How to Say "Have a Crush" in French

avoir le béguin

/a.vwaʁ lə be.ɡɛ̃/

To say have a crush in French, use avoir le béguin.

avoir le béguin means to have a crush on someone. It is a light, informal expression for a romantic attraction.

What does it mean word for word?

avoir means to have, and le béguin is the crush itself.

Name the person after pour, as in the example. The verb avoir changes with the subject.

The IPA is /a.vwaʁ lə be.ɡɛ̃/. The last vowel of béguin is nasal.

The word béguin originally referred to a specific type of cap or headdress worn by certain religious groups.
In modern French, while avoir le béguin is charming and light, many younger speakers now use the English word 'crush' as a noun.

Il semble encore avoir le béguin pour elle.
He still appears to have a crush on her.
Here avoir le béguin is followed by pour elle, meaning for her.
Tatoeba #11432592 by lbdx, translation #8520438 by CH

Two friends are talking about a classmate.

Chloé

Regarde Gabriel, je pense qu'il a le béguin pour toi.
Look at Gabriel, I think he has a crush on you.
Gabriel

C'est impossible, Chloé ! Pourquoi dis-tu ça ?
That's impossible, Chloé! Why do you say that?
Chloé

Il te regarde tout le temps en classe.
He looks at you all the time in class.
Gabriel

Je ne savais pas qu'il pouvait avoir le béguin.
I didn't know he could have a crush.

Sources

Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry avoir le béguin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, béguin, le, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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