Aimer = to love, like something/someone in French

Depending on context and whether you use it on its own, the verb aimer can mean to love [something] / [someone] or to like [something] / [someone].

Learn how to use aimer in French

Aimer - to love [someone] / [something]

Used on its own, aimer generally means 'to love [someone]'  and 'to love or to like [something]' (depending on intensity):

J'aime Marie.I love Marie

J'aime Paris.I love Paris

Elle aime sa nouvelle veste.She loves her new jacket.
She likes her new jacket.

NOTE that you can also use the verb adorer to emphasise love of something or someone:

 

J'adore les diamants !I love diamonds!

J'adore ce mec ! Il est trop drôle !I love that guy! He's so funny!


-> Here note that adorer does NOT mean "to be in love with", but expresses a strong liking of someone

 


When aimer is used in a question about something, it actually means "Do you like ...?" (for someone, it still means 'love'):

Tu aimes ma sœur ?Do you love my sister?

Elle aime les tomates ?Does she like tomatoes?

Est-ce que tu aimes ma nouvelle voiture ?Do you like my new car?

 

Aimer bien / beaucoup - to like [someone] / [something] (a lot)

J'aime Marie.I love Marie

J'aime beaucoup ParisI really like Paris

J'aime bien tes chaussures, mais je préfère les miennes.I like your shoes, but I prefer mine.

Note that when using aimer bien, it actually lessens its meaning from 'to love' to 'to like' [someone] / [something].

J'aime beaucoup ParisI really like Paris

Tu aimes beaucoup tes parents.You like your parents a lot.

When you use aimer beaucoup, it means 'to like a lot' / 'to really like'.

ATTENTION: If you wanted to say "I love you very much" in French, you would use a different expression:

Je t'aime très fort.I love you very much.

 

Ne pas aimer - to not love / like [someone] / [something]

ATTENTION: You cannot use aimer bien in a negative sentence (ne ... pas) in French. To express dislike, you will revert to using simply aimer with the negation ne ... pas, to say both "not love / not like", as such:

Elle n'aime pas Michel.She doesn't love Michel.
She doesn't like Michel.


In this case, the context will remove ambiguity.

Laura n'aime pas ce film.Laura doesn't like this film.

Ils n'aiment pas les concombres.They don't like cucumbers.

You can also use ne pas aimer beaucoup to say 'not like much'.
Note that beaucoup will come after pas:  

Je n'aime pas beaucoup ce garçon.I don't like that boy much.

Hugo n'aime pas beaucoup le chocolat.Hugo doesn't like chocolate much.

 

See also Expressing you like something/someone in French with the verb "plaire" 

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Examples and resources

Elle aime sa nouvelle veste.She loves her new jacket.
She likes her new jacket.
Laura n'aime pas ce film.Laura doesn't like this film.
Ils n'aiment pas les concombres.They don't like cucumbers.
Je n'aime pas beaucoup ce garçon.I don't like that boy much.
Hugo n'aime pas beaucoup le chocolat.Hugo doesn't like chocolate much.
Tu aimes ma sœur ?Do you love my sister?
Elle aime les tomates ?Does she like tomatoes?
Est-ce que tu aimes ma nouvelle voiture ?Do you like my new car?
J'adore les diamants !I love diamonds!
J'aime bien tes chaussures, mais je préfère les miennes.I like your shoes, but I prefer mine.
Tu aimes beaucoup tes parents.You like your parents a lot.
J'adore ce mec ! Il est trop drôle !I love that guy! He's so funny!
Je t'aime très fort.I love you very much.
Elle n'aime pas Michel.She doesn't love Michel.
She doesn't like Michel.

aimer


J'aime bien MarieI like Marie
J'aime beaucoup ParisI really like Paris
J'aime Marie.I love Marie
J'aime Paris.I love Paris
I'll be right with you...