What's the difference between j'aime and j'adore?

About things, adorer is stronger: j'aime le café, j'adore le café. About people, the relationship reverses. J'adore mon voisin is warm and friendly, while j'aime mon voisin would mean you're in love with him.

Does je t'aime bien mean I love you?

No, it means I like you. Adding bien or beaucoup to aimer when the object is a person makes it weaker, because plain aimer already means love. If you mean it romantically, say je t'aime with nothing after it.

Why do I have to say j'aime le café and not j'aime café?

Because French marks a general category with a definite article. Le café here doesn't mean one particular coffee, it means coffee as a thing that exists. The same applies to j'aime les enfants, j'aime la musique, and je n'aime pas le sport.

How do you say you like doing something in French?

Put the infinitive straight after aimer: j'aime nager, j'aime lire, elle aime danser. There's no preposition and no -ing form. To soften it, add bien: j'aime bien cuisiner, I quite enjoy cooking.

What does j'aimerais mean?

It's the conditional of aimer and it means I would like. It's the standard polite way to ask for something (j'aimerais un thé) or to introduce a wish (j'aimerais apprendre le violon). J'aimerais bien is softer still, and j'aurais aimé pushes the wish into the past.

French grammar · Beginner

J'aime vs. J'adore: Liking and Loving in French

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Aimer means both to like and to love, and which one it is depends on the object. In front of a thing it means to like or to be fond of, and it needs a definite article: j'aime le café. In front of a person it means to be in love, which is why adding bien or beaucoup makes it weaker rather than stronger.

J'aime le jazz, mais j'adore le piano.

I like jazz, but I love the piano.

What it is

English keeps like and love apart, so it can say I love this song and I love you with the same verb and no confusion. French uses aimer for both, and resolves the ambiguity through what follows it. A thing gets liked; a person gets loved. That one asymmetry explains every odd result on this page, including why j'aime bien is weaker than j'aime.

J'aime les fraises. J'aime ma femme. Je t'aime bien. — I like strawberries. I love my wife. I like you (as a friend).

How to spot it

Look at the object first. If it's a thing, an activity, or a category, you're on the like side of the verb and you need an article. If it's a person, plain aimer is a declaration, and any adverb you add tones it down.

J'aime le fromage. — I like cheese. (thing → liking)
Je t'aime. — I love you. (person → loving)
Je t'aime bien. — I like you. (person + bien → friendly)
J'adore ce livre. — I love this book. (stronger than j'aime)

Aimer is a completely regular -er verb: j'aime, tu aimes, il aime, nous aimons, vous aimez, ils aiment.

Aimer: Loving and Liking Quick Reference

The same phrase means different things about things and about people

Phrase	About a thing	About a person
Je déteste…	I hate it	I can't stand them
Je n'aime pas…	I don't like it	I don't like them
J'aime bien…	I quite like it	I like them, as a friend
J'aime beaucoup…	I really like it	I'm very fond of them, no more
J'aime…	I like it	I'm in love with them
J'adore…	I love it	They're wonderful, said warmly

Common Aimer: Loving and Liking Examples in French

Aimer across the things people actually talk about:

Liking Things

J'aime le thé vert.: I like green tea.
Elle aime les films d'horreur.: She likes horror films.
Nous aimons la cuisine italienne.: We like Italian food.
Il n'aime pas le bruit.: He doesn't like noise.

The article is not optional. Aimer takes a whole category as its object, and French marks categories with le, la, or les.

Loving People

Je t'aime.: I love you.
Elle aime son mari.: She loves her husband.
Ils s'aiment depuis dix ans.: They've been in love for ten years.
J'aime bien ta sœur.: I like your sister.

With family members, aimer is read as family love rather than romance: j'aime mes parents is unremarkable.

Liking to Do Something

J'aime lire le soir.: I like reading in the evening.
Tu aimes voyager seul ?: Do you like travelling alone?
Elle aime bien cuisiner le week-end.: She quite likes cooking at the weekend.
Je n'aime pas attendre.: I don't like waiting.

The infinitive follows directly, with no preposition. There's no French equivalent of the -ing form here.

Turning It Up and Down

J'adore ça.: I love it.
Je n'aime pas trop.: I'm not that keen.
Je préfère le rouge.: I prefer the red one.
Je ne supporte pas le froid.: I can't stand the cold.

Je n'aime pas trop is a gentle no, softer than je n'aime pas, and extremely common in conversation.

How Aimer Works

The verb itself is easy. All the difficulty is in what it does to the words around it.

A Thing Needs a Definite Article

Aimer takes its object as a general category, and general categories in French carry le, la, or les. English drops the article for generalities; French cannot, so j'aime café is not a shortened version of anything.

J'aime le vin, mais je préfère la bière.

I like wine, but I prefer beer.

aimer + le / la / les + noun.

