"I like fries."
Translation:J'aime bien les frites.
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It is the way French expresses that it is about fries in general. In English, you skip the article. In French, you use the definite article.
"Des" is not general, it is the plural indefinite article that English does not have.
"Des is the plural of "un" or "une", ie an undefined quantity of countable things.
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I continue without understand, beacuse "Des" is for general "Des pommes, haricots"etc, even frites" and the "Les" is for mmm.....i don't know how to say in english, but is for indicate something "Les pommes, haricots" means ones in particular, not whatever, like "Des",and when i say "I like fries" i think is like if i say "I like apples", not mean i like an particular apples, rather whatever else.
With verbs expressing likes and dislikes, the direct object is introduced by a definite article:
- j'aime le fin rouge (like/enjoy red wine, in general)
- j'adore les frites (love fries, in general)
- je préfère le vin blanc (prefer/like better white wine in general)
- je déteste les frites (hate fries in general)
"j'aime boire du vin rouge" is correct because "du vin rouge" is the direct object of verb boire, not of verb "aime". = I like to drink (some) red wine"
Therefore, "j'aime du vin rouge" is incorrect.
It's the difference between speaking about something general and a specific case. For example, the difference between "I like animals" / «J'aime les animaux» and "I saw animals at the zoo" / «J'ai vu des animaux au zoo». The plural definite article and plural indefinite article actually have two purposes in this regard. Les can mean plural definite as well as an abstract group, where English would skip the definite article. Des can mean an indefinite group of something, where English uses 'some', as well as the indefinite plural, where English skips using an article altogether.
I just read another post about aimer, that in order to say "I like something" you can only say J'aime bien. And that "J'aime something" means I love, not like. I chose J'aime bien les frittes as the only correct option, but duolingo said J'aime les frittes is also correct as a translation for "like". I'm confused. I have been wrong twice, whether I choose J'aime for things meaning "like" or when I do not choose it as a correct alternative. Any thoughts anyone?
I am not sure you remember well, because "j'aime des frites" is improper French.
All verbs of likes and dislikes (aimer, adorer, préférer, apprécier, détester, haïr) need a definite article to introduce their object. The reason is that these objects are generalities and that generalities need definite articles.
- I like fries (in general) = j'aime les frites (en général).