French word for i like you

These examples may contain rude words based on your search.

These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.

Suggestions

Summer, I like you this much.

Filipe, I like you very much.

Now I like you even more.

Harriet Jones, I like you.

Me discovering how much I like you.

I like you more than your daughter…

I like you with all your money.

I like you in this place.

I like you better than him.

I like you better in person.

I like you for your innocence.

I like you because you obey immediately…

And I like you even more.

I like you better than him.

I like you covered in chips.

Even though I like you a lot.

Clearly, I like you a lot.

I like you as my protector.

No results found for this meaning.

Suggestions that contain I like you

As other said, you are dealing with an untranslatable term. Languages support cultures, and different cultures build different social relations.

In French, there’s no equivalent to like, just like there’s no equivalent to vous in English. Of course one may use different language register in English, as well as one may express a whole shade of relational feelings in French. But it will be reflected in more complex constructions that you can’t sum up in a one to one locution translation.

Using tu is already a way to express a more intimate relation. If you want to express that you like to spend time with a friend, you may say «je suis heureux qu’on soit ami(e)s, tu sais?». But as said, you will need to be more specific on what you want to express.

Edit by PamCam: this is off topic, but English you actually corresponds to French vous as can be seen from the verb it takes i.e. you are and not you is; therefore it is more appropriate to say that standard English does not have a form that corresponds to the French form tu. Some dialects, though, allow expressions such as you is or yous, but that is a different matter altogether.

Addition by user 168676: I agree with PamCam and can mention additional information corroborating his/her contentions. In ancient times the English language has had the equivalent of a second person singular; the subject pronoun was «thou» in which we find the t of «tu» in french and a phonetically close sound in the German «du» which is modern German «tu»; the second person of the verb «to be» was «art» in which again we find the t of the second person singular of the German «sein» which is «bist» (verb «to be» in German); the English language is a Germanic language, that being due to the early migrations towards Britain of a germanic people known as the Angles. It might be added that the second person singular has persisted in English poetry for a long time and that it is found in some English dialects still spoken in England; we get a substantial exposure to one of those dialects in the contemporary (and once controversial) literary work of D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s lover.

• #1

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

• #2

you have to tell him : je t’aime

• #3

actually its more of Je t’adore. Je t’aime is I like you. Which if its your boyfriend, is probably the thing you should be saying anyways.

• #4

trackstar1506 said:

actually its more of Je t’adore. Je t’aime is I like you.

Je t’aime translates to «I love you». While the literal translation is not right on target, it carries the same meaning. […]

traskstar said:

Which if its your boyfriend, is probably the thing you should be saying anyways.

What’s up with this comment?

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

• #5

Sorry about that, it was more of a comment towards my friends than anyone on here. I am tired of all of my friends who have been dating for about a month saying «I love you». and acting like the world would end if they broke up. Just a little frustration, sorry once again.

• #6

I used to be confused about this — however I asked my french friend and she said:

‘aimer’ can mean ‘to like’ when used for things, rather than people. Je t’aime when said to a person usually means ‘I love you’…but you would say ‘Je t’adore’ to your parent/good friend/sibling. Je t’aime said to someone whom you’re not romantically in love with means ‘I like you’.

It’s all a lot fuzzier than that, I think. Hope that was clear.

• #7

Je t’aime said to someone whom you’re not romantically in love with means ‘I like you’.

We French never say je t’aime to someone we’re not extremely close to, Erys, — not unless we’re lying, of course.

I like you = je t’aime bien / je t’adore
I love you = je t’aime

[…]

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

• #8

Egueule tu me sors les mots de la bouche.

We never say je t’aime like English-speaking people say I love you. Je t’aime alone is really to your significant other — and perhaps (hopefully) to your sibblings, parents and children.

For the regular, affectionate I love you, like Egueule suggested, you say je t’aime bien, je t’aime beaucoup, or in slang je te kiffe!

Ps I was really surprised the day one of my co-worker told me I love you — I thought she had a crush on me or something!! Easier said in English than in French.

• #9

egueule said:

We French never say je t’aime to someone we’re not extremely close to, Erys, — not unless we’re lying, of course.

I like you = je t’aime bien / je t’adore
I love you = je t’aime

You can say «Je t’adore» for I like you? I thought «adorer» was reserved for romance. I checked the other related threads, and I don’t see another reference to «adorer» being used this way. (Maybe I wasn’t reading carefully enough…)

• #10

You can say «Je t’adore» for I like you?

