I really like" is "j'aime vraiment". Why isn't it accepted?
David asked:View original
Aime vraiment
In the quiz "aime vraiment" was marked wrong and "aime beaucoup" was required.
As far as I can tell both are equally valid and in common use, even though this lesson does not mention "aime vraiment". And from a literal point of view, since the English said "really like" and not "like a lot" "aime vraiment" seems more appropriate.
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JayKwiziq community member
So, if 'Tu aimes ma soeur?' is 'Do you love my sister?' how do you say 'Do you like my sister?' Is it 'Tu aimes bien ma soeur?'
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Jay,
'Tu aimes bien ma sœur?' is safer in this case!
'Tu aimes ma sœur? 'could be construed as love.
Hope this helps!
Jay asked:View original
So, if 'Tu aimes ma soeur?' is 'Do you love my sister?' how do you say 'Do you like my sister?' Is it 'Tu aimes bien ma soeur?'
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FionaKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Bonjour Aurélie, So "j'adore' is lesser than much love or like, right? because I am stressed. And can I say "je ne l'aime pas beaucoup?
Asked 1 year ago
Bonjour Fiona !
J'adore is equivalent to J'aime beaucoup = I love / I like very much
The nuance is that you wouldn't use it to express love for someone, as in in love with.
J'adore Pierre ! = I love Pierre, in the sense of "I love that guy!" (not in love)
J'aime Pierre. = I'm in love with Pierre.
You can say Je n'aime pas beaucoup [ça] = I don't like [that] very much
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Yes, but with the proper timbre, "Je t'adore" can make a heart melt.
-- Chris.
DonKwiziq community member
Salut Aurelie. That's a big difference between the two languages. In English, adore is a deeper emotion than love when speaking of someone. -to love and respect, -to love deeply, -to worship, etc.
Fiona asked:View original
Bonjour Aurélie, So "j'adore' is lesser than much love or like, right? because I am stressed. And can I say "je ne l'aime pas beaucoup?
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BellaKwiziq community member
I wrote "j'adore Sarah..." and it was wrong! When I see "with all my heart",
I believe it is correct to use the strongest alternative.
Asked 2 years ago
Hi Bella,
The phrase "Je t'aime" has acquired ideomatic status in French and is probably the least adulterated statement if you really want to express being in love with someone. Adding "bien" or "beaucoup" will only serve to lessen the power of this simple statement with respect to another person. Talking to several French native speakers about this, they told me unanimously that "je t'adore" can have different connotations depending on the situation and the context you are using it in. It can be a stronger, more committed version of "je t'aime" but it can also be a slightly watered down version. It just depends.
-- Chris (who is not a native speaker).
The phrase "Je t'aime" has acquired ideomatic status in French and is probably the least adulterated statement if you really want to express being in love with someone. Adding "bien" or "beaucoup" will only serve to lessen the power of this simple statement with respect to another person. Talking to several French native speakers about this, they told me unanimously that "je t'adore" can have different connotations depending on the situation and the context you are using it in. It can be a stronger, more committed version of "je t'aime" but it can also be a slightly watered down version. It just depends.
-- Chris (who is not a native speaker).
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
-> Here note that adorer does NOT mean "to be in love with", but expresses a strong liking of someone.
When you use aimer beaucoup, it means 'to like a lot' / 'to really like'.
Bonsoir Bella,
These two examples are from the lesson and provide a phrase that is synonymous with the phrase presented and probably would have been marked correct.
ATTENTION: If you wanted to say "I love you very much" in French, you would use a different expression:
Je t'aime très fort.
I love you very much.
I hope this helps.
ItaiKwiziq community member
I encountered a similar issue with "she likes sweets very much". I chose the option "elle adore les bonbons". It was marked as wrong. The correct answer was: "elle aime beaucoup les bonbons". Why isn't "adore" a valid translation?
Bella asked:View original
I wrote "j'adore Sarah..." and it was wrong! When I see "with all my heart",
I believe it is correct to use the strongest alternative.
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JoakimKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
aimer = love or like?
I used to be on Duolingo, and whenever this question came up, the experts always said "aimer means love for people&pets, like for things". Laura Lawless' article agrees, with examples like "Aimes-tu le tennis? Oui, j'aime ça - Do you like tennis? Yes, I like it". But this lesson has aimer=love even for things. What am I to believe?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Joakim,
Here it's a question of intensity. When you use aimer for things, most of the time, you are correct, you would use 'to like' in English. However, sometimes you do say "I love pasta!": to mark the intensity, you can still use aimer, or adorer.
I updated the lesson to hopefully put that point across, please let us know what you think:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/how-to-use-aimer-to-express-loving-and-liking-something-someone
A bientôt !
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I was talking with a native French friend and telling her about the fine points of distinction between aimer/aimer beaucoup/aimer bien. She said that in everyday situations the way HOW you say it and your body language overrides most of the rules given here. She agreed that "aimer" for people can mean loving someone but also liking someone, depending on how you say it and under which circumstances. For things "aimer" always means "like", she said.
I can't shake the feeling that this lesson is, maybe, overstressing the point?
-- Chris.
William Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I'm puzzled here. Why do you value your friend's opinion more ?
Joakim asked:View original
aimer = love or like?
I used to be on Duolingo, and whenever this question came up, the experts always said "aimer means love for people&pets, like for things". Laura Lawless' article agrees, with examples like "Aimes-tu le tennis? Oui, j'aime ça - Do you like tennis? Yes, I like it". But this lesson has aimer=love even for things. What am I to believe?
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