Expressing Likes and Dislikes: Vocabulary, Grammar and Speaking – 1st Year Secondary School – Algerian Curriculum

1. Expressing Likes (التعبير عن الإعجاب)

There are many ways to express that you like something. Here are the most common ones:

2. Expressing Dislikes (التعبير عن الكره)

3. Expressing Preferences (التعبير عن التفضيل)

4. Grammar: Verbs followed by -ing or Infinitive

Verbs followed by -ing (gerund):

• enjoy, dislike, detest, loathe, can’t stand, can’t help, avoid, suggest, recommend, finish, practice
• Example: I enjoy swimming. / I avoid eating junk food.

Verbs followed by infinitive (to + base verb):

• want, would like, would prefer, decide, hope, plan, expect, promise, agree, refuse
• Example: I want to learn English. / I hope to see you soon.

Verbs followed by either -ing or infinitive (with little change in meaning):

• like, love, hate, prefer, start, begin, continue
• Example: I like swimming = I like to swim.

5. Useful Expressions for Discussions

Asking about likes/dislikes:

• Do you like…?
• What do you think of…?
• How do you feel about…?
• What’s your opinion on…?
• Are you interested in…?
• Are you keen on…?

Agreeing:

• So do I. / Neither do I.
• I agree with you.
• That’s true. / You’re right.
• I feel the same way.

Disagreeing politely:

• I don’t think so.
• I’m not sure about that.
• I see your point, but…
• That’s one way to look at it, but…

6. Dialogue Examples

Dialogue 1: At a café

Ahmed: What would you like to drink?

Samir: I’d rather have tea than coffee. I’m not keen on coffee.

Ahmed: Really? I prefer coffee to tea. I can’t stand tea without sugar.

Samir: I agree with you on that. I hate unsweetened tea too!

Dialogue 2: Talking about hobbies

Teacher: What are you interested in, Maria?

Maria: I’m keen on reading novels, especially historical fiction.

Teacher: Interesting! And you, Karim?

Karim: I’m fond of sports. I love playing football, but I detest running long distances.

Teacher: I feel the same way. I enjoy football, but I’m not keen on athletics.

7. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form (like, love, hate, enjoy, can’t stand, prefer):

1. I _______ (like) reading books before bedtime.
2. She _______ (hate) getting up early in the morning.
3. They _______ (enjoy) playing tennis every weekend.
4. He _______ (can’t stand) waiting for buses.
5. I _______ (prefer) tea _______ coffee.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentences using the given expression:

1. I like swimming. (be keen on) → ____________________
2. I don’t like horror movies. (can’t stand) → ____________________
3. I prefer basketball to football. (rather) → ____________________
4. I like watching documentaries. (be interested in) → ____________________

Exercise 3: Complete the dialogue:

Ali: What do you think of classical music?

You: _________________________________________________

Ali: Really? I love it! I’m keen on playing the piano.

You: _________________________________________________

Exercise 4: Write 5 sentences about your likes and 5 sentences about your dislikes.

8. Summary

• Use like, love, enjoy, be keen on, be fond of, be interested in, be into, be crazy about to express likes.
• Use don’t like, hate, can’t stand, detest, dislike, loathe, not be keen on to express dislikes.
• Use prefer…to… and would rather…than… to express preferences.
• Some verbs are followed by -ing (enjoy, avoid, can’t stand), others by to + infinitive (want, hope, would like), and some by either (like, love, hate, prefer).
• Practice using these expressions in dialogues and everyday conversations.