How Do I Talk About My Likes and Dislikes in English?
Expressing likes and dislikes is a fundamental aspect of everyday conversation in English.
It helps in sharing your preferences, opinions, and interests with others.
For non-native speakers, understanding how to convey these feelings can be essential for engaging conversations.
Let’s explore simple and effective ways to express likes and dislikes in English, accompanied by a short story for better understanding.
1. Use Simple Verbs to Express Likes
- Example: Use ‘like’, ‘love’, ‘enjoy’, or ‘prefer’ for positive feelings.
Dialogue: “I really love listening to jazz music.”
2. Express Dislikes Clearly
- Example: Use ‘dislike’, ‘don’t like’, or ‘hate’ for negative feelings.
Dialogue: “I don’t like cold weather much.”
3. Be Specific About Your Preferences
- Example: Mention specific reasons for your likes or dislikes.
Dialogue: “I enjoy hiking because it’s both relaxing and good exercise.”
4. Use Modifiers for Strength of Feeling
- Example: Add words like ‘really’, ‘quite’, ‘a lot’, or ‘not very much’ to modify the strength of your feelings.
Dialogue: “I’m quite fond of Italian cuisine.”
5. Include Comparative Expressions
- Example: Compare your likes and dislikes with others or with different situations.
Dialogue: “I prefer tea over coffee in the mornings.”
6. Talk About Past Experiences
- Example: Share past experiences that relate to your preferences.
Dialogue: “I’ve always loved the beach since I was a child.”
7. Practice Through Role-Playing
- Example: Engage in mock conversations to practice expressing likes and dislikes.
Dialogue: “Let’s role-play a scenario where we discuss our favorite movies.”
8. Learn Related Vocabulary
- Example: Expand your vocabulary with words related to hobbies, interests, food, weather, etc.
Dialogue: “I learned words like ‘thrilling’ and ‘bland’ to describe different movies and foods.”
A Short Story: Li’s Conversation at a Party
Li, an intermediate English learner, was attending a social gathering. She wanted to make new friends and knew that sharing her likes and dislikes would be a great conversation starter.
Before the party, Li used Metkagram to learn phrases and expressions related to hobbies and preferences.
👉👉👉 Download Metkagram on Google Play or Metkagram on iOS
Logging your lessons can provide a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated. I use this app to document my progress, and it’s been incredibly helpful. It’s not limited to language learning, which makes it very versatile.
👉👉👉👉 You can download the app for to log your learning sessions.
Benefits of Annotated texts
Visual tags aid in visualizing and remembering phrases and vocabulary related to expressing likes and dislikes, enhancing your ability to communicate your preferences effectively.
Expressing likes and dislikes is a key part of sharing who you are in any language.
With practice and the right tools, you’ll be able to communicate your preferences clearly and make more meaningful connections!
Take care,
