German · Real conversations
How to say “I'm not very keen on ...” in German
Express a mild dislike without making a strong rejection.
Ich mag … nicht besonders.
I'm not very keen on …
Name the activity or item after the expression.
Use it in three situations
Discussing food
Ich mag scharfes Essen nicht besonders.
I'm not very keen on spicy food.
Choosing an activity
Ich mag Menschenmengen nicht besonders.
I'm not very keen on crowds.
Sharing an opinion
Ich stehe nicht besonders gern früh auf.
I'm not very keen on getting up early.
What to watch for
The tone is usually softer than saying that you hate something.
Read the whole expression before replacing a detail. The natural wording may use a different order or construction from the English sentence.
Your turn
Imagine expressing preferences. Say this in German: I'm not very keen on crowds.
Reveal a sample reply
Ich mag Menschenmengen nicht besonders.
I'm not very keen on crowds.
Build a useful exchange
Explain what you would enjoy and make a joint choice.
This expression in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
