Whether you’re visiting galleries and museums, sampling German cuisine or simply chatting to your German-speaking friends, you’ll probably want to talk about what you like and dislike. There are several different ways to do this in German. To say what you like, use ich mag (I like) and ich mag… nicht/ich mag kein… to talk about something you don’t like. These come from the verb mögen (to like).
Ich mag Schweizer Käse.
I like Swiss cheese.
Ich mag Bier und Wein.
I like beer and wine.
Ich mag Sauerkraut nicht.
I don’t like sauerkraut.
Ich mag keinen Kaffee.
I don’t like coffee.
If you want to say that you like to do something, you just add gern or gerne after the verb you’re using. It means ‘with pleasure’ and adds emphasis to what you’re saying.
Sie reist gern alleine.
She likes travelling alone.
Wir gehen gern in eine Ausstellung oder Vernissage.
We like going to an exhibition or opening.
Ich tanze gern und gehe auch gern joggen.
I like dancing and going jogging.
You can also say das/es/etwas gefällt mir (gut), which literally means ‘that/it/ something is (very) pleasing to me’ and is from the verb gefallen (to please (somebody)).
Das Bild gefällt mir.
I like the picture.
Berlin hat uns ganz gut gefallen.
We really liked Berlin.
To say you hate something, you can use either ich hasse or ich kann … nicht ausstehen/leiden (I hate).
Ich hasse es, zu spät zu kommen.
I hate being late.
Ich kann Meeresfrüchte nicht ausstehen.
I hate seafood.
Ich kann Whisky nicht leiden.
I hate whisky.
If you want to say you prefer something, use a verb plus the adverb lieber (rather/better).
Ich trinke lieber Kaffee als Tee.
I prefer drinking coffee to tea.
Ich gehe lieber schwimmen.
I would rather go swimming.
Don’t forget to come back for the next blog post to help you continue with the conversation!
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