Yes, you can.

• #11

How do you tell someone you like them…? If i say je t’aime, that seems as if it is in a love kind of way when i just want to say i like you… i hang round you becaus i like you… that kind of contex!!! but it happens to be to a male, so i dont want there to be any confusion!!!

• #12

To your girlfriend, you say I love you = je t’aime

to a friend you say I like you = je t’aime bien or je t’apprécie beaucoup

• #13

hello! i really dont know why i havent joined these forums earlier, i have so many questions and no one to ask!
i dont understand how to differentiate like and love in french.
aimer = to like, yeh?
but je t’aime = i love you

so for example how do you know when someones saying they like someone, or they love someone
eg
«i like him, hes a nice enough lad, but i dont think i love him, and im certainly not in love with him«

and is therefore, «to be in love» (which in my eyes, in english, is very different from just «to love») = être amoureux de qqn
and where does adorer come into it?
and is aimer bien = like a lot… it all looks pretty simple when ur just talking about objects but becomes important when u start talking about people!

thankyou

[…]

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

• #14

Hello:
I’m really sorry I can’t help much since my French is limited.

But I do know that ( from my French friend ) when you say» Je t’aime beaucoup» It means I love you a lot, but as a friend only . It really shocked me when my friend first explained this to me, because if he didn’t tell me that, I would have thought that it means » I love you deeply ( in a romantic way ) «

Cheers,N

• #15

Me too, I’m not a native speaker… but this is what I think:

je t’aime = I love you (very strong, but may or may not be romantic. )

je t’aime beaucoup = I love you a lot (same, but slightly less strong… it’s like the more qualifying words you add on to je t’aime, the less impact it has…)

(both these sentences, just like in english, could be romantic or not. A child could for instance say it to his parents. However, I think that if a guy said this to a girl, you would take it in a romantic sense.)

je t’aime bien = I like you (a lot) (in a friendship, caring kind of way)
je t’aime fort

adorer = I think this is just a expression to stress the extreme, as is used more with generalizations, rather than a specific person.

ie. j’adore le chocolat. J’adore les chats.

edit: after scanning previous posts, you can also use adorer in connection with a person, but its still not as strong as je t’aime.

For your sample sentence, I think you would write:

Je l’aime bien, il est très sympa, mais je ne pense pas que je suis amoreuse de lui.

But I don’t know how you would say «love him» without awkwardly repeating «aime» twice…

Please someone correct my errors!

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 21, 2011

• #16

Quote:
You can say «Je t’adore» for I like you?
Yes you can, but be careful, an American might reply «Shut the door yourself!»

But aside from this is there an expression in Fench like: «Je te vieux bien.» equivalent to (Italian: «Ti voglio bene.») I thought I had heard or read that a while ago.
pepenounours
pepenounours

• #17

I doubt «je te veux bien» exists, I asked it lots of times to some french friends and they all said it doesn’t exist! I think you can just say, Je t’aime bien, or maybe, what the french form for : I care of you..?

• #18

I need to add «I love you» in French into a new song. I first used «Je t’aime» then ran across «Je vous aime.» Is it okay to have the singer sing «Je vous aime» ??

Thanks.

• #19

It’s okay, but it’s more «poetic», you wouldn’t use the polite form to tell to someone that you love him/her. Of course if he loves more than one person «je vous aime» is what you should use.

• #20

Je t’aime ……bien

Like «I love you …..in that hat».

• #21

trackstar1506: » actually its more of Je t’adore. Je t’aime is I like you «

I think «I love you» can be translated as both je t’aime or je t’adore, depending on the context.
je t’adore = I love you, you are great, you are a darling
je vous aime = I love you, will you marry me ?

But «je vous aime» is mainly used in poems and recent songs. You rarely say «I love you» or «je t’aime» to the person you love, except if you say it in a foreign language. However, if you are English, and in the process of hugging your girlfriend, I think you can say «Hmm! I looooove you!», very much as you would say: «Hmm! I looooove that onion soup !». In that case, the equivalent french expression will not do. The problem is that you cannot put as much accentuation in «aime» as in «love». It is always a short vowel in «aime», and you can not stretch it out. So you have to find other verbs. Like adorer, for example: hmm! ch’t’adoooore !

