haïr vs détester

Michelle P.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

haïr vs détester

What is the difference between haïr and détester? Couldn't I just as easily say Je te déteste and so on? Is one "stronger" than the other. 
Asked 6 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hi Michelle,

Both verbs mean 'to hate' but as détester is easier to conjugate than haïr, I think people prefer to use it...

Hope this helps!

Michelle P.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Yes, it does, thank you very much. I think haïr is a good one to know, but I'll probably stick with détester for real life use as it does seem to be very colloquial. 

Michelle P. asked:

haïr vs détester

What is the difference between haïr and détester? Couldn't I just as easily say Je te déteste and so on? Is one "stronger" than the other. 

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