Talking about food often means talking about preferences. French gives you several ways to say what you like, what you love, and what you would rather avoid.
Saying what you like
Use aimer to say that you like a food:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'aime le fromage. | I like cheese. |
| J'aime les fraises. | I like strawberries. |
| J'aime le chocolat. | I like chocolate. |
| Nous aimons les légumes. | We like vegetables. |
| Elle aime le poisson. | She likes fish. |
With aimer, French normally uses le, la, or les when expressing a preference for something in general: J'aime le fromage, J'aime la soupe, J'aime les fraises. This differs from the partitive article used for an unspecified amount, as in Je mange du fromage.
Saying what you dislike
To say that you do not like something, use ne... pas with aimer:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je n'aime pas le poisson. | I don't like fish. |
| Je n'aime pas les tomates. | I don't like tomatoes. |
| Il n'aime pas le fromage. | He doesn't like cheese. |
| Nous n'aimons pas les champignons. | We don't like mushrooms. |
In everyday spoken French, you will also hear the ne omitted: J'aime pas les champignons.
Saying how much you like something
Likes and dislikes are not always absolute. A few expressions let you make the preference stronger or weaker:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'adore le chocolat. | I love chocolate. |
| J'aime beaucoup les fraises. | I really like strawberries. |
| J'aime bien le poisson. | I like fish. |
| Je n'aime pas beaucoup les olives. | I don't like olives very much. |
| Je déteste les champignons. | I hate mushrooms. |
J'aime bien is a common way to express a moderate preference, while j'adore and je déteste are much stronger.
Asking about someone's preferences
Use aimer in a question to find out what someone else likes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Tu aimes le fromage ? | Do you like cheese? |
| Vous aimez les fruits de mer ? | Do you like seafood? |
| Tu aimes quoi comme légumes ? | What vegetables do you like? |
| Quel est ton fruit préféré ? | What's your favorite fruit? |
| Quel est votre dessert préféré ? | What's your favorite dessert? |
The two final question forms can lead naturally into a longer conversation about food rather than a simple yes-or-no answer.
Talking about favorites
To name a favorite food, use préféré or préférée with the noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Mon fruit préféré, c'est la mangue. | My favorite fruit is mango. |
| Mon plat préféré, c'est la pizza. | My favorite dish is pizza. |
| Ma boisson préférée, c'est le café. | My favorite drink is coffee. |
| Mon dessert préféré, c'est la tarte aux pommes. | My favorite dessert is apple tart. |
Préféré changes to préférée with a feminine noun: mon plat préféré, but ma boisson préférée.
From learning to practice
Choose foods you genuinely have an opinion about and describe how you feel about them, from j'adore to je déteste. Then ask someone the same questions and compare your preferences.