j'ai aimé
In French, "I liked" is expressed as j'ai aimé.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "I have liked". It is constructed using the auxiliary verb avoir (to have) and the past participle of the verb aimer (to like/love).
Which one should you use?
j'ai aimé refers to a completed action or a specific feeling in the past. In contrast, j'aimais is the imperfect tense, which is used to describe a continuous state or a habit in the past, such as "I used to like" or "I was liking".
How does it change in a sentence?
This phrase uses the passé composé, which is the standard way to express a completed event or a specific instance of liking something in the past.
Did you know?
- When speaking about a person, j'ai aimé can be ambiguous because the verb aimer covers both 'liked' and 'loved'. To say you only 'liked' someone in a non-romantic way, you would ironically add the word bien to say j'ai bien aimé.
- While j'ai aimé means 'I liked', using the verb aimer for people can sound much more intense than 'I like' in English, often implying 'I love'.
- The word aimé shares an ancient root with the English word 'amorous', describing a feeling of deep affection or desire.
Examples in context
- J'ai aimé ce jeu.I liked this game.This example shows how to use j'ai aimé to talk about a game.Tatoeba #2129195 by Amastan, translation #5773918 by CarpeLanam
- J'ai aimé le film.I liked the movie.This example shows how to use j'ai aimé to talk about a movie.Tatoeba #8030980 by Aiji, translation #6029521 by mailohilohi
- J'ai aimé ton discours.I liked your speech.This example shows how to use j'ai aimé to talk about a speech.Tatoeba #7326960 by Rockaround, translation #3197862 by CK
- J'ai apprécié le film.I enjoyed the movie.
- J'ai beaucoup aimé la présentation.I really liked the presentation.
- J'ai apprécié le spectacle de danse.I enjoyed the dance performance.
- J'ai beaucoup aimé votre entreprise.I really liked your company.
- J'ai kiffé le concert hier soir, c'était génial !I loved the concert last night, it was awesome!
- J'ai adoré grave la nouvelle série, je la regarde tout le temps !I totally loved the new series, I watch it all the time!
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are discussing a restaurant they visited.
- ChloéTu as aimé le dîner, Hugo ?Did you like the dinner, Hugo?
- HugoOui, j'ai aimé le dessert surtout.Yes, I liked the dessert especially.
- ChloéMoi aussi, c'était délicieux.Me too, it was delicious.
- HugoOn devrait y retourner bientôt.We should go back there soon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aimé, j'ai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
