How to say "I love you" in French + Common love phrases (2023)

How to say I love you in French?

The easiest way to say "I love you" in French is "Je t'aime" (pronounced ʒə tɛm). You can also say "Je suis amoureux (amoureuse) de toi" (I'm in love with you) or "Je vous aime" (formal version of "I love you").

The French language is very rich in vocabulary and expressions of love. This article examines the many words, phrases, and expressions associated with "Je t'aime" (I love you).

How to say "I love you" in French + Common love phrases (1)

i love you pronunciation

To pronounce "je t'aime" just say "juh tehm". The following list includes audio. This Forvo site also offers excellent onesAudio samples from I love you.

  • I love youI love you
  • I adore youI adore you
  • I want you so muchI want you so much
  • I will love you foreverI will love you forever
  • You want me?Love me?
  • if i like youif i like you

Do the French really say "Je t'aime"?

In American culture, we tend to use the words "I love you" all the time, and we use them fairly liberally.

However, in French culture, people tend to take these words a bit more seriously and not use them that often. If you say "Je t'aime" to a French person and you don't know them well enough, they might find it shocking and insulting!

However, it is common for parents to say "je t'aime" to their children and vice versa. In relationships, couples use je t'aime with each other.

The French also love pet names, which we will find out later in this article.

What is the grammar behind "Je t'aime"?

In the sentence je t'aime, the word je means I and is a subject pronoun. The word "aime" is the verb and means love. The t' is a direct object pronoun meaning "for you".

There are some grammatical variations of je t'aime that are worth learning.

"Je vous aime" has two translations. The first translation is "I love you" when said to a stranger or an elderly person.

The second translation of "Je vous aime" is "I love you" when said to a group of people. For example, a father might say to his children, "Je vous aime, les enfants!" or "I love you kids!"

This page coversobject pronounin detail. There are a few more grammatical variations of "je t'aime". For example, the phrase "Je l'aime" can be translated as "I like him," "I like her," and "I like her."

"Je les aime" translates as I like it. In this sentence, "les" can mean "they" as in two or more people, or "they" as in objects or things.

How do you say "je t'aime" in different tenses?

The expression "Je t'aime" is in the present tense: I love you. But what about other times?

  • I will love youI will love you (closefuture)
  • I will love youI will love you (future)
  • I have loved youI loved you (past tense orpast connection)
  • I have loved youI used to love you (Imperfect)

How to ask someone "Do you love me?"

There are several ways to ask someone if they love you. The first informal way of useChance(yes or no to an informal question) is "Est-ce que tu m'aimes" meaning "I love you"? In this sentence, tu is the informal tu and the m' means "for me".

The more formal way of asking, "Do you love me?" with est-ce, which is "est-ce que vous m'aimez"? It would probably be awkward to ask someone this question in the formal form.

How to say "I love you" in French + Common love phrases (2)

Can you explain "I love you" versus "I like you"?

I love you and "I like you" are two completely different meanings.

While "Je t'aime" means "I love you" and "I like you", the phrase "Je t'aime bien" has a much more subtle meaning. The translation of "Je t'aime bien" is much closer to "I like you".

In the sentence "Je t'aime bien", the word "bien" is literally translated as "good". However, there is no exact equivalent for the full sentence.

"Je t'aime bien" would likely be used in a situation where one person might reject the other.

For example, after a declaration of love, the dismissive might say, "Je t'aime bien comme ami, mais...", which translates to "I like you as a friend, but...".

Is there a difference between "Je t'aime" and "Je t'adore"?

While the verbs aimer andAnbeterboth meaning to like and to love, the verb adorador is commonly used to express liking for things and activities. For example, "J'adore le fromage français" (I love French cheese) or "J'adore faire du ski" (I love skiing).

Therefore, when referring to "I love you", the French tend to use "Je t'aime" rather than the phrase "Je t'adore".

What are some variations of "Je t'aime" or other ways to express your love?

The phrase "Je t'aime" isn't the only game in town when you want to tell someone you love them. Below is a list of variations with some vocabulary added to give the expression a bit more panache.

