We ask "Vous voulez un livre?" and then why do we have to answer by "Je n'aime pas les livres." can't it be
"Je n'aime pas un livre"?
Why does it have to be les instead of un?
im not that good at french but i think its because un = 1 so it one instead of many.
Salut, Miche! "Do you want a book?" The first answer says "I don't like books." The 2nd says "I don't like a book."
If this is a model (modèle) you have to follow it; that is if you were told to answer generally "I don't like books." then do it that way. I don't like a book is not as good as "Je ne veux pas de livre" = I don't want a (any) book.
Not seeing your textbook, I don't know why that pattern is preferred.
Mme
In French, the definite article "les" is used to express a general dislike or lack of preference for a particular category or type of object. So when someone asks "Vous voulez un livre?" (Do you want a book?), the response "Je n'aime pas les livres." (I don't like books.) is more appropriate than "Je n'aime pas un livre." (I don't like a book.)
Using "les" in this context indicates that you're expressing a dislike for books in general, rather than just one book. It implies that you have a general aversion to reading or books as a whole.
If you were to use "un" instead of "les," it would change the meaning of the sentence to suggest that you dislike a specific book or a singular book. For example, if someone asks "Vous voulez un livre?" and you respond with "Je n'aime pas un livre.", it would mean "I don't like one book." This implies that you have a dislike for a particular book, rather than a general dislike for all books.
So, to summarize, using "les" in "Je n'aime pas les livres." is more appropriate when expressing a general dislike for books as a whole, while using "un" would indicate a dislike for a specific book.