the cafe vs. the coffee

Question

How would one differentiate between "He hates the coffee shop" and "he hates the coffee" ?  They Both seem to be "il déteste le café". Would you use "les cafes" for all of them and "c'est cafe" for a specific one?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour,
In French, Il déteste le café can mean:
He hates coffee
 -> the drink
He hates the coffee shop
-> a specific coffee shop (you would have more details in a sentence like this)
 
Attention :
Il déteste les cafés = He hates coffee shops
-> all coffee shops
However, depending on the context, you would know if you are referring to "a specific coffee shop", "all coffee shops" or "coffee" (i.e. the drink).
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !