elle aimerait
The English phrase "she would like" is translated into French as elle aimerait.
This phrase is used to express a woman's wish or desire for something. While elle veut (she wants) expresses a direct and certain want, elle aimerait is a more polite way to express a preference or a wish.
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context and desired tone, you might use different variations. Elle aimerait bien is an informal way to say "she would like", whereas Elle désirerait is a more formal way to express the same sentiment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb aimerait is in the conditional mood, which is used here to express a polite wish or a hypothetical desire. If you follow the phrase with a clause rather than an infinitive verb, you must use elle aimerait que followed by the subjunctive mood.
Did you know?
- In French, aimer is used for both 'to like' and 'to love'. To specify that someone merely likes a person as a friend, a speaker must add the adverb bien to say elle l'aime bien.
- The verb aimer comes from the Latin 'amare' and is the root of English words like 'amiable' and 'amorous'.
- While elle aimerait is polite, using the verb vouloir (to want) in the conditional mood elle voudrait is the most common way to make a polite request in a French restaurant or shop.
Examples in context
- Jean demanda à Marie si elle aimerait aller faire les magasins dans l'après midi.John asked Mary whether she would like to go shopping in the afternoon.This sentence shows how to use elle aimerait to express a suggestion about an activity.Tatoeba #1076119 by Anthony, translation #52648 by Swift
- Elle aimerait un café, s'il vous plaît.She would like a coffee, please.
- Elle aimerait bien essayer ce gâteau.She would like to try this cake.
- Elle aimerait partir en vacances cet été.She would like to go on vacation this summer.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are talking about a friend's preference at a restaurant.
- HugoEst-ce qu'elle a choisi son plat ?Has she chosen her dish?
- LéaOui, elle aimerait le poisson du jour.Yes, she would like the fish of the day.
- HugoParfait, je vais commander pour elle.Perfect, I will order for her.
- LéaMerci beaucoup, Hugo.Thank you very much, Hugo.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
