German for Beginners: Say What You Like and Don't Like (with Reasons)
Learn to express general likes and dislikes in German with gern, mögen and lieben, and give reasons using weil.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to talk about general preferences in German: things you like, love or enjoy, and things you don't like or hate. This is different from talking about hobbies with verbs like spielen or lesen. Here the focus is on the feeling itself, and on giving a reason. German has several ways to express liking, and the most common everyday one is the little word gern. You will also learn mögen and lieben, and how to connect a reason with weil.
By the end, you can…
- say that I like or enjoy an activity using gern.
- say that I like or love a thing using mögen or lieben.
- say that I don't like or hate something.
- give a simple reason with weil.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ich trinke gern Kaffee.
I like drinking coffee.
ikh TRIN-kuh gern KAH-fay
gern comes right after the verb. Use this for activities you enjoy.
Ich mag Kaffee.
I like coffee.
ikh mahk KAH-fay
mag is the ich-form of mögen. Use it for things and people, not for activities.
Ich liebe Kaffee.
I love coffee.
ikh LEE-buh KAH-fay
Stronger than mag. Common for food, places and hobbies, not only for people.
Ich mag keinen Kaffee.
I don't like coffee.
ikh mahk KY-nen KAH-fay
keinen is the negative article for masculine nouns in the accusative. Use keine for feminine and plural nouns.
Ich hasse Kaffee.
I hate coffee.
ikh HAH-suh KAH-fay
Very strong. In everyday polite conversation, Ich mag keinen Kaffee is usually safer.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For activities, put gern after the verb: Ich schwimme gern. (I like swimming.) Ich koche gern. (I like cooking.) For things, use a form of mögen: Ich mag Tee. Ich mag Hunde. To give a reason, use weil and move the verb to the end: Ich trinke gern Kaffee, weil er mich wach macht. (I like drinking coffee because it wakes me up.) Notice the word order after weil: subject, then the rest, then the verb at the end.
When to use it
Use gern for actions and hobbies: Ich lese gern. Use mögen for nouns and general preferences: Ich mag Musik. Use lieben when the feeling is strong: Ich liebe Schokolade. For negatives, use nicht gern for activities and kein- for nouns: Ich schwimme nicht gern. Ich mag keinen Kaffee. In Austria and southern Germany you may hear gern pronounced as gern, but the form is the same; in Switzerland, mögen is used less in speech, and gern is very common.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Was trinkst du gern?
What do you like drinking?vahs TRINKST doo gernIch trinke gern Kaffee, weil er mich wach macht.
I like drinking coffee because it wakes me up.ikh TRIN-kuh gern KAH-fay, vile air mikh vakh mahtUnd Tee?
And tea?unt tayTee mag ich nicht. Aber ich liebe heiße Schokolade.
I don't like tea. But I love hot chocolate.tay mahk ikh nikht. AH-ber ikh LEE-buh HY-suh sho-ko-LAH-duhA little context goes a long way
In German-speaking countries, gern is the everyday, neutral way to express liking an activity, and it often sounds more natural than mögen. Ich mag is fine for things, but for actions, Ich spiele gern is much more idiomatic than Ich mag spielen. Ich liebe can sound intense, so use it for things you truly love. Ich hasse is strong and can sound harsh; in polite conversation, Ich mag ... nicht is usually enough.
One thing to watch for
Ich mag spielen.
Try this instead: Use gern for activities: Ich spiele gern. (I like playing.) Use mögen for things: Ich mag Spiele. (I like games.)
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I like drinking tea' in German?
Show a sample answer
Ich trinke gern Tee.
gern follows the verb trinke. Ich mag Tee is also possible, but it means 'I like tea' as a thing, not the activity of drinking it.
2Make a negative sentence: 'I don't like coffee.'
Show a sample answer
Ich mag keinen Kaffee.
keinen is the negative accusative form for the masculine noun Kaffee. Ich trinke nicht gern Kaffee is also correct if you mean the activity.
3Add a reason: 'I like swimming because it is fun.'
Show a sample answer
Ich schwimme gern, weil es Spaß macht.
weil sends the verb macht to the end. In spoken German you may also hear ..., weil es macht Spaß, but the standard written form puts the verb last.
Use gern after a verb for activities, mögen for things, and weil with the verb at the end to give your reason.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s German into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr