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- Topic: French >
- "J'aime ces moments avec toi."
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I was listening to it at the end of a finishing set of 5 or so without a heart to spare and I was like "aw, how nice of you Duolingo! moi aussi, mon ami, moi aussi!"
Yeah, same here. Also Danish Duo, where everybody steals everything from each other.
I said i love these moments with you and it was marked wrong and "like" was the correct answer. Is love going to be "adore" from now on?
- aimer (bien, beaucoup) + inanimate object = to like
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aimer + people = to love
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to like + people = aimer bien
- to love + any object/people = adorer
I struggle with this. I thought it was contextually "like" or "love." Then I thought it was only "like" when accompanied with "bien" or "beaucoup." But the way you describe it, Sitesurf, is that if the object of the sentence is inanimate objects, it is to be read, "like?" Okay. What then would I say if I wanted to say, "I love these moments with you?"
I love these moments with you = j'adore ces moments avec toi.
Adorer can always be translated as love (or adore). But with people, it is taken to be slightly less than sincerely meant- it is still positive, but doesn't have the same connotations as the English word "love". Aimer means "like" (less strong than adorer) with inanimate objects, but is stronger than adorer when applied to people (and so is a better fit in translations of English phrases like "I love you").
It's a complicated subject full of social norms and unspoken connotations. Here's a fun magazine article on the subject: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2012/02/14/the-language-of-love.html
I just don't understand why Duolingo seems to be insisting on word-to-word system for "aimer." There are going to be situations where "aimer + object" is more properly translated as "love" because English is much more loose with "love" and "like."
That makes sense, but I always thought that 'adorer' tended to mean REALLY LOVE. As in "j'adore les chats! (I really love cats!)" meanwhile "j'aime les chats isn't as strong but could also be interpreted as strong than like.
My reasoning is that "j'aime bien" is a weaker preference ("j'aime bien le foot" - I like football). Of course, I could be (very) wrong.
You may draw a parallel between "adorer" and "to adore": both have been used for worship in a religious context.
However, with time and usage, "adorer" has also taken the meaning of an excessive "like", just the same way as "to love" can be used with things that you don't worship but like a lot.
If you say "I love chocolate" = "j'adore le chocolat", you know this is not about true love or worship. It is just a way of showing your strong liking in an excessive way.
638
So this one is tricky as "toi" is animate while "moments" is inanimate. I chose "love" and am unrepentant.
- 638
Gramatically of course you are 100% correct. But IMO the sentence has an air of personal intimacy in which "aime" might be better translated as "love". And it sounds more natural in English. But I am not bilingual in English and French, which you need to be to judge this sort of thing.
I understand what you mean, but then you could argue that the adore would be a better way to express yourself in French. ;)
Yep- in this context 'love' has to be the correct translation. Come on Duo.
- 1885
Not sure but, is there a difference in pronuntiation between "J'aime ce moment avec toi" and "J'aime ces moments avec toi" ?
Ok, I gather it is because aimer here is referring to these moments and not the person, therefore like and not love ( I like these moments) !!?
Yes, if the meaning were "love", the French verb would change to "adorer": j'adore ces moments avec toi = I love these moments with you.
I don't think that rule is so hard and clear cut. Duolingo's strict stance on love/like is very out of character.
We have to be clear cut on this issue because lots of embarrassing situations will be avoided if you respect the rules "à la lettre".
Advanced learners will little by little get subtle nuances, but at this point in learning, we cannot be too subtle.
I know and understand the overuse of "love" in English.
This comment of yours applies exactly to "adorer" in French:
Strangers walk up and say they love my jacket = disent qu'ils adorent ma veste
Our emphatic verb is indeed "adorer", which used to be applied to gods, icons or the like, with a very deep sense of veneration and respect that obviously cannot apply to a jacket.
Therefore if those strangers disent qu'ils aiment ma veste, that will be a lukewarm feeling in comparison.
Sitesurf,
I think the confusion comes more from English than French here. In colloquial American-English, "love" is so overused to the point where it is nearly virtually interchangeable with "like" in many situations, especially when objects are concerned. Strangers walk up and say they love my jacket. It's very commonly used.
I know the distinction is more strict in French but people are being told they are wrong when they are translating French "aimer" sentences to English "love." But "I love my dress" conveys virtually the same meaning in American-English (that's all I can speak for) and is used in same situations where "j'aime ma robe" is used by in French. By common usage, those sentences are essentially equivalent. So I think both "I love my dress" and "I like my dress" should be accepted because they are nearly identical and often used interchangeably in American-English.
Sitesurf, I can't reply to your latest response.
Thank you for your thoughtful discussion. Yes, in most cases, I agree that "aimer + object" will be "like." But for Duolingo to hold that "I love these moments" is wrong, shouldn't the standard should be that "aimer+ nonperson" can never be translated as "love?" And I don't think that is the case. For example, there's a French YouTube series, "j'aime les froimages de brie." The whole series is about brie cheese. I'm pretty confident the more natural English translation would be "I love brie cheese," not "I like brie cheese." In fact, the latter would be quite strange.
It is quite odd because Duolingo otherwise is pretty flexible. "Aimer" just stands out as an exception to that.
I am aware that the issue is sensitive but you need to think French to be sure, whenever you want to express like or love in French, to pick the right verb.
I love brie cheese = j'adore le brie
I think the confusion is because aimer was translated (or at least accepted) as love for inanimate objects in early levels.
No. Ces and ce sound different. To hear the difference try going to google translate, type in ces ce and hit the 'audio' icon.
- 604
I know this is off topic but someone who knows French really well or if its your first language explain to me this: Im confused about when you say: "Je vais me laver les mains", can you also say "Je me vais laver les mains?" would that be wrong or is it interchangeable?
"se laver" is a reflexive (pronominal) verb and the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object.
Similarly to all indirect object pronouns, its placement works as follows:
- simple tenses (one word) = je me lave (present)
- with another pronoun as direct object = je me les lave (les = my hands)
- compound tenses = je me suis lavé (passé composé)
- with semi auxiliaries = je vais me laver (near future); je viens de me laver (near past)
I'm sorry. I don't believe the strict rules cited here about the translation of "aimer". I am neither English or French, but I speak both languages quite fluently. "J'aime ces moments avec toi" and "I love these moments with you" give me the same feeling. If I wanted to say something in French that is supposed to mean "I like ..." I would say "J'aime bien ..."
I agree. When it comes to "aimer," Duolingo has resorted to strange type of word-to-word translation philosophy. In two different languages, words are never going to translate word-for-word, especially for something as loaded as "aimer."
You have to focus on determiners.
"ce" and "ces" are as different as "but" and "bet" (vowel sounds)
Because what aime is linked to is 'these moments' not 'you' so since, as sitesurf has said multiple times in this comment thread, aimer+inanimate object = like the moments are considered inanimate objects and you like them. If you wanted to say I love these moments with you you would use "J'adore ces moments avec toi" but I love you would be "Je t'aime" or "Je t'adore" and I like you would be "Je t'aime bien"
I hate how sometimes I don't know whether to put like or love it's soooo annoying because there's only one word for love and like.
This question has been asked many times before in this thread, not to mention in several other discussions. I'm not trying top be rude here, but I'd suggest that you read the other comments above before posting a question.
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I cannot predict when aimer is going to be "like" and when it is going to be "love". It seems whichever one I choose, it is the other considered correct.
If it's linked to a person it's love. If it's linked to an object, even an abstract one such as 'these moments' then it's like.
This question has been asked several times before in this thread not to mention in several other discussions as well. I'm not trying to be rude here, but I'd suggest that you read the other comments before posting a question.
- 1798
Ok Duolingo, please don't creep me out. I feel like Joaquim Phoenix in that movie where he falls in love with his iphone or Siri or whatever
How do we know when to say "like" and when to say "love" because it seems like there isn't much consistency? When I said "love" I got it wrong, yet I specifically remember duolingo saying "J'aime bien" means like..Can anyone offer insight on this?
This question has been asked many times before in this thread, not to mention in several other discussions as well. I'm not trying to be rude here, but I'd suggest that you read the other comments above, before posting a question of your own.
I was on my mobile app at the time and I could submit a question but didn't have access to the forum. I asked the question so I could flag the discussion and check out the forum when I got access to my computer. I was also new to Duolingo and I suppose I have learned how to better use the program. I asked the question 9 months ago so if you weren't trying to be rude it is rather unnecessary for you to even respond.
Well, I didn't know how long ago it was that you had asked that, because it doesn't tell you that on the app. Sorry about that.
Have a look at the replies to all the other people who have pointed this out.
- 638
I'm feeling ignored. I only made 2 comments on this thread, and it seems everybody else is posting one-a-day or more.
Do DL comments last for ever? It would seem to me a good idea for them to self-destruct after six months or so, especially on busy threads like this one.
Apologies to be off-topic!
I think in English we would say "I love these moments with you." despite the fact that the subject of the verb is a "thing" i.e moments, the sense is that it is a person because it is the person's company that is being enjoyed.
Seems to indicate that like or love can be acceptable...I put love and it wasnt accepted!
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This is strange as I answered “love” and it’s wrong. I understand “j’adore” is I love but also “j’aime” is I love. I was led to believe that if you want to write “I like” it was “j’aime bien”. Both like and love should be accepted as correct.