A Person Plus Bare Aimer Means Love

Said of a person with nothing added, aimer is a declaration of love. This is why je t'aime carries the weight it does, and why French speakers reach for other verbs when they only mean fondness.

Il l'aime depuis le premier jour.

He's been in love with her since day one.

person + aimer = in love.

Bien and Beaucoup Weaken It With People

Because plain aimer is already at maximum, an adverb can only pull it down. Je t'aime bien and je t'aime beaucoup both mean I like you, and the second is no more romantic than the first. With things, the same adverbs behave normally and intensify.

Je l'aime beaucoup, mais comme un ami.

I'm very fond of him, but as a friend.

aimer bien a person = like, not love.

The Infinitive Follows With No Preposition

Aimer is one of the verbs that connect straight to an infinitive, alongside vouloir, pouvoir, and détester. The older aimer à lire survives in literature but is not used today.

Nous aimons marcher en montagne.

We like walking in the mountains.

j'aime + infinitive, nothing in between.

Très Cannot Modify a Verb

Très modifies adjectives and adverbs only. To intensify a verb, French uses beaucoup, and it comes after the verb rather than before it.

J'aime beaucoup cette chanson.

I really like this song.

très + adjective, beaucoup + verb.

Common Mistakes with Aimer: Loving and Liking

Incorrect: J'aime chocolat. — I like chocolate.

Correct: J'aime le chocolat. — I like chocolate.

English generalises with a bare noun; French generalises with a definite article. After aimer, the article is part of the structure and can't be dropped.

Incorrect: Je t'aime bien, veux-tu m'épouser ? — I love you, will you marry me?

Correct: Je t'aime, veux-tu m'épouser ? — I love you, will you marry me?

Bien downgrades aimer when the object is a person. Je t'aime bien is what you say to a friend, so it undercuts the rest of the sentence completely.

Incorrect: J'aime à voyager en train. — I like travelling by train.

Correct: J'aime voyager en train. — I like travelling by train.

Aimer connects directly to an infinitive. Aimer à existed in older French and now sounds archaic or affected.

Incorrect: J'aime très cette chanson. — I really like this song.

Correct: J'aime beaucoup cette chanson. — I really like this song.

Très can only strengthen an adjective or an adverb. To strengthen a verb, French uses beaucoup, placed after it.

J'aimerais and Other Softened Forms

The conditional of aimer is one of the most useful phrases in the language, and it has almost nothing to do with liking.

J'aimerais for wishes and requests

The conditional turns aimer into would like, which is how French makes a request polite. It works with a noun or an infinitive.

J'aimerais un café, s'il vous plaît.: I'd like a coffee, please.
J'aimerais savoir pourquoi.: I'd like to know why.
Nous aimerions réserver une table.: We'd like to book a table.
J'aurais aimé venir, mais je travaillais.: I'd have liked to come, but I was working.

J'aimerais bien is even softer and very common in speech: j'aimerais bien essayer.

Aimer mieux for preferences

Aimer mieux means to prefer, and in conversation it's used more than préférer. It's followed by a noun or a bare infinitive.

J'aime mieux rester à la maison.: I'd rather stay home.
Elle aime mieux le train que l'avion.: She prefers the train to the plane.
J'aimerais mieux ne pas en parler.: I'd rather not talk about it.

The comparison uses que: j'aime mieux ceci que cela.

Aimer que with the subjunctive

When what you like is a whole clause about someone else, French requires the subjunctive after aimer que.

J'aime qu'on me dise la vérité.: I like being told the truth.
Je n'aime pas que tu partes si tôt.: I don't like you leaving so early.
Il aimerait que tu viennes avec nous.: He'd like you to come with us.

There's no infinitive shortcut here: aimer que always brings a conjugated verb in the subjunctive.

Aimer: Loving and Liking FAQs

What's the difference between j'aime and j'adore?: About things, adorer is stronger: j'aime le café, j'adore le café. About people, the relationship reverses. J'adore mon voisin is warm and friendly, while j'aime mon voisin would mean you're in love with him.
Does je t'aime bien mean I love you?: No, it means I like you. Adding bien or beaucoup to aimer when the object is a person makes it weaker, because plain aimer already means love. If you mean it romantically, say je t'aime with nothing after it.
Why do I have to say j'aime le café and not j'aime café?: Because French marks a general category with a definite article. Le café here doesn't mean one particular coffee, it means coffee as a thing that exists. The same applies to j'aime les enfants, j'aime la musique, and je n'aime pas le sport.
How do you say you like doing something in French?: Put the infinitive straight after aimer: j'aime nager, j'aime lire, elle aime danser. There's no preposition and no -ing form. To soften it, add bien: j'aime bien cuisiner, I quite enjoy cooking.
What does j'aimerais mean?: It's the conditional of aimer and it means I would like. It's the standard polite way to ask for something (j'aimerais un thé) or to introduce a wish (j'aimerais apprendre le violon). J'aimerais bien is softer still, and j'aurais aimé pushes the wish into the past.