Sometimes, it may happen that a man will make a «déclaration d’amour» to a young girl who was not aware that he was romantically interested in her. In that case, he will probably say something like: Vous ne semblez pas avoir remarqué mon existence, mais je voulais vous dire que je vous aime et que je n’ai d’yeux que pour vous. Pourrais-je vous inviter au restaurant lundi prochain ? (The girl will probably run away).

But if a man is already with his girlfriend and wants to take things to the next level and express his «love», he will find something better to say than «je t’aime» or «I love you», which is awkward and ridiculous.

• #22

Bernik, you can say «Je t’èèèèèème» (je t’aime) too, like in some French songs.

• #23

Well, I just learnt that saying «Je t’aime» to the man/woman you’re in love with is awkward and ridiculous.
I’ll take care, from now

• #24

OlivierG said:

Well, I just learnt that saying «Je t’aime» to the man/woman you’re in love with is awkward and ridiculous.
I’ll take care, from now

Oui, moi aussi, je le note. Il doit sûrement falloir dire «je te kiffe trop grave» plutôt maintenant…

• #25

hey, i am trying to find out how to say «i really like you» but all the translator says is «i really love you»

i was wondering if there was a way to say that you like someone

please help this is urgent i appreciate it!

• #26

I like you = je t’aime bien.
I really like you = je t’aime vraiment bien or je t’aime beaucoup.

Several threads already exist about this question on this forum.

• #27

Je t’aime. (Unmodified)
I love you.

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

• #28

Hi everybody!

My best friend (American) think that French language has not a word to say «I love you». Even with my explanations, he still has trouble with that. It’s true, we use «je t’aime» for many things, not just for people, even to tell we appreciate cheese or a books… Unfornately, we don’t have the word «like», but of course, I can’t be agree with him. Je ne peux pas cautionner une telle chose. C’est comme dire que nous ne sommes pas capable de dire «je t’aime» et de réellement le penser.
I’d like to know what other people (not French of course) are thinking about this, did you are the same feeling?
Bien sûr, j’aimerais aussi savoir ce que les français pensent de ceci: «que nous n’avons pas de mot pour dire ‘ je t’aime’ «
I thank everybody by advance.

• #30

Oui! tout simplement mais sincèrement.
Dire «je t’aime» à quelqu’un pour qui on a des sentiments profonds.

• #31

Hmmm, I always made the distinction between «je t’aime bien» — I like you and «je t’aime» — I love you. I might be wrong, but that’s the way I’ve been seeing it for a long time

• #32

Well I`ll Try to be somehow helpful, First i’m Mexican and I had had that kind of disscussion with an american friend. I used to tell him that there are two menanings for the verb To be, at least in spanish, I’m here is not the same than I’m Adrian. Or, there’s not a word to distiguish a friend of yours who is male or female, and stuff like that. But the conclusion I got about this is that Context and non-oral language give you all the information you need to get the real meanning of a word. So It’s not the same to tell Je t’aime to your best friend than to a Girlfriend or your mother.
I hope it helps you to beat his arguments.
Au revoir mon amie

Thanks for forgiving and correcting my misspellings

• #33

Even in English «love your wife», «love your neighbour» and «love your dog» use a single word to identify a kind of affection which is unlikely to be the same in each case. The English word «love» covers a number of loosely analogous realities. The French word «aimer» covers a slightly largely number. French-speakers, like English-speakers, rely on intonation, body language, metaphors, variations and context to make it clear which kind of aimer they mean. They have no difficulty communicating the message «I love you» without ambiguity. It’s «Je t’AIME !«

• #34

I thank you very much Trisia, you’re right!!!
But the conclusion I got about this is that Context and non-oral language give you all the information you need to get the real meanning of a word. So It’s not the same to tell Je t’aime to your best friend than to a Girlfriend or your mother. (from delfos90) I’m complately agree with you! English language has just one word to say «friend». In French, we have «copain et ami» wich are different. So, I ask me how people are doing to make this difference. But I guess, it’s like «I like and I love». Usually, we are able to make the difference, to understand what the other is thinking.
Even in English «love your wife», «love your neighbour» and «love your dog» use a single word to identify a kind of affection which is unlikely to be the same in each case. Yes, I already heard that. The English word «love» covers a number of loosely analogous realities. The French word «aimer» covers a slightly largely number. French-speakers, like English-speakers, rely on intonation, body language, metaphors, variations and context to make it clear which kind of aimer they mean. They have no difficulty communicating the message «I love you» without ambiguity. It’s «Je t’AIME !» Well, I’m really glad to hear this! But the problem still, when you are writing on a computer, no voice, no face, no body to help you and to translate some feelings in another language, sometimes, it’s pretty hard. Oh well! our different language ; )
I thank you all for your respond.

