35 Ways to Say You Like Something in French

35 Ways to Say You Like Something in French

There is more than one way to say you like something in French! While j’aime ça is a perfectly good way to express that you like something, French speakers have many other expressions to communicate enjoyment, enthusiasm, and appreciation.

Some expressions are neutral and appropriate in everyday conversation. Others are more formal, while some are very informal or slang.

You can also expand your vocabulary by learning how to describe feelings and emotions in French.

Here are 35 useful ways to say you like something in French.

1. Neutral and Everyday Expressions

These expressions are appropriate in most everyday situations.

English Expression	French Expression
I liked it.	J’ai aimé ça.
I really liked it.	J’ai beaucoup aimé ça.
I enjoyed it.	J’ai apprécié ça.
I really enjoyed it.	J’ai vraiment apprécié.
I liked it a lot.	Ça m’a beaucoup plu.
I loved it.	J’ai adoré.
It was great.	C’était génial.
It was fantastic.	C’était fantastique.
It was wonderful.	C’était merveilleux.
It was amazing.	C’était incroyable.
It was excellent.	C’était excellent.
It was a pleasure.	C’était un plaisir.
I had a good time.	J’ai passé un bon moment.
I had a great time.	J’ai passé un excellent moment.
It was enjoyable.	C’était agréable.

A useful distinction: AIMER vs PLAIRE

Both aimer and plaire can express that you like something, but they work differently.

J’ai aimé ce film. (I liked this movie.)
Ce film m’a plu. (I liked this movie.)

With plaire, the thing you like is the grammatical subject, and the person who likes it is represented by an indirect object pronoun.

If you have questions about when to use c’est and il est with adjectives, see my lesson on C’est vs Il est.

2. More Formal Expressions

These expressions are useful when you want to sound more polished or express appreciation in a more formal way.

English Expression	French Expression
I appreciated this experience.	J’ai apprécié cette expérience.
It was a real pleasure.	C’était un véritable plaisir.
I found it quite enjoyable.	J’ai trouvé cela plutôt agréable.
It was very much to my liking.	C’était tout à fait à mon goût.
I found it very satisfying.	J’ai trouvé cela très satisfaisant.
I was pleasantly surprised.	J’ai été agréablement surpris(e).
I have a very positive impression.	J’en ai une très bonne impression.
It was an unforgettable experience.	C’était une expérience inoubliable.

3. Informal Expressions and Slang

These expressions are common in casual conversation. Some are particularly informal, so use them with friends and people you know well.

English Expression	French Expression
I loved it!	J’ai kiffé !
I had a blast!	Je me suis éclaté(e) !
It was awesome!	C’était trop bien !
It was so cool!	C’était super cool !
It was crazy!	C’était ouf !
It was really fun!	C’était super sympa !
It was funny!	C’était marrant !
I was really into it.	J’étais à fond dedans.
It was really stylish.	C’était trop stylé !
I had a good laugh.	J’ai bien rigolé.
It was fantastic!	C’était génial !
I really enjoyed myself.	Je me suis vraiment bien amusé(e).

A note about slang:

Kiffer is a very informal verb meaning to love or really enjoy something.

Ouf is verlan, a form of French slang that reverses the syllables of a word. It comes from fou (crazy).

Être à fond dedans means to be really into something or completely absorbed in it.

4. A Few Important Expressions to Remember

Here are some particularly useful expressions to add to your everyday French vocabulary:

Ça m’a plu. – I liked it.
J’ai adoré ! – I loved it!
C’était génial ! – It was great!
J’ai passé un bon moment. – I had a good time.
Je me suis éclaté(e) ! – I had a blast!
J’ai kiffé ! – I loved it! (very informal)

Remember that you don’t always need to use the verb aimer to express that you like something. French speakers use a variety of expressions to communicate enthusiasm, enjoyment, and appreciation