Learn · Lesson 20
Likes and opinions
Use 喜欢 and 觉得 to talk about food, people, and plans without borrowing English “like” into every slot.
Goals
- Say 我喜欢… and 我不喜欢…
- Ask 你喜欢…吗？
- Give a simple opinion with 我觉得…
- Avoid 是 before 喜欢
喜欢 takes an object
我喜欢茶。我喜欢这本书。 The liked thing sits after the verb. English “I am like tea” is a trap — do not insert 是.
Negate with 不喜欢. 没喜欢 is the wrong tool here.
Adverbs of degree: 很喜欢, 不太喜欢. 很 is a smoother “quite” than a dramatic “very” every time.
I like drinking tea.
He doesn’t like spicy (food).
Do you like this movie?
觉得 for a take
我觉得 + clause. 我觉得这个菜很好. You are offering a judgment, not naming a category with 是.
我觉得不对 is allowed. Keep the clause short until you can stack reasons.
你觉得呢？ tosses the question back. Neutral 呢, not a new vocabulary mountain.
I think it’s nice here.
What do you think?
I think it’s a bit expensive.
People vs things
喜欢 a person is possible and loaded. In class, prefer 喜欢 + food/hobby unless you mean it.
想 and 喜欢 overlap in English “want/like.” 想 is closer to “would like to / miss / intend.” Keep 喜欢 for preference.
Drill the 喜欢 pattern page the same day so cloze items match this lesson.
I like studying Chinese.
She likes reading.
We all like this teacher.
Takeaways
- 喜欢 + object, no 是.
- 觉得 + a short clause for opinions.
- 想 ≠ 喜欢 even when English uses “like.”
Quick check
1. Which is well formed?
2. 你觉得呢？ asks for…
3. Negate 喜欢 with…