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I am having trouble with when to use les and des

Let's say I want to say "she loves flowers". Would I say "Elle aime les fleurs" or "Elle aime des fleurs", and why?

I think "Elle aime des fleurs" is the correct version, because "Elle aime les fleurs" translates to "she loves the flowers". Is this right?

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It depends on the context. If she loves flowers in general, then you will say "Elle aime les fleurs". If she is talking about specific flowers, then you "Elle aime les ". "Elle aime des fleurs" means "She loves some kinds of flowers, but I don't know which ones".

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    And "Elle aime des fleurs" would probably not be said as such, it would be made explicit with "Elle aime certaines fleurs (mais pas d'autres)". Watch out though, "elle aimerait des fleurs" is a common turn of phrase, meaning "she would like flowers (as a gift)".
    – Law29
    Commented Jun 19, 2016 at 21:43

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