• #35

In English the word ‘love’ can be used just as widely as in French: «I simply love chocolate», «I love it when it’s sunny», «I love to go for long walks», «I love nature», «I love the way you say that»
And still «I love you» means the same thing as «Je t’aime»

• #36

Hmmm, I always made the distinction between «je t’aime bien» — I like you and «je t’aime» — I love you. I might be wrong, but that’s the way I’ve been seeing it for a long time

This is the same as «Je t’aime beaucoup».

Another one, I don’t think you say «Je te vraiment aime» to people other than your lovers, right?

• #37

I don’t know about lovers, but I’d use it in other contexts, too:

«Je t’aime vraiment, maman!» — she just gave me permission to go on a field trip.

«Je t’aime vraiment, t’est la meilleure» — to my best friend that just graduated top of her class.

«Je t’aime vraiment, tu le sais» — to a friend that’s depressed.

«Je t’aime vraiment, Nichec. Tes messages sont super!»

The list can go on

• #38

Hello

What about «adorer»
J’adore le chocolat, j’adore le foot etc.. pour like?

• #39

« Adorer » se traduit meilleur comme to love, puisque c’est plus intense qu’un simple « aimer ».

• #40

« Adorer » se traduit meilleur comme to love, puisque c’est plus intense qu’un simple « aimer ».

Est-ce que cela veut dire que je t’adore est, en effet, plus intense que je t’aime?

• #41

Ça dépend. En général, oui. Mais si l’on parle d’amour, alors « Je t’aime » est plus intense que « Je t’adore », je crois.

• #42

En fait, je dois avouer que cela me fait très bizarre aussi, que »adorer» est pus intense avec les objets, les choses inanimes, qu’avec les gens! Je n’ai jamais compris pourquoi, mais je sais que dire ‘Je t’aime» est plus intense que ‘Je t’adore», car »adorer’ dans ce cas-ci est presque comme..quelque chose de mignon, de doux, mais pas un ‘feu ardent’ qu’on éprouve souvent en aimant, si j’ai bien compris.

• #43

Ça dépend. En général, oui. Mais si l’on parle d’amour, alors « Je t’aime » est plus intense que « Je t’adore », je crois.

D’accord aussi. «Je t’adore» ça se dit d’un ton un peu rieur et parfois même désinvolte.
Ça le fait pas des masses quand il s’agit de déclarer sa flamme.

• #44

Je suis entièrement d’accord avec toi Outsider en ce qui concerne «friend» et bien sûr sur le mot «adorer» que nous utilisons malheureusement à toutes les sauces, un peu comme «aimer».
Lorsqu’on aime réellement une personne, on lui dit «je t’aime» sans ajouter quoi que ce soit. C’est ce qu’il y a de plus fort et de plus intense.
Mais heureusement que l’amour ne se limite pas qu’à un seul mot, se serait bien triste. Merci infiniment pour toutes vos réponses

• #45

I like you vs I love you

What would be the best translations of each of these? I’ve always thought that it was «je t’aime» for both, but that you’d be able to tell the difference from context. Is that right, or…no?

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

• #46

so i have no clue how to differentiate between
«i like you» — as a friend
«i really like you»- as more than a friend
«i love you/ i am in love with you» — romantically
«i love you»- family/friends

I have read some other threads yet am still confused after them all. Could anyone clarify please?

• #47

Do you mean in French? What French expressions are you refering to?

• #48

Yes, in French. Sorry that was not clear.

«je t’adore» is this stronger than je t’aime? i read much debate.
«je t’aime» romantically yes?
«je t’aime bien» is this for family and friends?
«je te kiffe» i have a crush on you, correct?
how would you say that you liked really liked someone, not as strongly as love but more than a friend??

• #49

All correct.

[Earlier in this thread] «je t’aime beaucoup» is compared to «I like you a whole lot», which is stronger than «I like you» but not as scarily committing as the L word. Maybe that’s what you’re looking for.