  • I want youI love you too
  • I want youI love you too
  • I want you so muchI want you so much
  • I'm crazy for youI'm crazy for you
  • You are the love of my lifeYou are the love of my life
  • I love you loveI love you affection
  • I love you with all my heartI love you with all my heart
  • I still love youI still want you
  • I love you very muchI want you so much
  • i will love you for eternityi will love you for eternity
  • i love you forever and everI will love you forever and ever (difficult to translate)
  • I love you very muchI love you very much
How to say "I love you" in French + Common love phrases (3)

French cuddle list

The French like to use endearments. Common terms are mon chéri (my darling), ma chérie and mon petit chou (my little cabbage). Some of the terms on this list, like mon canard (my duck), may seem a bit ridiculous.

  • I am sweetmy beauty
  • my pote mi Pulga
  • My angelMy angel
  • my beautiful, my beautifulmy beauty
  • My little pussy, my little pussymy deer
  • more perchedmy chicken
  • my love my loveEstimated
  • My lover (M), my loverMy love
  • my duckmy duck
  • My kittenmy kitten
  • My heartmy heart
  • My loveMy love
  • my babymy baby
  • Schatzmy cabbage
  • My fat (M), my fatmy chubby
  • My kittenMy kitten
  • my teddybearmy teddybear
  • My doll, my dollmy doll, doll
  • My chicken (M), my chickenmy chicken
  • my girlmy girl
  • My princessmy princess
  • My darlingmy treasurer
  • my halfmy half

How do you say "fall in love" in French?

The French expression for "to fall in love" is "to fall in love with someone". The verb "cair' means 'fall'. The adjective "amoureux" is masculine for "in love" and "amoureuse" is feminine for in love. "De quelqu'un" is literally "of someone".

Therefore, "Me enamoro de ti" translated means "I fall in love with you".

How do you say "madly in love"?

The phrase madly in love is either madly in love (male) or madly in love (female). So "he's madly in love with her" means "he's madly in love with her". The phrase "she's madly in love with him" means "she's madly in love with him".

"Follement amoureux" can also be translated as "madly in love".

How to say "I love you" in French + Common love phrases (4)

Expressing love with the words "calîn", "embrasse" and "bisous".

The verb faire un calîn à quelqu'un means to hug someone. A "calîn" can be translated as either a hug or a pantomime. Therefore, the expression "Je te fais un calîn" is a way of expressing love for another person and translates to "I hug you".

The verb hug means kissing as well as hugging. Therefore, "Je t'embrasse" is also a way of expressing love. This sentence can be translated as "I hug or kiss you".

In French, the word "bisous" means kiss. The phrase "Je te fais un bisou" means "I'll give you a kiss" and is also a way of expressing love.

What does the term "lover" mean?

You will often come across the term "amant" in connection with love. The word "amant" exists only in the masculine form: "un amant" and is translated with the English word "love". For example, "Elle a un amant" means "She has a lover".

Expressions of love in French: Other ways to say "I love you".

The French language is full of declarations of love. Here is a small list.

  • I really like you.I'm in love with you.
  • I'm very attached to youI connected you very much.
  • i want to appreciate iti want to appreciate it
  • I'm in love with you.I'm in love with you.
  • you are my reason for livingyou are my reason for living
  • I like you (colloquial).I like.
  • You are my life.You are my life.
  • I'm in love with you.I am falling in love with you.
  • I love you as big as the sky.I love you as big as the sky.
  • i laugh at youI've fallen in love with you.
  • I think of you.I think of you.
  • I can not live without you.I can not live without you.
  • I can't stay without youI can't stay without you
  • I noticed you.I noticed you.
  • You are the love of my life.You are the love of my life.
  • i have you in my skini have you in my soul
  • I can't bear to be apart from you.I can't bear to be apart from you.
  • I carry you in my heart.I carry you in my heart.
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is full of words and sounds as he speaks more than six languages. Of all the languages ​​she speaks, French is her favorite! David has helped hundreds of students improve their French in his online private lessons. David is rescheduling work on his website, FrenchLearner.com, and enjoying his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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