How to use LIKE in English

“Like” is a word that you hear all the time when you talk to English speakers. But like has many different meanings, which can often be confusing.

In this post, we’ll look at some examples of different meanings of the word like in English. We’ll also learn how to use each example in natural English conversations.

Use LIKE to mean enjoy or prefer

When we use “like” as a verb, we are talking about things or activities we enjoy or prefer.

LIKE for things

When we use like as a verb with nouns (people, things, etc), we are saying we prefer that thing:

Do you like dogs? (= Are you fond of dogs? / Are you a fan of dogs? Do you think dogs are nice?)

LIKE for enjoying activities

With activities, (swimming / drinking coffee, etc), like has the same meaning as “enjoy“.

When like comes before actions (eating, driving etc), we often use like + ing (gerund).

This is more common in British English:

I like drinking green tea. ( = I enjoy doing this activity )

LIKE for preferences

We can also use like with to + verb (infinitive) when we want to focus on HOW we do something – and not the activity, itself.
Using like in this way means “prefer” and not “enjoy”:

I like to drink black tea in the garden. ( =I prefer to drink tea in this place, and not in another place)
I like to go swimming alone. ( =I prefer not to go swimming with other people)

How to use WOULD LIKE

English learners often think “like” and “would like” mean the same thing, but in fact, they have quite different meanings.

In fact, “would like” is just a more formal and polite way to say: “I want”.

So, if I say, “I would like to have lunch”, I’m definitely NOT saying “I enjoy having lunch”.

Instead, I am saying I WANT to have lunch. It’s just a bit more polite.

WOULD LIKE examples

We can use would like before verbs (infinitives) or nouns/pronouns:

“I would like to book a room for 6 people, please” (with a verb – “to book”)
“I would like a refund, please.” (with a noun – “refund”)
“I would like you to help me please (with a pronoun – “you”)

How to use “WHAT’S IT LIKE?”

When we ask what something (or someone) is like, we are NOT usually asking for a comparison with something else.

So, for example, “What is Paris like?” does NOT mean: “Is Paris similar to another city?”.

After all, we are NOT asking for a comparison.

Instead, “What is ….. like?” means:

“Tell me if you like / dislike this thing or person.”

And sometimes also…

“Give me some basic details about this thing or person.”

So if someone asks you:

“What’s Roger like?” (= tell me about Roger because I don’t know him)

You could answer:

“Oh, he’s really nice!” (I like Roger)
NOT: “Oh, Roger’s like Jim!”

And then, add some basic details:

“I had a chat with him last week, and he was so funny. He seems pretty confident, too. I’ve heard he’s got a really good job.” (a few basic details about Roger)

And here’s an example of “what’s .. like?” with things:

A – “Have you seen the new Spiderman movie, yet?”
B – “Yeah, I have actually.”
A – “So, what’s it like?” (was the movie good or bad? Then give me some details)
B – “Pretty good – amazing action scenes, but I don’t like that guy who plays Doctor Octopus”.
( = I think the movie is good, and here are some extra details, too)

How to use TASTE LIKE / SOUND LIKE / SMELL LIKE

We often use like to ask for simple descriptions about things. We do this by using the word like with “sense verbs (look, sound, smell, etc)”:

• LOOK – What does …. look like?
• SOUND – What does …. sound like?
• TASTE – What does …. taste like?
• SMELL- What does …. smell like?
• FEEL – What does …. feel like?

We use phrases like “look like“, “sound like” etc, to ask for simple descriptions of things like music, food, perfume, etc.

We answer questions like these by giving descriptions and comparisons with other things.

TASTE LIKE: example

If you’ve never tried a certain type of food (for example, sushi) before, someone might ask:

What does sushi taste like? (= “‘I’ve never tried sushi before – please tell me about the flavour!”)

And you could answer:

Well, it’s kind of cold, soft and squidgy, and it tastes a bit salty. (basic description)
NOT: “It tastes like a bit salty.”

However, you can also compare sushi with another food if you want to:

“Well, I guess It tastes a bit like raw fish.” (comparison = I think sushi tastes like raw fish)

And you could also say whether you like sushi or not:

“I really love it!” / “It tastes amazing.”
“I think it’s gross!” (slang = disgusting / horrible)
“I can’t stand the taste of it.” ( = I hate the flavour.)