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2012

Every day is the perfect time for falling in love over and over again. Wherever you are in the world, no one can deny the fact that hearing the words Je t’aime, or I love you in French sounds 100% more romantic than plain old English. With this being said, this special article will walk you through some heart-fluttering and soul-awakening love phrases in the French language.

May it be in music, poetry, art, and even culture, France remains to be considered as one of the most prominent countries usually associated with terms like love, elegance, and passion.

One of the reasons behind that is because historically, France was the first to celebrate the notion of romance and debunk the myth that true love does not exist. At that time in the 12th century, the people finally embraced the meaning of love through real courtship, songs, dances, and literature.

With over 7,117 languages in the world today, only one is considered the most beautiful spoken language, and that is French. It is linguistically considered as a smooth and flowy language, with its nasal vowel sounds combined with a melodious and almost angelic intonation.

How To Say I Love You In French?

I Love You = ‘

Je t’aime

‘

If you landed on this post, then it’s safe to say that perhaps you have finally met your match, and you are now starting to wonder how exactly to say those three little words that can change both of your lives. And for us here at Ling App, we definitely understand how important it is to say the right expressions, which is why we make it a point to review and cross-check all our translations just for you.

Ready to make your special someone go head over heels and fall further for you? Whether you prepared a romantic picnic or you just want to say it out loud once and for all, express you are sincere I love you in French today using our handy list of phrases below.

French	English	When/How To Say The Expression	Sound
Je t’aime	I love you	This is the most standard way of professing love for your other half. Never use this for expressing love to your friends.
Je t’adore	I adore you	If you want to vividly express how much you worship your partner, you can use this as a substitute to Je t’aime as it is stronger.
Je t’aime bien	I like you	Like and love are two different things, which is why if you feel that you care for the person, but you still do not think it is love, use this phrase instead.
Je t’aime beaucoup	I am fond of you	When speaking to your friends, you can use this to tell them how much you like them.
Tu es l’amour de ma vie	You are the love of my life	This is used to express your profound passion and love for your special someone.
Mon coeur bat la chamade pour toi	My heart is racing for you	Want to sound poetic? Use this to express how loudly your heart beats for your special person.
Je suis fou amoureux de toi	I am madly in love with you	Does he/she make you go totally jelly? Express profound infatuation using this phrase instead.
Je te désire	I want you	If you want to make your partner feel your passion toward him/her, say this phrase in combination with I love you.
Tu comptes tant pour moi	You mean so much to me	Feeling a little bit shy about saying it all out? Say this phrase first to see how he/she will react.
Je t’aime tellement	I love you so much	Of course, sometimes adding the word ‘so much” can earn you an extra cookie point to your loved one.

Terms Of Endearment In French

Love is felt better if you use pet names, nicknames, or terms of endearment for your special person. If the English have “hubby,” “wifey,” or “bae,” the French has a whole set of fresh terms that you can use to tone down conflicts by raising humor and playfulness. In line with this, we also prepared a few creative terms that are usually used by the locals. Do note that some of these are very random, which can relate to animals, food, places, and so much more! If that sits well with you, then check out our list below.

French	English	Sound
Mon bébé	My baby
Ma belle	My beautiful
Mon amour	My love
Ma chère	My dear
Mon trésor	My treasure
Mon cœur	My heart
Ma moitié	My other half
Ma chérie	My darling
Mon ange	My angel
Mon lapin	My rabbit
Mon chaton	My kitten
Mon poussin	My chicky
Mon oisillon	My little birdie
Mon nounours	My teddy bear
Mon chou	My cabbage

Now that you know how to say I love you in French and have the native-sounding expressions in your arsenal, you do not have to sweat anymore when declaring your sincere feelings to your romantic partner.

There are many other delightful and heart-fluttering words in the French language. If you want to know more about that, we highly suggest that you download our language app to support your adventure in French. And if you are still wondering if French is a difficult language to learn, here are some amazing hacks that will help you!

Cannot Wait To Learn More And Sound Like A Pro French Speaker?

Unlike other languages, French holds a distinctive set of words and phrases heavily shaped by the country’s rich and colorful history. Due to this, language enthusiasts and travelers worldwide are challenging themselves to learn the language and appreciate the history behind every line, letter, and syllable.

Interested to learn more French language vocabulary words and grammatical structure? For additional reinforcement in this language, check out the Ling App to master any language of your choice in no time. 

