French word about love

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French Love Language: L’Amour et l’Amitié

Express yourself in the language of love

If French is the language of love, what better language is there with which to express your love? Here are some key French words and phrases related to love, friendship, and special occasions. Click on the link to hear the word or phrase pronounced.

* Same pronunciation for masculine and feminine version.

French Terms of Endearment (Termes d’Affection)

French has all kinds of interesting terms of endearment, including a rather odd assortment of barnyard animals. Check out this list of French terms of endearment to use with your loved ones (both romantic and familial). For the most part, these all mean something along the lines of «sweetie,» «darling,» or «poppet,» so we’ve provided the literal translations as well as a few notes (in parentheses).

My love	mon amour
My angel	mon ange
My baby	mon bébé
My beautiful (informal)	ma belle
My dear	mon cher, ma chère
My dearie	mon chéri, ma chérie
My cutie	mon mignon
My Half	ma moitié
My little guy / girl	mon petit / ma petite
My doll	ma poupée
My heart	mon cœur
My little girl (informal, old-fashioned)	ma fifille
My big guy / girl	mon grand / ma grande
My Jesus (when talking to a child)	mon jésus
My treasure	mon trésor
My (fruit) core (when talking to a child)	mon trognon

Ma mie literally «my female friend,» but used to mean «my dear/love.»

This is a somewhat old-fashioned term contracted from mon amie > m’amie > ma mie. Note that mie also refers to the soft part of bread — the opposite of the crust.

Affectionate French Terms Related to Animals

Learn some playful French word for your loved ones.

Love Words Related to Food

My cabbage, my pastry (informal)	mon chou
My favorite, blue-eyed boy/girl, pet* (informal)	mon chouchou
My dropping (also refers to a small, round goat cheese)	ma crotte
My barley sugar	mon sucre d’orge

*as in «teacher’s pet»  

Notes About Modifiers

• The word petit (little) can be added in front of most of these: mon petit chou, ma petite chatte, etc.
• The phrase en sucre (made of sugar) can be added to the end of some: mon trésor en sucre, mon cœur en sucre, etc.

Note that the possessive adjectives mon and ma (my) have to agree with the gender of the term of endearment—not your own gender nor necessarily that of the person you’re talking to/about. Generally speaking, masculine terms of endearment can be used for men and women, while feminine terms of endearment can only be used for women.

Perfect Your Pronunciation: How to Say «I Love You» in French

They say that French is the language of love, so you’d better know how to say I love you! These step-by-step instructions will teach you how to say I love you in French.

Here’s How

1. Find the person you love.
2. Say his or her name.
3. Say je t’aime:
   • j in je is pronounced [zh] like the g in mirage
   • e is pronounced like the oo in good
   • t’aime is pronounced [tem] to rhyme with them.
4. Optional: Follow with «my darling»:
   • To a woman = ma chérie, pronounced [ma shay ree].
   • To a man = mon chéri, pronounced [mo(n) shay ree]. The (n) is nasal.
   • You can also choose a different French term of endearment
5. Optional: To respond to someone who says «I love you,» say Moi aussi, je t’aime (I love you too).
   • moi is pronounced «mwa.»
   • aussi is pronounced «oh see.»
6. You can listen to sound files of these terms on my page of French love language

What You Need

• A few minutes of practice
• A romantic location
• Your beloved
• (optional) candles, flowers, bonbons, soft music, an engagement ring…

English Expressions Using «Love»

The English word «love» is found in many different expressions. Here’s how to translate these phrases into French.

love affair (literal)	une liaison
love affair (figurative)	une passion
love at first sight	le coup de foudre
love child	un enfant d’amour un enfant illégitime un enfant naturel
love feast	une agape un banquet
love game (tennis)	un jeu blanc
love handles	poignées d’amour
love-hate relationship	un rapport amour-haine
love-in-a-mist (plant)	la nigelle de Damas
love-knot	les lacs d’amour
love letter	une lettre d’amour un billet-doux
love-lies-bleeding (plant)	amarante queue-de-renard
love life	la vie amoureuse ses amours
love match	un mariage d’amour
love nest	un nid d’amour un nid d’amoureux
love of one’s life	le grand amour
love potion	un philtre d’amour
love scene	une scène d’amour
love seat	une causeuse
love story	une histoire d’amour
love (in tennis)	zéro, rien
love token	un gage d’amour
love triangle	un triangle amoureux
loved ones	êtres chers
lovestruck	éperdument amoureux
brotherly love	amour fraternel
casual love affair	un amour de rencontre
courtly love	amour courtois
declaration of love	une déclaration d’amour
first love	son premier amour
free love	amour libre
in love (with)	amoureux (de)
labor of love	une tâche accomplie pour le plaisir
madly in love	fou d’amour
my love (term of endearment)	mon amour
physical love	amour physique
platonic love	amour platonique
puppy love	amour juvénile
true love	le grand amour
for the love of God	pour l’amour de Dieu
He loves me, he loves me not	Il m’aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout
How’s your love life?	Comment vont tes amours ?
I’d love to!	Avec plaisir ! Volontiers !
It can’t be had for love nor money.	C’est introuvable. On ne peut se le procurer à aucun prix.
Lucky at cards, unlucky in love	Heureux au jeu, malheureux en amour
not for love nor money I wouldn’t do it for love nor money.	pour rien au monde Je ne le ferais pour rien au monde.
Someone up there loves me.	C’est mon jour de veine.
There’s no love lost between them.	Entre eux, ce n’est pas le grand amour. Ils ne peuvent pas se sentir.
to do something for the love of it	faire qqchose pour l’amour de l’art
to do something out of love for	faire qqchose par l’amour pour
to do something with loving care	faire qqchose avec amour
to fall in love (with)	tomber amoureux (de)
to live on love alone	vivre / se nourrir d’amour et d’eau fraîche
to love	aimer
to make love	faire l’amour

