Je déteste
In French, "I hate" is expressed as Je déteste.
Je déteste is used to express a strong feeling of dislike or hatred toward someone or something. You can follow the verb directly with a noun or an infinitive verb without using a preposition, such as in the structure "Je déteste + [noun/verb]".
Which one should you use?
Je déteste expresses a much stronger, more visceral hatred than the milder phrase Je n'aime pas, which simply means "I don't like".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, you may hear the casual expression Je déteste à mort in conversation. In Canada, particularly in Quebec, a popular alternative is Je ne peux pas sentir, which means "I can't stand".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb déteste is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb détester.
Did you know?
- In very informal French, people may replace je déteste with ça me saoule, which literally means 'that makes me drunk' but actually means 'I'm sick of this'.
- The Quebec expression Je ne peux pas sentir literally means 'I cannot smell', but it is used to say you hate someone's personality or presence.
- If a French speaker says je déteste while making a 'bof' sound and shrugging, they may actually be expressing mild indifference rather than true hate.
Examples in context
- Je déteste ça !I hate that!This sentence is useful for expressing hatred toward a specific thing using Je déteste.Tatoeba #6211030 by felix63, translation #6736473 by Eccles17
- Je déteste ma vie.I hate my life.This sentence is useful for expressing hatred toward one's life using Je déteste.Tatoeba #1910705 by sacredceltic, translation #1908935 by Spamster
- Je déteste ce jeu.I hate this game.This sentence is useful for expressing hatred toward a game using Je déteste.Tatoeba #2334541 by sacredceltic, translation #2334126 by CK
- Je déteste la violence.I hate violence.
- Je déteste les mensonges.I hate lies.
- J'ai une aversion pour les actions irresponsables.I have an aversion to irresponsible actions.
- Je ne supporte pas les hypocrites.I can't stand hypocrites.
- Je ne supporte pas l'indifférence.I can't stand indifference.
- Je déteste grave les films d'horreur.I seriously hate horror movies.
- Je déteste grave la musique de ce groupe.I seriously hate this band's music.
- Je peux pas blairer les araignées.I can't stand spiders.
- 386 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are at a crowded train station.
- HugoJe déteste attendre ici.I hate waiting here.
- EmmaMoi aussi, c'est fatigant.Me too, it's tiring.
- HugoLe train a du retard.The train is late.
- EmmaC'est vraiment désagréable.It is really unpleasant.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