LOOK LIKE: example

A – “I haven’t met Jade. What does she look like?” (describe Jade’s appearance)
B – “Well, she’s quite tall, she’s got dark brown hair and she usually wears big glasses.”

SMELL LIKE: example

A – “What does that perfume smell like?”
B – “It smells lovely. A bit like roses. Really floral, but quite musky at the same time. I love it!”

FEEL LIKE: example

A – “So, what does it feel like to be back home?” (How do you feel now that you’ve come back home?)
B- “It feels amazing. It’s so nice to be back after such a long time away.” (I feel great.)

Feel like is also a common way to say “want” or “would like” in natural spoken English:

“I’m so thirsty – I really feel like a drink”. (I really want to drink something)

We can also use feel like to express regret when we’ve done something silly:

“I can’t believe I did that – I feel like such an idiot!” (I regret doing that stupid thing)

How to use LIKE THIS, LIKE THAT

We say “like this“, or “like that“, when we’re giving instructions or showing someone how something works.

You usually say like this if YOU are doing the action, and like that if someone else is doing the action:

A – “How am I supposed to open this packet?” ( I can’t open this packet – can you show me how to open it?)
B – “Sure, you do it like this!” ( = I’m showing you how to open the packet – you should open it in this way)
A -“You mean like this?”
B – “No, not like THAT, like THIS!
A- “Ok, got it! (I understand now)

We might also say like that if we are talking about things in the past:

“I used to talk like that in the past, but nowadays I talk like this.”

How to use LIKE as an idiom with verbs

In English, we use some verbs before like to make idioms:

My dad drives like a maniac! (=he drives very carelessly)

She can run like the wind. ( =she’s a fast runner)

Carl eats like a pig. (= he eats too much – or he eats very quickly)

Jonah lives like a king. (=he has a very nice lifestyle)

How to use I WAS LIKE / SHE WAS LIKE

In real spoken English, people often use slang phrases such as: I was like, he was like, or I’m like and she’s like to explain things they said or how they felt about something that happened in the past.

I was like / I’m like is a VERY common pattern that will help you understand real English speakers in real conversations.

“I was like” meaning

I was like can mean either: I said or I thought / felt.

“I was like, ‘Give me some money!'”( = I said, ‘give me some money!’)
“I was like, ‘Oh no, what am I gonna do?'” ( = I thought, ‘Oh no, what am I going to do?’)

“I was like” examples:

= I said

“She said ‘are you OK?’ and I was like, ‘yeah’. ” (= she said ‘are you OK?’, and I said ‘yeah’.)

= I thought

“The guy came up to me and said ‘You’ve won the prize’, and I was like, ‘No way, this can’t be for real!’
(= “The man approached me and said, ‘You’ve won the prize’, and I thought, ‘I don’t believe it – this can’t be true!’

I’m like OR I was like?

Often, you will hear “I’m like” instead of “I was like“.
I’m like is the same pattern, and it also relates to past events such as stories:

“He says he’s going to Spain with his mates, and I’m like: ‘You must be joking’! (= He told me he was planning to go to Spain with his friends, and I said ‘are you serious?'”)

How to use LIKE as a filler word

In real spoken English, like is very common as a “filler”. We use fillers to fill pauses or gaps between our words so that we can speak in a more fluent and natural way.

Remember – when people say “like” as a filler word, it has no meaning – it’s just a filler word!

Examples of “like” as a filler word in conversations:

A – “So, like, what are you doing now, then? Are you like working now or are you still at uni, or what?” (=what are you doing now? Do you have a job or are you still studying?)
B – “So, yeah, right now I’m still at uni, but, you know, like, I’ve got a job lined up when I leave, you know?” (= I’m still at university, but I have a job already arranged for when I leave university)
A – “Ok so, like you’re not gonna have to actually… like…. look for work, then, is that right?” (=So, you won’t need to find a job when you leave university, is that correct?)
B- “Yeah, exactly.” (= yes, that’s right.)

REMEMBER! As a non-native English speaker, you don’t need to use fillers such as like if you don’t want to. However, it is useful to recognise these words when native English speakers use them!