Expressing Likes and Dislikes With "love," "like," "don't like," and "hate"

A1 Eiken 3 Beginner

subject + love/like/don't like/hate + noun or verb-ing

Explanation

The words like, love, dislike, and hate are used to express how we feel about something or someone. Like means we enjoy something or have a positive feeling about it. Love expresses a much stronger positive feeling than like. Dislike means we do not like something or have a negative feeling about it. Hate expresses a very strong negative feeling and is much stronger than dislike.

For example, you might like apples, love strawberries, dislike lemons, and hate onions. In everyday conversation, people often say “don't like” instead of “dislike,” because it sounds more natural and less formal.

These verbs are usually in the present simple.

For example, "I like sushi." In this sentence, "I" is the person, "like" is the verb, and "sushi" is the thing you enjoy. English uses a verb here, but Japanese often uses "好きです" or "苦手です". In questions, use "Do you like sushi?" because present simple questions need "do" or "does".

Examples

  • I love pizza. 私はピザが大好きです。
  • She likes coffee. 彼女はコーヒーが好きです。
  • Do you like music? あなたは音楽が好きですか。
  • He does not like spicy food. 彼は辛い食べ物が好きではありません。
  • We hate getting up early. 私たちは早起きが大嫌いです。
  • I don't like rainy days. 私は雨の日が好きではありません。

Common Mistakes

Japanese learners often use "be" with these verbs, for example "I am like sushi" or "I am hate insects." The correct forms are "I like sushi" and "I hate insects." In questions, many learners also forget "do": wrong "You like sushi?" -> right "Do you like sushi?"

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