What sets this application apart is that it features fun mini-games, chatbots, and engaging quizzes that will encourage you every day to practice and discover further about the target language. This app is perfect to begin your language learning journey!

Do you want to speak in French? Download Ling App from App Store or Play Store now!

First, let’s see the typical translation for “I love you” in French.

How To Say “I Love” You In French?

The typical translation for “I love you” is :

1. Je t’aime (enunciated) – je t’aime (modern French pronunciation)
   I love you using “tu”.
2. Je vous aime (enunciated) – je vous aime (modern French pronunciation)
   I love you using “vous”. More about tu versus vous you in French

Like it is often the case in French, the pronunciation will change slightly depending on whether you are speaking in a very enunciated manner or using a casual French pronunciation.

Carful though. Saying je t’aime to a friend would be a big faux-pas ! je t’aime actually means ‘I am in love with you’.

I love You In English

In English, the verb “to love” is confusing because it expresses a variety of feelings. You can say “I love you” to someone you are in love with, but also to your parents, or a friend to express friendship.

It’s not the case in French.

I love You In French

je t’aime really translates as ‘I am in love with you’.
To keep it on a friendship level, you need to ADD an adverb: “je t’aime beaucoup, je t’aime bien…” I understand it’s counter intuitive but that’s what we do in French!

You could say je t’aime to a member of your very close family, such as your child, a sibling, or your parents, or even a pet.

How To Answer I Love You In French?

The typical answer to I love you in French is “moi aussi“: me too. It’s as simple as that.

Now, here are other phrases to express your love in French.

9 Ways To Say I Love You In French

Let’s see how to nuance I love you.

All the audio recordings below will feature modern spoken French pronunciation.

1. Je t’aime de tout mon coeur – I love you with all my heart
2. Je suis amoureux/amoureuse de toi – I’m in love with you
3. Je t’aime passionnément – I love you with passion
4. Je t’aime à la folie – I’m crazy about you
5. Tu es l’amour de ma vie – you are the love of my life
6. Tu es mon grand amour – you’re my biggest love
7. J’ai eu le coup de foudre pour toi – it was love at first sight
8. Je te kiffe – I love you / I fancy you using actually an Arabic term that is nowadays quite commonly used in modern spoken French, especially by younger people.
9. JTM – pronouncing it like the letters [jé té aim] – comes from texting in French and popular among young French people and teens.

13 Ways to Avoid I Love You in French

Sometimes, you have strong feelings about someone, but you’re note quite ready to drop the L bomb!

Although we’ll see below that it’s not as big a deal in France than it is other countries, you may need alternative to I love you in French.

1. Tu me plais (beaucoup / énormément) – I fancy you, I’m fond of you
2. J’en pince pour toi – I have a crush on you
3. Je suis fou/folle de toi – I’m crazy about you
4. Je suis dingue de toi – I’m crazy about you (a bit more colloquial)
5. Je suis épris(e) de toi – I’m taken by you (quite formal)
6. Tu m’as tapé dans l’oeil – you made quite an impression on me
7. Je suis morgane de toi – pretty poetic slang – I’m crazy about you. French singer Renaud made this expression quite popular.
8. Je ne peux pas vivre sans toi – I can’t live without you
9. Je brûle pour toi – I’m burning (with love) for you
10. Mon coeur s’enflamme en pensant à toi – my heart turns to flame when I think of you
11. Je t’adore – I adore you – very used, a very good alternative to not say “I love you” in French…
12. Je suis à toi – I’m yours. Why did I enunciate this one? Well, a “glided” pronunciation didn’t sound good to me here. So I record what I would say.
13. Tu es tout pour moi – you’re everything for me. Same remark.

You will find longer lists on the internet but watch out… expressions are not timeless… Saying “Je t’ai dans la peau” – ‘I got you under my skin’ for example is not an expression we use seriously today. One can use it to be over-dramatic, or as a joke.

That’s why you have to be careful with articles with lists of expressions: without the right context, you could be making a big faux pas!

I highly recommend learning French in context: my French audiobook learning method is illustrated with an ongoing novel, entirely recorded in French (featuring both enunciated and modern spoken French pronunciations), and follows the Parisian life of Mary and her friends from their teen years to their forties… It includes young romances and life-long love stories!

10 Ways To Say My Love In French

There are many cute love nicknames in French. Follow the link to my article with audio for 44 French love nicknames. Here are some French love names that work for both men and women.

