amour fou
The English phrase "crazy love" is translated into French as amour fou.
amour fou is used to describe an intense, irrational or overwhelming passion that borders on madness.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun amour (love) and the adjective fou (mad/crazy).
Which one should you use?
While amour fou is the standard expression, you might encounter other variations: Amour insensé specifically means "foolish love", Amour complètement dingue means "completely crazy love" and Amour de ouf is a slang version of "crazy love".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, the expression Avoir le béguin is used to mean "to have a crush".
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the masculine plural form: amours fous.
Did you know?
- The word fou has a separate etymological path linked to the Arabic word for 'elephant', al-fīl, via the Spanish word for a chess piece or court jester.
- The slang version Amour de ouf uses ouf, which is the word fou written backward. This is an example of verlan, a type of French slang where syllables are inverted to create new words.
- The Surrealist movement in France adopted amour fou as a core concept to describe a type of love that intentionally breaks all social and logical rules.
Examples in context
- Son amour fou pour elle était indéniable.His crazy love for her was undeniable.
- J'ai un amour de ouf pour cette chanson.I have a crazy love for this song.
- C'était un véritable amour fou.It was a true crazy love.
- Ils vivent leur amour fou avec passion.They live their crazy love with passion.
- Je ne crois pas à l'amour fou.I do not believe in crazy love.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a romantic movie they just watched.
- GabrielL'histoire de ce film est incroyable.The story of this movie is incredible.
- ChloéOui, c'est l'exemple parfait d'un amour fou.Yes, it is the perfect example of a crazy love.
- GabrielJe ne sais pas si c'est possible en vrai.I don't know if that's possible in real life.
- ChloéPeut-être, mais c'est très romantique, Gabriel.Maybe, but it is very romantic, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amour, fou, CC BY-SA 4.0.
