French Phrase: “Avoir horreur”

"Avoir horreur" means "to hate" or "to be horrified":

"J'ai horreur des cafards !"

I hate / I'm horrified by coakroaches.

"Avoir horreur" is used to express a strong dislike or aversion to things, situations, or activities. It's the idea of being horrified or repelled by something.

Here are some examples where you can use it:

"J'ai horreur de ça!"

I hate that!

Food:

"J'ai horreur des brocolis."

I hate broccoli.

Activities:

"Elle a horreur du sport."

She hates sports.

Situations:

"Ils ont horreur d'attendre."

They hate waiting.

Objects or concepts:

"J'ai horreur des mensonges."

I hates lies.

(in the audio, note how detaching the word "horreur" makes the statement stronger)

"Elle a horreur des menteurs."

She hates liers.

A common alternative to "avoir horreur" is "ne pas supporter":

"Je ne supporte pas les cafards / les broccolis / le sport / les menteurs."

"Je ne supporte pas d'attendre!"

Not for a person

It's important to note that "avoir horreur" is not typically used to express hatred toward a specific person. Using "avoir horreur" in reference to a person sounds unusual. These sound weird and are never used:

** "j'ai horreur de toi" **
** "j'ai horreur de lui / d'elle". **

If you want to say you dislike someone strongly, you would more commonly use "détester" or "haïr":

"Je déteste cette personne." (I hate this person)

"Elle hait son voisin." (She hates her neighbor.)

"Je n'aime pas du tout ce mec" (I don't like this guy at all)

Avoir en horreur

For a specific person, you can use "Avoir en horreur":

"J'ai cette femme en horreur."

The above statement is quite strong, formal, and dramatic. It expresses an intense aversion or repulsion towards the woman.

In everyday speech, it would be more common and natural to say "Je déteste cette femme" to express a strong dislike.

C'est l'horreur

"C'est l'horreur" is used very differently than "avoir horreur". It's often used to mean "it's a big pain," "it's a drag," or "it's a mess." It expresses annoyance or frustration with a situation that is very inconvenient or problematic.

"La circulation le matin, c'est l'horreur."

Traffic in the morning is a big pain / mess.

Some alternative phrases:

"C'est la galère" (It's a hassle)

"C'est l'enfer" (It's hell)