French for Beginners: Giving Simple Opinions on Movies and Books
Learn elementary French phrases to say whether you liked a movie or book and give one simple reason, using j'ai aimé, j'ai adoré and j'ai trouvé.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
When you want to say what you thought of a film or a book in French, you need only a few building blocks: a phrase for liking or disliking, the past tense of the verb, and a simple reason with parce que. This lesson gives you ready-made sentences such as J'ai aimé ce film parce que l'histoire est intéressante. You will practise agreeing and disagreeing politely, and you will see how French speakers often use j'ai trouvé to give a mild personal impression.
By the end, you can…
- say whether I liked or disliked a movie or a book in French.
- give one simple reason for my opinion using parce que.
- ask someone else what they thought of a film or book.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
J'ai aimé ce film.
I liked this movie.
zhay ay-may suh feelm
Use j'ai aimé for a positive opinion in the past. The final -é is pronounced 'ay'.
Je n'ai pas aimé ce livre.
I didn't like this book.
zhuh nay pah ay-may suh leevr
The negative wraps around the verb: ne ... pas. In speech, ne is often dropped: J'ai pas aimé.
J'ai adoré l'histoire.
I loved the story.
zhay ah-doh-ray lees-twahr
J'ai adoré is stronger than j'ai aimé. Use it for enthusiasm.
J'ai trouvé le film intéressant.
I found the movie interesting.
zhay troo-vay luh feelm an-tay-ray-sahn
J'ai trouvé + adjective gives a mild, personal evaluation. The adjective agrees with the noun: intéressant, intéressante.
C'était bien parce que les personnages sont drôles.
It was good because the characters are funny.
say-tay byan par-suh kuh lay pair-soh-nazh son drohl
C'était is the past of c'est. Use parce que to give your reason.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is J'ai aimé / Je n'ai pas aimé + the thing + parce que + a simple reason. Examples: J'ai aimé ce film parce que l'histoire est intéressante. Je n'ai pas aimé ce livre parce que c'est trop long. You can also use J'ai trouvé + noun + adjective: J'ai trouvé le film un peu lent. Remember that adjectives agree: intéressant / intéressante, drôle / drôle, long / longue.
When to use it
Use j'ai aimé for a general positive reaction, j'ai adoré for strong enthusiasm, and j'ai trouvé for a softer judgement. To ask someone else, say Tu as aimé ce film ? or Qu'est-ce que tu as pensé du livre ? A short reply is normal: Oui, j'ai bien aimé. Non, pas vraiment. In France, bien in j'ai bien aimé means 'quite liked', not 'loved'.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Tu as aimé le film hier soir ?
Did you like the movie last night?tew ah ay-may luh feelm ee-yair swahrOui, j'ai adoré ! L'histoire était très intéressante.
Yes, I loved it! The story was very interesting.wee, zhay ah-doh-ray! lees-twahr ay-tay tray an-tay-ray-sahntMoi, j'ai trouvé la fin un peu triste.
Personally, I found the ending a bit sad.mwah, zhay troo-vay lah fan uh puh treestC'est vrai, mais j'ai bien aimé les personnages.
That's true, but I quite liked the characters.say vray, may zhay byan ay-may lay pair-soh-nazhA little context goes a long way
In everyday French conversation, j'ai bien aimé is a common middle-ground opinion: it means you liked something but without great enthusiasm. Save j'ai adoré for real enthusiasm. In Quebec, people may also say C'était vraiment bon or J'ai capoté for strong liking, while in France C'était génial is very common. All are informal but widely understood.
One thing to watch for
Saying J'ai aimé le film parce que c'est intéressant when talking about a past screening, or using Je suis aimé for 'I liked'.
Try this instead: Use the passé composé with avoir: J'ai aimé le film. Je suis aimé means 'I am liked'. For a past reaction, keep the reason in the present if it is still true: J'ai aimé le film parce que l'histoire est intéressante.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I didn't like this book' in French?
Show a sample answer
Je n'ai pas aimé ce livre.
The negative ne ... pas goes around the auxiliary ai. In casual speech, many French speakers say J'ai pas aimé ce livre, but the full form is safer for learners.
2Give a reason: 'I liked the movie because the characters are funny.'
Show a sample answer
J'ai aimé le film parce que les personnages sont drôles.
Parce que introduces the reason, and drôles agrees with the plural masculine personnages. You could also say parce que les personnages sont amusants.
3Ask a friend if they liked the book.
Show a sample answer
Tu as aimé le livre ?
This is the informal tu form. With a stranger or teacher, use Vous avez aimé le livre ? The question can also be formed with Est-ce que: Est-ce que tu as aimé le livre ?
Use j'ai aimé for a simple positive opinion, je n'ai pas aimé for a negative one, and parce que to add one clear reason. Keep it short and sincere.
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