Which one should you use?
The verb aimer means both to like and to love, and with a person it usually suggests a stronger feeling than the English to like. For a friendly liking without romance, French uses apprécier, as in tu apprécies quelqu'un. Je t'adore. expresses strong affection for a close friend or partner, while Je suis fou/folle de toi. means I am crazy about you and is said between romantic partners.
How does it change in a sentence?
tu aimes quelqu'un uses the informal tu, which suits friends and peers. For formal situations or the plural you, the subject changes to vous and the verb changes with it.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful with the verb aimer. Telling a friend that you love them with it can be taken as a romantic declaration, so pick a softer phrase when you only mean you like them.
Did you know?
- In some romantic contexts, French speakers use the phrase avoir un coup de foudre, which literally means 'to have a bolt of lightning', to describe falling in love at first sight.
- Because aimer often implies love, French speakers frequently add an adverb like bien to say je t'aime bien to actually downgrade the meaning to 'I like you' as a friend.
- The pronoun tu shares a common ancestor with the Italian 'tu' and the Russian 'ты', tracing back to the same Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Je sais que tu aimes quelqu'un.I know that you like someone.
- Est-ce que tu aimes quelqu'un en ce moment ?Do you like someone right now?
- On dirait que tu aimes quelqu'un ici.It looks like you like someone here.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their love lives.
- GabrielManon, est-ce que tu aimes quelqu'un ?Manon, do you like someone?
- ManonPeut-être, mais je suis trop timide.Maybe, but I am too shy.
- GabrielC'est normal quand tu aimes quelqu'un.That's normal when you like someone.
- ManonOui, tu as raison, Gabriel.Yes, you are right, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quelqu'un, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