1. Mon amour – my love
2. Mon ange – my angel
3. Mon trésor – my treasure
4. Mon coeur – my heart
5. Mon canard – my duck – yes, I know… wait, it gets worse…
6. Mon chou – my sweet bun (un chou à la crème is a cream filled puff pastry) – “mon petit chou” is also quite common
7. Mon chouchou – comes from “mon chou”
8. Doudou – no literal translation – it sounds very bad in English but we use it a lot in French! The origine is Creole French and it means sweety, darling…
9. Mon lapin – my rabbit
10. Mon poussin – my chick

Now, words have their limits. The best way to express you love in French may be in loving gestures, and thoughtful acts, such as being encouraging, being there for your loved one, checking up on him/her regularly, sending texts… of course, the occasional bouquet of flower is also appreciated!

The Crazy French Word For Love 🤪

The French word for love is L’amour.

But what is so weird about love in French is that it is masculine in the singular, and feminine in the plural !!!

• Un grand amour = a big love
• Des amours tumultueuses = difficult love

Love is definitely crazy!

Pronunciation of Love In French

You need to watch your pronunciation for “l’amour”, love in French. French students often mistake:

1. L’amour = la moor = love
2. La mort = la mor = death
3. L’humour = lu moor = humor
4. L’humeur = lu meur = mood

Quite a trap!

11 French Love Expressions

There are many expressions with the word love in French:

1. faire l’amour – to make love.
2. le grand amour – true love
3. un amour interdit – forbidden love
4. un premier amour – first love
5. un amour de jeunesse – first love, love when you where young
6. une histoire d’amour – a love story, a love affair
7. un philtre d’amour – love potion
8. filer le parfait amour – to be happily in love
9. l’amour-propre – self esteem
10. L’amour rend aveugle – love is bling
11. Vivre d’amour et d’eau fraîche – to live on love alone

30 French Love Words

1. L’amour – love
2. L’amitié – friendship
3. Je t’aime – I love you (using tu)
4. Je vous aime – I am in love with you (using vous)
5. Je l’aime – I am in love with him/her
6. Je suis amoureux / amoureuse de toi, lui, elle, vous… – I am in love with you, him, her, you
7. Tomber Amoureux / amoureuse – to fall in love (not tomber en amour which is used in Canadian French but not in France)
8. Est-ce que tu veux sortir avec moi – would you like to go out with me ?
9. Est-ce que tu veux (bien) m’épouser – would you marry me? The bien here is optional, and means “are you willing to marry me”, but it’s what we traditionally say.
10. To kiss – embrasser, s’embrasser. WATCH OUT !!! Not “baiser”… I’m sorry to be vulgar but you need to be aware that “un baiser” is fine, it’ a kiss, but “baiser” as a verb nowadays means to f..k.
11. A kiss – un baiser, un bisou – I wrote a whole article on the subject of French kisses.
12. Les fiançailles – engagement
13. Se fiancer – to get engaged
14. Un fiancé, une fiancée – someone you are engaged to. But sometimes used to say someone you are just dating.
15. Le mariage – marriage, wedding (only one R in French)
16. Se marier avec quelqu’un – to get married with someone
17. Épouser quelqu’un – to marry someone
18. Un marié – a groom
19. Une mariée – a bride
20. Un mari / un époux – a husband
    Watch out between un marié, une mariée, un mari…
21. Une femme (pronounced “fam”) / une épouse – a wife
22. Un/ une partenaire – a partner. Mostly used for gay couples in French.
23. Un compagnon / une compagne – a partner as used in British English : someone you live with but you are not necessarily married to.
24. Un amoureux / une amoureuse – a sweetheart
25. Un petit-ami/ un petit-copain – a boyfriend
26. Une petite-amie / une petite-copine – a girlfriend
27. Watch out! “un amant” means a lover, as in someone you have sexual relations with or you are cheating on your spouse with. So not to be used lightly in French.
28. Mon chéri, ma chérie, mon amour… there are plenty of French terms of endearments: I suggest you read (and listen) to my article about the French love nicknames with audio.
29. Joyeuse Saint Valentin – happy Valentine’s day.
30. Tu veux être mon valentin / ma valentine ? Would you be my valentine?

I Like You ≠ I Love You In French

Now let’s see how to differentiate friendship from romantic love.

In both cases, we are going to use the verb “aimer”.