It goes without saying that French is regarded as one of the languages with the most romantic terms. For instance, the French word for «my love» is mon amour. It’s lovely to listen to French speakers even if you don’t understand a word they’re saying. The standards for pronunciation ensure that transitions between words in phrases are always seamless.

Ma chérie, je t’adore, and (not exactly «romantic» per se) voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir are just a few of the romantic-sounding French expressions that even non-French speakers frequently employ to win over their loved ones.

Why is French Romanticism so Popular?

Many people consider French to be one of the most romantic languages, and there are a number of reasons why this is the case, from the way it sounds when spoken to the cultural aspects connected with it.

French Accent

Although there are up to 28 different accents of French spoken in different parts of the country, Parisian French is the most widely used and recognized. When spoken, this language has the potential to sound somewhat husky and breathy, both of which make a voice pleasant. The formation of sounds near the front of the speaker’s lips, along with the frequency of vowels found in the language, results in this breathy sound. There are a total of 23 vowels in French, including 13 oral vowels, 4 nasal vowels, 3 semivowels, and 3 glides. American English, in comparison, has between 14 and 16. The sheer quantity of spoken vowels and the manner in which they are conveyed make French a vowel-dominated language, which means that it is intrinsically sexual and attractive.

Check out these unique French words.

French Vocabulary

French speakers typically pronounce words with a softer tongue. This contrasts with their English counterparts, who frequently overpronounce and emphasize particular words. Due to the lack of stress or intonation on individual syllables, French is a far more rhythmic language. The same approach is used to emphasize words repeatedly, emphasizing the center of the word rather than the finish. Sentences seem more poetic when the emphasis is consistently in the same location and pitch shifts follow a similar pattern, which creates a rhythm and lends the language a more poetic sense.

French Customs

Like any language, French has a significant cultural component that shapes how non-native speakers understand it. Its representation in literature and movies has evolved throughout history to become linked to love and romance, a perception that has been cultivated for many hundreds of years. Famous films like L’Atalante (1934), Girl on the Bridge (1999), Amelie (2001), and Amour (2012) reinforce the widely held belief that France is a romantic country and that its residents typically speak the language of love. Popular culture can play a significant role in feeding into certain stereotypes about the French.

15 Most Affectionate French Phrases for «I Love You»

Some say it was the French that invented love. The famous French courts were the first to start talking about passionate love and marriage for love. We all know that love comes in phases. Let’s look at a bunch of different phrases for “I love you” in French.

Je t’aime bien – I like you. Yes, it translates directly to “I love you well.”

Je t’aime – I love you. This can be used with your lover, as well as with friends and family.

Je suis amoureux/amoureuse de toi – I am in love with you. This should only be used with your lover.

Je t’aime beaucoup – You mean a lot to me. It doesn’t have to do with love: You would be sad if you heard this from your lover.

Je t’aime pour toujours – I love you forever.

Je t’aime chaque jour davantage – I love you more each day.

Je t’aime plus que le jour – I love you more than the day.

Je t’aime de toute mon âme – I love you with all of my soul.

Je t’adore – I adore you. In French, it means something more like “I like you very very much” and is used as something in between “Je t’aime” and “Je t’aime bien.”

Je t’aime passionnément – I love you passionately.

Je t’aime à la folie – I love you like crazy.

Je t’aime d’amour – I love you with true love.

J’ai le béguin – I have a crush.

Elle s’est amourachée de quelqu’un – She is stupidly in love with someone. Yes, in French there is a verb that means “to be stupidly in love,” though the French dictionary translates it as “to have a sudden, often temporary love.”

