je t'en veux
The English phrase "I am mad at you" is expressed in French as je t'en veux.
This phrase is used to tell someone that you are angry with them or resent them for something they did.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, je t'en veux translates to "I of it to you want", where en represents the thing being resented.
Which one should you use?
je t'en veux implies a personal resentment or feeling hurt by someone's actions, whereas je suis en colère contre toi is a more direct statement of being in a state of anger.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say you are mad at someone else, replace the object pronoun t' (te) with lui for him/her or leur for them, as in je lui en veux (I am mad at him/her).
Did you know?
- If a French speaker says je n'en veux pas, they are not saying they aren't mad, but rather that they don't want the object being offered.
- Because the phrase relies on the verb vouloir, meaning 'to want', it frames your anger as a sort of psychological debt that the other person owes you.
- The phrase can be turned inward using en vouloir à soi-même to describe the feeling of guilt or being mad at oneself.
Examples in context
- Tu as oublié mon anniversaire, je t'en veux beaucoup.You forgot my birthday, I am very mad at you.
- Je t'en veux pour ce que tu as dit.I am mad at you for what you said.
- Tu m'as menti et je t'en veux.You lied to me and I am mad at you.
Example conversation
Chloé is talking to Hugo after he forgot their appointment.
- ChloéTu as encore oublié notre rendez-vous.You forgot our appointment again.
- HugoJe suis vraiment désolé, Chloé.I am really sorry, Chloé.
- ChloéC'est fatigant, je t'en veux.It's tiring, I am mad at you.
- HugoJe vais me rattraper, je te promets.I will make it up to you, I promise.
