爱 (ài) is the first "big feeling" verb a learner meets, and it behaves in two ways English doesn't lead you to expect. First, it takes its object directly, with no preposition — 我爱你, never 爱对你. Second, it stretches well past romance: put a verb after it and it means "loves doing / is fond of," and with inanimate subjects it means "is prone to." The one thing to unlearn is the reflex from casual English "love" (I *love this song): for objects and activities, Chinese usually reaches for the lighter 喜欢 (xǐhuan), keeping 爱 for genuinely deep feeling.
Sense 1: to love (a person or thing) — no preposition
The core meaning. 爱 + object, and the object attaches straight to the verb.
我爱你。
wǒ ài nǐ
I love you. (neutral) — object attaches directly; no preposition.
我爱我的家。
wǒ ài wǒ de jiā
I love my family / my home. (neutral)
你爱不爱我？
nǐ ài bu ài wǒ?
Do you love me? (informal) — the A-not-A question form 爱不爱.
This deep sense also covers loving one's country, one's work, a cause — often through the compound 热爱 (rè'ài), "to love ardently":
他热爱自己的工作。
tā rè'ài zìjǐ de gōngzuò
He loves his work with real passion. (neutral/written) — 热爱 for earnest, elevated 'love'.
Sense 2: to love doing / be fond of — 爱 + verb
Put a verb (or verb phrase) after 爱 and it means "loves to / is keen on doing." This is extremely common and completely everyday — here 爱 does not sound overblown.
我爱吃辣的。
wǒ ài chī là de
I love eating spicy food. (informal) — 爱 + verb; natural and casual.
他爱开玩笑。
tā ài kāi wánxiào
He loves cracking jokes. (informal) — 'is fond of' joking.
她爱睡懒觉。
tā ài shuì lǎnjiào
She loves sleeping in. (informal)
Sense 3: to be prone to — tendencies (often unwanted)
With an inanimate or generic subject, 爱 + verb slides into "tends to / is prone to / easily does" — no affection at all. This sense surprises learners.
这种花爱生虫。
zhè zhǒng huā ài shēng chóng
This kind of flower is prone to getting bugs. (neutral) — 爱 = 'tends to', not 'loves'.
铁爱生锈。
tiě ài shēng xiù
Iron rusts easily. (neutral)
这孩子爱哭。
zhè háizi ài kū
This kid cries easily / is a crybaby. (informal) — a person's tendency.
The fixed frame 爱……不…… — "do it or don't, see if I care"
A useful idiomatic pattern: 爱 + V + 不 + V conveys indifferent, slightly annoyed permission — "whether you V or not is up to you, and I don't care."
爱去不去，随你。
ài qù bú qù, suí nǐ
Go or don't, up to you. (informal) — 爱 V 不 V = 'do it or don't, whatever'.
我说的是真的，爱信不信。
wǒ shuō de shì zhēn de, ài xìn bú xìn
What I'm telling you is true — believe it or not. (informal)
Key collocations
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| 爱情 | àiqíng | romantic love (noun) — 一段爱情 'a romance' |
| 热爱 | rè'ài | to love passionately (country, work, life) — earnest/written |
| 爱好 | àihào | a hobby; to be keen on — 我的爱好是画画 |
| 可爱 | kě'ài | cute, lovable (adjective) |
| 亲爱的 | qīn'ài de | "dear" — salutation in letters / to a partner |
| 爱人 | àiren | spouse (regional: Mainland; can sound dated) — elsewhere 老公/老婆 |
我的爱好是看电影和爬山。
wǒ de àihào shì kàn diànyǐng hé pá shān
My hobbies are watching movies and hiking. (informal) — 爱好 as a noun.
Grammar note: 爱 vs 喜欢 — depth, and what each attaches to
Both translate as "like/love," but they sit at different depths, and English "love" overlaps only the shallow end of 爱.
- 喜欢 (xǐhuan) — the everyday, lighter "like." Correct for things, food, activities, people you're fond of. This is your default.
- 爱 (ài) — deeper and weightier. Fully natural for people you love, for country/ideals (热爱), and — crucially — for 爱 + verb ("love doing," sense 2). But 爱 + a thing (爱 + noun) sounds intense; for a film, a dish, a song, use 喜欢.
So 我很喜欢这个电影 is normal; 我爱这个电影 sounds theatrical (think a gushing "I am in love with this movie"). Note the split, though: 我爱看电影 ("I love watching movies," 爱 + verb) is perfectly casual — it's 爱 + noun that runs hot. The depth contrast is covered at 喜欢/爱/讨厌 and the 喜欢 entry.
我很喜欢这个电影。
wǒ hěn xǐhuan zhège diànyǐng
I really like this movie. (informal) — 喜欢 for a thing; 爱 would sound overblown here.
我爱看电影，尤其是老片子。
wǒ ài kàn diànyǐng, yóuqí shì lǎo piānzi
I love watching movies, especially old ones. (informal) — 爱 + verb is casual and fine.
Common Mistakes
1. Adding a preposition before the object (the top error). 爱 takes its object directly.
❌ 我爱对你。
Incorrect — 爱 needs no preposition. Just 我爱你.
✅ 我爱你。
wǒ ài nǐ
I love you. (neutral)
2. Using 爱 for casual liking of a thing, where 喜欢 fits.
❌ 我爱这首歌。
Sounds overblown for 'I like this song' — use 喜欢 for a thing.
✅ 我很喜欢这首歌。
wǒ hěn xǐhuan zhè shǒu gē
I really like this song. (informal)
3. Mis-ordering the 爱……不…… frame. The 不 goes between the two copies of the verb, not before 爱.
❌ 不爱去就去。
Wrong shape — the pattern is 爱 + V + 不 + V.
✅ 爱去不去，我不管。
ài qù bú qù, wǒ bù guǎn
Go or don't, I don't care. (informal)
Key Takeaways
- 爱 takes its object directly — 我爱你, never *爱对你.
- Three senses: love (people/things), be fond of doing (爱 + verb, casual), and be prone to (这种花爱生虫).
- For casual liking of a thing, prefer 喜欢; 爱 + a noun runs deep (我爱这个电影 sounds theatrical) — but 爱 + a verb (爱看电影) is everyday.
- 热爱 is the earnest, written "love" for country/work; 爱好 is a hobby.
- The frame 爱 + V + 不 + V (爱去不去) means "do it or don't — I don't care."
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- 喜欢 (xǐhuan) — to likeHSK 1 — 喜欢 (xǐhuan) is the everyday verb for liking — things, activities, or people: 我喜欢音乐, 我喜欢看电影, 他喜欢你. Degree words go in front (很喜欢, 非常喜欢), negation is 不喜欢, and 喜欢上 means 'come to like'. Reach for 喜欢, not 爱, for most hobby-and-food 'love'.
- 想 (xiǎng) — want to / think / missHSK 1 — 想 (xiǎng) does three jobs: the soft modal 'want to / would like' + verb (我想去), 'think / ponder / plan' (让我想想, 想办法), and 'miss / long for' (我想你, 想家). It is gentler than 要, and — key trap — 想 + a noun means 'miss it', not 'want to have it'.
- 吃 (chī) — to eatHSK 1 — 吃 (chī) is 'eat', but it also swallows a whole family of idioms — 吃惊, 吃亏, 吃苦, 吃香 — and 吃饭 stretches from 'have a meal' all the way to 'make a living'.