j'adore les chats
The English phrase "I love cats" is expressed in French as j'adore les chats.
This phrase is used to express a strong liking for cats in general. When referring to cats in an endearing way, you might use minou for "kitty" or chaton for "kitten".
Which one should you use?
While j'adore les chats means "I love cats", the phrase j'aime les chats is a slightly weaker alternative that means "I like cats" when expressing a preference for animals or objects.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the definite article les because, in French, general statements regarding likes or dislikes require a definite article.
Did you know?
- In French pop culture, many songs use the word minou to refer to a cat, but be careful, as it can also be used as a very informal, slang term for a part of the human anatomy.
- In French culture, the phrase avoir un chat dans la gorge is the equivalent of the English 'to have a frog in one's throat'.
- In French, the word chat is the root of the term chatouiller, which means 'to tickle', possibly evoking the feeling of a cat's whiskers or paws.
Examples in context
- J'adore les chats.I love cats.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase j'adore les chats.Tatoeba #2049202 by Amastan, translation #1056416 by Mofli
- En général, j'adore les chats.In general, I love cats.
- Regarde cette photo, j'adore les chats.Look at this photo, I love cats.
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are talking about their favorite animals.
- HugoEst-ce que tu aimes les animaux ?Do you like animals?
- EmmaOui, et j'adore les chats !Yes, and I love cats!
- HugoMoi aussi, ils sont très mignons.Me too, they are very cute.
- EmmaHugo, tu devrais en adopter un.Hugo, you should adopt one.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
