Liking and Loving: A Reference

English uses one verb, "to like," and one verb, "to love," for almost everything we are fond of — coffee, cities, films, people. Turkish spreads the same emotional ground across at least five different constructions, and the one you pick changes the case you must put the object in. This page is the consolidated reference table for the whole family. For the deeper two-way contrast between sevmek and beğenmek specifically — momentary judgment vs. settled affection — see the dedicated discussion on the sevmek and beğenmek page; here the goal is to see all five options side by side so you can choose correctly every time.

The family at a glance

The single thing that trips up English speakers is that each verb governs a different case. Memorize the case with the verb, as one unit, because there is no logic that lets you predict it from meaning.

sevmek — the broad, settled "love / like"

sevmek takes the accusative and covers the widest range: loving a person, loving a place, liking a food as a standing preference. With people it means real love; with things it means a stable, ongoing fondness ("I like coffee" as a fact about you).

Notice the aorist severim / sevmem for a general, timeless preference, versus the present continuous seviyorum for love felt right now. Both are common; the aorist reads as "that's how I am."

beğenmek — the act of liking, an appraisal

beğenmek also takes the accusative, but it is an evaluative verb: you looked at something, you judged it, you approve. It often describes a single act of liking (you tried the dish, you saw the haircut) rather than a permanent state. This is also the verb behind the "like" button on social media.

The contrast worth holding onto: seni seviyorum is "I love you," while seni beğeniyorum is closer to "I find you appealing / I approve of you" — a judgment, sometimes even a job-interview verdict, not a declaration of love.

hoşlanmak — to enjoy, or to fancy — and it demands the ablative

hoşlanmak is the verb that catches everyone, because it governs the ablative (-DAn), literally "to take pleasure from something." Use it for enjoying activities and for the early, lighter stage of romantic interest ("I fancy you / I'm into you").

Because the case is ablative, the object ends in -den / -dan / -ten / -tan: senden, kitaptan, müzikten. If you accidentally use the accusative here, the sentence is simply ungrammatical to a Turkish ear.

bayılmak — to adore, with the dative

bayılmak literally means "to faint," and as an emotion verb it keeps that hyperbole: you are crazy about something. It takes the dative (-(y)A) — you "faint toward" the thing. It is warm, enthusiastic, and slightly informal; perfect for food, music, and small joys.

Because the case is dative, objects end in -e / -a / -ye / -ya: çikolataya, sana, denize. Note sana bayılıyorum "I adore you" is affectionate and playful, not a serious romantic declaration the way seni seviyorum is.

hoşuna gitmek — the "it pleases me" idiom

This one flips the grammar around. In hoşuna gitmek, the thing you like is the subject (nominative), and you are the experiencer in the dative-possessive frame — literally "it went to your pleasure." It is extremely common and often more natural than sevmek for reactions to specific things: a song, an idea, a gift.

The possessive on hoş agrees with the experiencer: hoşuma (my), hoşuna (your), hoşuna (his/her), hoşumuza (our), hoşunuza (your pl.), hoşlarına (their).

Because the liked item is the grammatical subject, the verb agrees with it, not with you: bu fikirler hoşuma gitti (these ideas — plural subject) still uses singular gitti in casual speech, though strictly gittiler is possible. Use gitti for one thing and you will sound natural.

Which one do I use?

A quick decision guide:

• A standing preference or genuine love (person, place, food as a fact about you) → sevmek (accusative).
• A judgment you just made — you tried it, you approve → beğenmek (accusative).
• Enjoying an activity, or early romantic interest → hoşlanmak (ablative).
• Over-the-top enthusiasm, "I'm crazy about it" → bayılmak (dative).
• Reacting to a specific thing, "that pleased me / I liked that" → hoşuna gitmek (idiom).

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Five constructions, three different cases: sevmek / beğenmek = accusative, hoşlanmak = ablative, bayılmak = dative, and hoşuna gitmek flips the liked thing into the subject.
• sevmek = settled love/liking; beğenmek = an appraisal you just made. For the fine line between them, see sevmek and beğenmek.
• For romance, the rungs go beğenmek → hoşlanmak → sevmek → âşık olmak; the case changes at each rung.
• Always memorize the case with the verb — there is no rule that derives it, so learn "hoşlanmak-DAn," "bayılmak-(y)A" as fixed pairs.