1. J’aime Paul – I am in love with Paul (love)
2. J’aime beaucoup Paul –  I like Paul a lot (friendship)

The difference between like and love? The adverb! Add an adverb to the verb “aimer” and you’re staying in the friend zone!

To say you like or love someone as a friend, say:

1. Je t’aime bien
2. Je t’aime beaucoup
3. Je t’aime énormément
4. Je t’aime de tout mon coeur (with all my heart)

Many French love songs and movies have a dialogue along these lines:

• Est-ce que tu m’aimes ? 
  Are you in love with me ?
• Euh…. je t’aime beaucoup… 
  Well…I like you a lot…

Or to quote the song from Zazie, “Chanson d’ami” from the album “Made in Love”:
Je ne t’aime pas : je t’aime bien 
I am not in love with you: I like you

Outch!

How To Translate To Be In Love In French?

If you really wanted to be clear and express you are in love with someone, you could use the expression: Je suis amoureux/amoureuse de toi – I’m in love with you  (careful, not “être en amour” which they use in Canada, but not in France).

J’aime beaucoup Paul, mais je ne suis pas amoureuse de lui.
I like Paul a lot, but I’m not in love with him.

It’s a bit redundant, but it’s very clear.

Saying I love You In France – Not Such A Big Deal

In many American sitcoms, saying I love you seems to be a very, very big deal. A milestone in the relationship.

It doesn’t seem to be quite strong a deal in France. Of course, saying I love you is never something you say lightly, but it doesn’t seem to be such a big deal. According to France 2, 8% of French people would be ready to say “I love you” on the first day!! Yet, France 2 also says many French feel comfortable saying “I love you” within two months of the relationship (Frenchmen: 88 days, Frenchwomen 134 days!)

What About Dating In France ?

Well, this was a big shock to me when I arrived in the US. I had no idea what “dating” meant.

I understood of course a man and a woman could be interested in each other in a romantic way, let me reassure you.

But I was not aware that accepting to go out to dinner with a man alone gave the signal that I was possibly romantically interested in him.

Nor did I know about this first date, second date and third date business.

In France, it’s very common for a girl to go out to dinner with a male friend. Even for a married woman to go out with a male friend who is single.

I wrote a whole article about dating in France and the culture around it. I invite you to follow the link to read it.

Valentine’s Day In France

Valentine’s day in France is only for people who are romantically in love. In the US, it’s common for kids to give valentines to their friends, their teachers… It’s not the case in France.

To know more about Valentine Day in France, I invite you to read my article.

I’ll end this long article with a video of a love poem said by my daughter.

S/he Loves Me, S/he Loves Me Not In French 🌼

Listen to my daughter Leyla when she was 4 years old telling the French version of “s/he loves me, s/he loves me not”, a child’s game where you pick up the petals of a flower (usually a daisy).

The French game goes:
Il/elle m’aime un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie… pas du tout!
S/he loves me a bit, a lot, with passion, s/he’s crazy about me… s/he doesn’t love me at all!

French Love Poem

Ma main est une fleur
Mes doigts sont les cinq pétales
Dis moi jolie petite fleur
Est-ce que ma maman
M’aime de tout son coeur ?
Elle m’aime un peu, beaucoup,
Passionnément, à la folie,
Pas du tout.
Pas du tout ??
Vilaine petite fleur !
Je sais que ma maman
M’aime de tout son coeur !

Note: Leyla says: “une main est une fleur” instead of “ma main”… little mistake.
Then she says “mes doigts Y (for “ils”) sont les cinq pétales” – that’s common spoken French for you!

English Translation of the French Love Poem

My hand is a flower
My fingers are the five petals
Tell me pretty flower
Does my Mom love me with all her heart ?
She loves me a little, a lot,
Passionately, madly,
Not at all.
Not at all ??
Naughty little flower!
I know my mom
Loves me with all her heart!

Awwwwwhhhh. my heart melts each time I watch this video… Moi aussi je t’aime de tout mon coeur ma Leylounette chérie !

Voilà, I hope this lesson clarified things about how to say I love you in French.

I post exclusive mini lessons, tips, pictures and more daily on my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages – so join me there!

If you liked this article, I may also like:

1. French Women Don’t Date – the French Dating System Explained
2. Flirting in French
3. Valentine’s day in France
4. All About French Kissing
5. French love nicknames (with audio)