Speaking: Functional Language A2 - Lesson 5: Talking About Likes & Dislikes

Welcome to your conversational speaking framework! Learning to seamlessly share your personal preferences, interests, and things you avoid is a vital milestone for building organic, real-world fluency.

In this lesson, we will look at how to express varying degrees of intensity—from "love" to "can't stand"—and master the critical grammar rule of using gerunds after state verbs.

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Welcome to your conversational speaking framework! I am Teacher Sopheak. Learning to seamlessly share your personal preferences, interests, and things you avoid is a vital milestone for building organic, real-world fluency.

Scroll down to practice your phrasing, analyze the grammar rules, and test your knowledge in the situational modules below.

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Expressions of Positive Preference

Describing your interests requires understanding various degrees of intensity. Spoken English divides positive preferences into strong alignments like love or adore, and milder, neutral alignments like enjoy or don't mind.

Strong Like

Love / Really like

Definition: To have a very strong positive feeling about something or someone.

Oral Model: I love cute characters, and I really like designing modern layouts.

Strong Like

Adore

Definition: To love and respect someone or something deeply; to be very fond of.

Oral Model: I adore the historic architecture around our city.

Mild & Neutral

Enjoy / Don't mind

Definition: To take pleasure in something, or to not be annoyed by it.

Oral Model: I enjoy nature, and I don't mind coding backend structures for hours.

warning The Structural Grammar Trap

A major mistake for elementary learners is pairing preference verbs with baseline action verbs directly. In spoken English, verbs of liking or disliking must always be followed by a Noun (like "pizza") or a Gerund (Verb + -ing).

I enjoy draw. cancel

I enjoy drawing. check_circle

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Expressions of Negative Preference

When sharing things you dislike, you can express varying levels of aversion. Spoken English ranges from a simple don't like to intense statements like hate or can't stand.

Negative Preference

Don't like / Hate

Definition: To have a strong negative feeling towards something.

Oral Model: I don't like small bugs, and I absolutely hate dealing with a bad UI.

Strong Dislike

Can't stand

Definition: To strongly dislike something to the point you cannot tolerate it.

Oral Model: I can't stand loud noise when I am trying to focus on my work.

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Oral Verification Module

extension Structural Completion

Choose the correct spoken format: "I am creative, so I really love ________ new artwork."

(Hint: Remember the gerund rule after preference verbs!)

psychology Pragmatic Decoding

An acquaintance states: "I don't mind the hot weather." What does this imply?

(Hint: Does 'don't mind' mean they hate it, or does it mean they are okay with it?)

warning Structural Error Check

Select the sentence that follows the correct gerund structure rule:

(Hint: Verb + ing)

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Preference Formulation Complete

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Active Conversational Missions

Oral Preference Formulation Vocalize three distinct positive preferences aloud using accurate Verb + -ing structural patterns.

Aversion Delivery Practice Deliver one clear statement tracking something you absolutely can't stand to an oral study partner.

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Study Resources

Lesson Summary & Review

Let's review the key concepts covered in the interactive module above to ensure you are ready to express your preferences naturally.

Degrees of Preference

• Strong Likes: Love, Adore, Really like.
• Mild / Neutral: Enjoy, Don't mind. (Remember: "Don't mind" means you are okay with it, not that you dislike it!)
• Strong Dislikes: Hate, Can't stand.

Grammar Rule: The Gerund

When you use a preference verb to talk about an action, the second verb must be in its -ing form (a gerund).

Correct: "I enjoy reading."

Incorrect: "I enjoy read."