Other Ways To Say I Like You in French (“J’aime” And “Je N’aime Pas”)

When I first arrived in Grenoble, I said j’aime /ʒɛm/ — I like — so often that a neighbour gently suggested I buy a thesaurus. Every conversation sounded like a broken record: j’aime le pain, j’aime la ville, j’aime les chats, j’aime les… everything. Then one day at a café, I tried to spice things up by saying je kiffe /ʒə kif/ — I dig it — without realizing it was extremely casual. The waiter blinked, the old couple next to me gasped, and I discovered that French has a whole universe of ways to express likes, dislikes, love, tolerance, annoyance, and everything in between.

Let’s open that universe for you too—so you never sound like tourist-yak-me again.

Quick Primer

French rarely relies on one expression for feelings. Instead, it uses:

1. Soft likes (I enjoy, I appreciate)
   
2. Strong likes (I love, I adore, I’m crazy about…)
   
3. Casual likes (slang and light phrases)
   
4. Mild dislikes (not my thing, I’m not a fan)
   
5. Strong dislikes (I hate, I can’t stand)
   
6. Neutral preference structures (I prefer, I tend to like…)
   

Each group has its own level of formality and emotional weight. Matching your tone to the situation is the secret to sounding natural.

Ways To Say You Like Something (Beyond “J’aime”)

These are the most common alternatives, starting with light, polite versions and moving into stronger feelings.

A few cultural notes:

• j’aime bien is less strong than j’aime
  
• j’adore is quite strong but very common in everyday speech
  
• je kiffe is casual—use with friends, not employers
  
• j’apprécie sounds polite and slightly formal
  
• ça me plaît is extremely French and extremely useful
  

Ways To Say You DON’T Like Something (Beyond “Je N’aime Pas”)

French has many ways to scale your dislike from “eh, not my favorite” to “get it away from me.”

Mild Dislikes

Stronger Dislikes

Levels of intensity:

• je déteste is strong but normal
  
• je ne supporte pas is stronger
  
• je ne peux pas sentir feels almost poetic in its hatred
  
• ça m’insupporte = dramatic but accepted
  

Ways To Express Preferences

These structures help you avoid “like vs dislike” and sound more nuanced, especially in everyday conversations.

Examples:

je suis plutôt sucré que salé.
/ʒə sɥi ply.to sy.kʁe kə sa.le/
I’m more sweet than savory.

je préfère le thé.
/ʒə pʁe.fɛʁ lə te/
I prefer tea.

Main Section 1: Softening And Strengthening Emotion

French speakers often adjust their emotion using small modifiers.

Softeners

Strengtheners

Examples:

j’aime plutôt ce café.
/ʒɛm ply.to sə ka.fe/
I quite like this café.

je déteste vraiment le froid.
/ʒə de.tɛst vʁɛ.mɑ̃ lə fʁwa/
I really hate the cold.

Main Section 2: Slang And Everyday Expressions

These appear constantly in French conversations among friends.

These are extremely useful for sounding natural once you trust your audience.

Main Section 3: Talking About Likes and Dislikes Politely (Cultural Notes)

French people use subtle wording, especially in polite or professional settings.

Instead of bluntly saying:

je n’aime pas.
/ʒə nɛm pa/
I don’t like it.

You’ll often hear:

ce n’est pas trop mon truc.
/sə nɛ pa tʁo mɔ̃ tʁyk/
It’s not really my thing.

or

je ne suis pas très…
/ʒə nə sɥi pa tʁɛ/
I’m not very…

Example:

je ne suis pas très films d’horreur.
/ʒə nə sɥi pa tʁɛ film dɔ.ʁœʁ/
I’m not really into horror movies.

Softening the blow is a French art form.

Usage Notes & Common Mistakes

1. j’aime bien vs j’aime
   j’aime bien is weaker, not stronger.
   Think: “I kind of like it.”
   
2. pas trop means “not really,” not “not too much.”
   je n’aime pas trop = I don’t really like it.
   
3. pas du tout is absolute and dramatic.
   Be sure you want that effect.
   
4. bof is very common and communicates boredom/disinterest perfectly.
   
5. ne… pas
   In everyday speech, many people drop the ne:
   j’aime pas, je peux pas, j’aime pas trop.
   Use this casually, not formally.
   

Regional Notes

In Québec French:

• je tripe sur… = I’m really into…
  /ʒə tʁip syʁ/
  
• je capote sur… = I’m crazy about…
  /ʒə ka.pɔt syʁ/
  

Stick to France French unless you’re in Québec.

Mini Dialogues

Dialogue 1
tu aimes ce film ?
/ty ɛm sə film/
Do you like this movie?

bof… c’est pas trop mon truc.
/bɔf sɛ pa tʁo mɔ̃ tʁyk/
Meh… not really my thing.

Dialogue 2
tu aimes le chocolat ?
/ty ɛm lə ʃɔ.kɔ.la/
Do you like chocolate?

j’adore ! j’en raffole même.
/ʒa.dɔʁ ʒɑ̃ ʁa.fɔl mɛm/
I love it! I’m even obsessed with it.

Dialogue 3
tu n’aimes pas le café ?
/ty nɛm pa lə ka.fe/
You don’t like coffee?

non, je ne supporte pas le goût.
/nɔ̃ ʒə nə sy.pɔʁt pa lə ɡu/
No, I can’t stand the taste.

Quick Reference

Five-Minute Practice Plan

1. Say five ways to like something, from soft (j’aime bien) to intense (je suis fou/folle de…).
   
2. Say five ways to dislike, without repeating je n’aime pas.
   
3. Create two polite refusals using ce n’est pas trop mon truc.
   
4. Build one preference statement using je préfère.
   
5. Read the dialogues aloud and exaggerate the emotion—they’re good pronunciation drills.
   

Conclusion

Once you start using these alternatives, your French jumps from “functional tourist” to “comfortable conversationalist.” You stop repeating j’aime like a panicked yak at a wine tasting and start sounding nuanced, expressive, and genuinely French. And soon enough, you’ll have the pleasure of saying je n’aime pas trop with the exact level of elegant disinterest the language was built for.