Expressing Likes and Dislikes

Talking About Likes and Dislikes

In this chapter you learn how to say what you like and do not like in simple, natural Persian. You already know basic present tense and simple sentences, so here we focus only on expressions specific to likes and dislikes.

The Verb “to like”: دوست داشتن

The most common way to say “to like” is the verb “دوست داشتن” which literally means “to have affection, to love/like.”

In the simple present tense it is conjugated with the stem “دوست دار” plus present endings:

من دوست دارم
تو دوست داری
او دوست دارد
ما دوست داریم
شما دوست دارید
آنها دوست دارند

You use it exactly as “subject + object + دوست داشتن” in the present.

For things and activities:

من قهوه دوست دارم.
I like coffee.

او موسیقی ایرانی دوست دارد.
He / she likes Persian music.

ما کتاب خواندن دوست داریم.
We like reading books.

Note that an activity can be expressed by a verbal noun like “کتاب خواندن” (reading books), “فیلم دیدن” (watching movies), “شنا کردن” (swimming).

Saying You Do Not Like Something

To say you do not like something, you simply negate the verb “دوست داشتن” with “نـ” at the beginning.

من قهوه دوست ندارم.
I do not like coffee.

او ورزش دوست ندارد.
He / she does not like sports.

ما تلویزیون دیدن دوست نداریم.
We do not like watching TV.

“I Like It” and “I Do Not Like It”

Often in conversation, the object is clear from context. In these cases, Persian speakers use short forms:

دوست دارم.
I like it.

دوست ندارم.
I do not like it.

You can add “خیلی” (very, really) to make the feeling stronger:

خیلی دوست دارم.
I really like it.

اصلاً دوست ندارم.
I do not like it at all.

“اصلاً” means “at all” or “not at all” and is used with a negative verb.

Talking About Liking People

In everyday Persian “دوست داشتن” is also used for liking people. It can be friendly, family love, or romantic, depending on context and tone.

من تو را دوست دارم.
I like you / I love you.

ما معلم‌مان را دوست داریم.
We like our teacher.

اگر او را دوست نداری، با او صحبت نکن.
If you do not like him / her, do not talk to him / her.

For strong romantic “love” Persian also uses “عاشق بودن,” but that belongs to a later level. At A2, it is enough to recognize “دوست داشتن” as both “like” and sometimes “love.”

Using “خیلی” and Other Degree Words

To show how much you like or dislike something, you add adverbs before the verb or sometimes before the object.

Common adverbs of degree:

خیلی
very, really, a lot

کم
a little (for quantity or degree)

اصلاً
not at all (used with negative verb)

Some patterns:

من فوتبال خیلی دوست دارم.
I like football a lot.

من خیلی فوتبال دوست دارم.
I really like football.

من این غذا را کم دوست دارم.
I like this food a little.

من این فیلم را اصلاً دوست ندارم.
I do not like this film at all.

In speech, “خیلی” is used often, so it is very natural to add it when you talk about likes and dislikes.

“I Prefer” and Simple Preferences

For simple everyday preferences, Persian uses the verb “ترجیح دادن” which means “to prefer.” At A2, we only use a few common patterns.

The present forms you will see most often:

من ترجیح می‌دهم
I prefer

تو ترجیح می‌دهی
you prefer (singular, informal)

او ترجیح می‌دهد
he / she prefers

To compare two things:

من ترجیح می‌دهم چای بخورم.
I prefer to drink tea.

من قهوه را بیشتر دوست دارم.
I like coffee more.

A very common and simpler way to express preference is with “بیشتر دوست داشتن,” literally “to like more.”

من چای را بیشتر دوست دارم.
I like tea more.

او موسیقی پاپ را بیشتر دوست دارد.
He / she prefers pop music.

So you can say “A را بیشتر دوست دارم” to show that you prefer A to something else that is known from context.

Asking About Likes and Dislikes

To ask others about their tastes, you use question words plus “دوست داشتن.” Because yes / no questions and question words are covered elsewhere, here we only show typical like / dislike questions.

چِه چیزهایی دوست داری؟
What things do you like?

چه غذایی دوست داری؟
What food do you like?

چه موسیقی‌ای دوست داری؟
What music do you like?

For yes / no type:

چای دوست داری؟
Do you like tea?

سینما رفتن دوست داری؟
Do you like going to the cinema?

You answer with the same verb:

بله، دوست دارم.
Yes, I do (like it).

نه، دوست ندارم.
No, I do not (like it).

You can add information:

بله، خیلی دوست دارم.
Yes, I like it very much.

نه، اصلاً دوست ندارم.
No, I do not like it at all.

Fixed Expressions for Likes and Dislikes

There are a few very useful expressions that function almost like fixed phrases.

To say “I am interested in …” you can use:

به … علاقه دارم.
I am interested in …

For example:

من به موسیقی کلاسیک علاقه دارم.
I am interested in classical music.

او به ورزش علاقه ندارد.
He / she is not interested in sports.

Another common expression is:

از … خوشم می‌آید.
I like … (literally “something pleases me”)

The pronoun changes with the subject:

من از این فیلم خوشم می‌آید.
I like this film.

تو از این غذا خوشت می‌آید.
You like this food.

او از تهران خوشش می‌آید.
He / she likes Tehran.

Negation:

من از این شهر خوشم نمی‌آید.
I do not like this city.

At A2, it is enough to recognize this pattern and to use the “من … خوشم می‌آید / نمی‌آید” form in simple sentences.

Short Dialogues with Likes and Dislikes

Here are a few short sample dialogues. Read them several times and try to change the words to talk about your own tastes.

A: چه غذایی دوست داری؟
What food do you like?

B: من پیتزا دوست دارم، ولی کباب را بیشتر دوست دارم.
I like pizza, but I like kebab more.

A: چای دوست داری؟
Do you like tea?

B: نه، من قهوه دوست دارم. چای اصلاً دوست ندارم.
No, I like coffee. I do not like tea at all.

A: از این فیلم خوشت می‌آید؟
Do you like this film?

B: بد نیست، اما من فیلم‌های کمدی را بیشتر دوست دارم.
It is not bad, but I like comedy films more.

A: به ورزش علاقه داری؟
Are you interested in sports?

B: بله، خیلی. من فوتبال خیلی دوست دارم.
Yes, very. I really like football.

Try to replace “غذا,” “فیلم,” or “ورزش” with other words to practice new sentences.

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