Je veux être avec toi – I want to be with you. If you haven’t quite made your feelings clear yet, or you find yourself in a bit of a situationship, this one will help you lay your cards on the table.

Check out these motivational sayings in French.

How to Say «I Miss You» in French

When you are in love, it will happen that you miss the person you have fallen in love with! Let’s look at how you would say “I miss you” in French.

Tu me manques – translates to “I miss you,” but it literally means “You me miss” or “You are missed by me.”

(Est-ce que) je te manque – (Do) you miss me?

And, of course, you can add modifiers at the end to express how much you really miss someone.

Tu me manques…

Tu me manques aussi – I miss you too. Toi aussi – Me too.

You can also reply:

beaucoup – a lot tellement – so much déjà – already grave – seriously (or think of it as gravely). This is very colloquial and used only among young people and teenagers.

Other expressions for missing someone:

Je suis impatient(e) de te voir – I can’t wait (am impatient) to see you.

J’ai hâte que tu reviennes — I can’t wait (have haste) until you come back. J’ai hâte de te revoir – I can’t wait (have haste) to see you again.

French Words for Hugs & Kisses

In France, it is all about kisses (Did you know that you greet people with two kisses, one on each cheek?). Hugs aren’t so important. You may get the urge to use the direct translation of “câlins et bisous,” but this is not used as a phrase in France. Instead, they focus more on kisses.

Bisous – Kiss. This is used for closing letters or emails, or for saying goodbye in French. Gros bisous – Large kiss. Bises – Kisses!

If you want to mention hugs, it will sound better using the verb “embrasser.”

Je t’embrasse – I hug (embrace) you.

Check out the most moving French quotes with their English translations.

Love Phrases in French

J’ai eu un coup de foudre – I experienced love at first sight (I had a bolt of lightning).

Est-ce que tu veux sortir avec moi – Would you like to go out with me?

J’aimerais t’inviter à dîner – I would love to invite you to dinner.

J’aimerais passer plus de temps avec toi – I would love to spend more time with you.

Tu es l’homme/la femme de mes rêves – You are the man/woman of my dreams.

Je suis folle/fou de toi – I am crazy about you.

Tu me rends dingue – You make me stupid.

Check out these beautiful phrases in French.

Je t’ai dans la peau – I’ve got you under my skin (I have you in the skin). This isn’t love, but lust. It means you can’t stop thinking about someone in a lustful way.

Tu me rends tellement heureux/heureuse – You make me so happy.

Sans toi, je ne suis rien – Without you, I am nothing.

Je ne suis pas bien sans toi – I am not good without you.

There are several words that express affection and love in French. There are terms of endearment for everyone, whether you’re speaking to your significant other, your best friend, or your child. And if you ever run out of options, don’t worry; you can always come up with something cute.

French is known as the language of love, so what could be better than to learn a few key French words of love and intimacy to be whispered softly at the right moment? Here are some key French words and phrases related to love.

Saying “I love you” in French

Je t’aime: I love you
Je t’aime mon amour: same as above but just a little more emphasis
Je t’aime de tout mon coeur: I love you with all my heart
Je t’adore: I adore you

Pour toujours et à jamais: forever and always
Toujours dans mon cœur: always in my heart
À toi, pour toujours: yours forever
T’es l’amour de ma vie: you’re the love of my life
Je t’aimerai pour toujours: I will love you forever
Tomber amoureux/amoureuse de quelqu’un : to fall in love with someone
Le coup de foudre : love at first sight

The French Verb ‘Aimer’ – to Love

The present tense of the verb aimer

J’aime – I love
Tu aimes – You love
Il/elle aime – He/she loves
Nous aimons – We love
Vous aimez – You love
Ils/elles aiment – They love

French Vocabulary: Love and Romance

Mon amour:  my love
Mon chéri, ma chérie: my darling, my love (masculine/feminine)
Mon choux: my muffin (this is a “cute” expression, use sparingly)
Mon lapin: my rabbit (another cute one)
Mon ange: my angel

Present: un cadeau
Flowers: des fleurs
Candy: des bonbons
Clothes: des vêtements
Perfume: du parfum
Jewelry: des bijoux
Engagement ring: une bague de fiançailles
Wedding ring: une alliance

Husband:  mari , époux
Wife: femme, épouse
My fiancé: mon fiancé (masc.), ma fiancée (fem.)
Partner: compagnon, compagne
Lover: amant, amante
Boyfriend: copain
Girlfriend: copine
Friend: ami,  amie

… and if all goes well, this you’ll need but once in a lifetime:

Marriage proposal: demande en mariage
Veux-tu m’épouser? Will you marry me?

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