French is the language of love. He has given us as many sexy words as panache, date, liaison, femme fatale, elegant, je-ne-sais-quoi. It may seem strange to you then, to discover that the French have only one word for both like and to love. the word is to love, which comes from Latin lovemeaning ‘passion’ or ‘love’.

how to pronounce to love

Don’t be tempted to pronounce it like the English word ‘aim’. The first part of the word sounds a lot like the way we say the letter ‘m’. The final syllable is pronounced a bit like ‘ay’, but shorter. To say ‘I like it’ or ‘I love it’, you drop the last syllable and say ‘j’aime’. To help you remember this important French verb, you can imagine yourself drooling over a diamond in a jewelery shop window and saying ‘gem’ – the pronunciation is quite similar to ‘j’aime’.

French words related to to love

You probably know the French word for ‘friend’ – friend. This word is derived from to love but it doesn’t mean ‘lover’ – that would be ‘lover’. However, the noun ‘love’ is love – ‘I’m in love is I’m in love. Another French word that you would instantly recognize would be friendly – ‘friendly’.

Making the difference between ‘I love it’ and ‘I like it’

You can use to love to talk about the things you like: I like the cinema, I like chocolate, I like to visit monuments. If you really want to show that you’re crazy about something, you can say love instead of. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of hype, the French love it!

On the other hand, if you tell someone, Love you it could very well be interpreted as ‘I love you’ and could make them run if they had no idea of ​​your amorous intentions! You can weaken the intensity by saying: I like you (I like you well). Saying this to your lover, however, would throw cold water on any passion that previously existed. To your lover, try to say, I love you (Love you very much).

A good way to develop language is to make mind maps based on ideas or themes. Now you know that the French verb to love means both ‘love’ and ‘like’, you could make a mental map of all the things you like and love. Use a dictionary to help you and consult with a friend or colleague who speaks French. Thus, a mental map around to love could include hobbies, sports, favorite foods, loved ones. Don’t forget to include I do not like it – ”I don’t like’: could be useful when traveling to a French-speaking country.

Once you have good control over the use to love to talk about yourself, see how it works for others. You’ll have to learn a few conjugations, but it’s a regular verb and you should get the hang of it quickly. There are plenty of good websites out there to help you with your grammar, but don’t make it a priority, it will all come together in due course. When you visit France, you will have many opportunities to practice saying I like!