J'adore vs. j'aime vs. j'aime bien?

Question

Can you give me some idea of the relative strength of these? I was showing an apartment (I'm a broker) and the French client used "j'adore" to refer to the countertops... which confused me. To an English speaker, "adore" seems like a cognate, but in English we generally wouldn't say "I adore these countertops" -- that would likely come across as either 1) over-the-top or 2) sarcastic.

Does "j'adore" better translate as "I really like" or "I think these are cool/great"? And is it equal in strength to "j'aime"?

Accepted Answer

Hi Alison,
I would say :
J'aime : I like something or I love someone
J'aime bien : I quite like , or I like ( someone) as opposed to romantic love 
J'adore : I really love 
In the situation you describe Alison, this lady really LOVED those countertops!
You might also hear the French saying 'c'est pas mal' which can sound lukewarm but is often a compliment in French !
Hope this helps!

Answer

Hi Alison, here is the corresponding lesson on this topic:
https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/how-to-use-aimer-to-express-loving-and-liking-something-someone
From your post I wasn't sure whether you had actually seen it.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Answer

Thanks Chris, I looked at that lesson and I'm not sure it really clears things up for me. If I say "j'aime Chris" -- that means "I love Chris," right? And it implies romantic love, correct? But if I say "j'adore Chris" -- am I am also implying romantic love? or I am (more weakly, to me) saying "Chris is a great guy"?

So that's question one -- relative strength of the enthusiasm or passion of the verbs when it comes to people.

Question two is the relative strength of the enthusiasm or passion of the verbs when it comes to things -- in English, to use the word "adore" about an inanimate object comes across as very very strong -- you might "adore" your new apartment, but you don't adore (as you do in French in another lesson here Using le, la, l', les before nouns when generalising (definite articles)%252Fsearch%253Fs%253Dadorer) cucumbers. Is "adore" just a softer, less enthusiastic verb in French than it is in English?

Answer

"J'aime Marie." is a fixed phrase and implies romantic love of a person. "J'adore Marie." is weaker than the previous sentence."J'aime bien Marie." is even weaker.
For inanimate things the ranking is a bit different as there is no fixed phrase like "J'aime..." which is the main sentence in French chansons and movies ;)
"J'adore le gateau." -- I love this cake. It is the strongest statement of the three."J'aime le gateau." -- I like this cake."J'aime bien le gateau." -- Probably a bit less than the previous statement.
Input of a native speaker would be greatly appreciated here, though.
I hope that helps a bit, -- Chris (not a native speaker).

Answer

Chris, one of my native speaker friends said this:

“j’adore” does not have the same gushy impression in French as the equivalent in English. In the context, it would be the equivalent of saying, “Wow, I love your hair - did you get it cut?”

Answer

J'adore is used the way we use the word love for objects. So, "Ah! J'adore ça!" (Oh! I love that!) so your client was just saying they love the counters. It's definitely not as gushy sounding as "I adore those counters".

Answer

Great question! In French, the expressions j'adore, j'aime, and j'aime bien all convey different levels of liking, though the nuances can be subtle depending on context.

J'adore – This translates to "I adore" in English, but in French, it’s much more commonly used to express strong enthusiasm or fondness, much like saying "I really love" something in English. While "adore" might sound too strong or even sarcastic in English, in French, it’s more casual and can be used in everyday situations to show excitement or deep appreciation, such as for an object or a place. So when your client said j'adore in reference to the countertops, they were likely expressing that they really liked them—maybe even more strongly than "I like" but not as intensely as "I love."

J'aime – This is the most neutral and general way to say "I like" something in French. It’s commonly used for everything from food to people to activities. It doesn’t carry the same level of intensity as j'adore, but it’s still a positive expression.

J'aime bien – This is a softer expression than j'aime, closer to "I like it a lot" or "I think it’s pretty good." It’s used when you like something but perhaps not to the same degree as j'aime. It’s often seen as more casual and less emphatic than j'aime.

In the context of your client, j'adore is probably more equivalent to saying, "I really like these countertops" or "I think these countertops are great." It shows strong positive feelings, but it's not as over-the-top as it might sound in English.

Learn more about French expressions https://generlinkcanada.ca of liking and how to use them appropriately in various contexts. Explore the differences in tone and usage of j'adore, j'aime, and j'aime bien in everyday French conversations.