Is 爱 limited to people?

Question

What's the meaning of the first part of: 他爱怎么想就怎么想，我才不在乎呢

and

Is "我爱辣" (Wǒ ài là) a correct/understandable/idiomatic way of saying I like my food spicy?

suggest that 爱 can be used for things and abstractions, but that it may not be idiomatic.

Would it be common, sometimes, or never for pets? Other animals? Hobbies? etc.

Answer 1

this is my first answer on this website.

他爱怎么想就怎么想,我才不在乎呢 = whatever he thinks/would like to think, I don't care. In this sentence, 爱 is generally can be understanded as "would like". I prefer to say 我爱吃辣(I love eating spicy food) insted of 我爱辣 If you just only say 我爱辣, people may get confused when they hear this.

爱 can be used for things/hobbies etc, but a verb often followed by 爱。Examples: I love sports = 我爱运动。 I love playing basketball =我爱打篮球。 I love playing games = 我爱玩游戏。

Sometimes, you can use 爱 for pets and animals. However, I prefer to say 喜欢. Examples: 我喜欢动物。我喜欢小狗。 我喜欢小猫。