Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| je te déteste | informal |
| je te hais | informal |
| je vous déteste | formal, plural |
| je vous hais | formal, plural |
These expressions are used to convey an intense dislike for someone. While the verb détester is the most common way to express dislike or hatred in everyday French, the verb haïr conveys a more intense, literary or dramatic feeling.
Which one should you use?
The choice of verb determines the intensity of the sentiment: je te déteste and je vous déteste are standard, while je te hais and je vous hais are more dramatic or literary. The choice of the object pronoun also changes based on the person being addressed: te is used for one person informally, whereas vous is used for one person formally or for multiple people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase je te déteste and its variant je te hais are informal and should be used when speaking to a single friend, family member or peer. For formal contexts, such as addressing a single person formally or speaking to a group of people, use je vous déteste or je vous hais. In very casual or colloquial settings, you might hear je peux pas te blairer to mean "I can't stand you."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québécois French, it is common to use the expression je te déteste en maudit to say "I hate you".
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronouns te and vous function as "you" in these sentences. Use te when addressing one person informally. Use vous when addressing either one person in a formal context or multiple people simultaneously.
Did you know?
- The expression je peux pas te blairer literally means 'I can't smell you'. It is used colloquially to say 'I can't stand you' or 'I hate you'.
- In Quebec, the phrase je te déteste en maudit uses the word maudit, which literally means 'cursed'. It functions as an intensifier to show how much someone is hated.
- While 'je te déteste' is the standard, the verb haïr contains a tréma over the 'i', a tiny mark that forces you to pronounce the 'a' and the 'i' as two separate syllables.
Examples in context
- Je te hais !I hate you!This sentence shows how to express intense hatred using je te hais.Tatoeba #2194314 by sacredceltic, translation #1496819 by Spamster
- Je te déteste, raclure !I hate you, creep!This sentence demonstrates using je te déteste with an insult.Tatoeba #12680792 by Olcyx, translation #6321443 by CarpeLanam
- Je vous déteste tous les deux.I hate you both.This sentence illustrates using je vous déteste to address two people.Tatoeba #2334274 by sacredceltic, translation #2334160 by CK
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are having a heated argument in a park.
- LéaTu m'as menti encore une fois.You lied to me once again.
- HugoC'était pour ton bien, Léa.It was for your own good, Léa.
- LéaJe te déteste, Hugo !I hate you, Hugo!
- HugoC'est injuste de dire ça.That is unfair to say.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I hate you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
