je l'aime tellement
The English phrase "I love her so much" is expressed in French as je l'aime tellement.
This phrase is used to express a very strong feeling of affection or romantic love for a woman or girl.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of je (I), l’ (her/it), aime (love) and tellement (so much/so much that).
Which one should you use?
Je l'aime tellement is much stronger than je l'aime beaucoup, which typically means "I like her a lot". To express the same intense degree of feeling, you can also use je l'aime tant by replacing tellement with tant.
How does it change in a sentence?
When tellement is used to mean "so much that…", it is often followed by que to introduce a consequence, such as in the phrase je l'aime tellement qu'elle me manque.
Did you know?
- French has a specific word, le coup de foudre, to describe the feeling of falling in love instantly. It literally translates to 'a bolt of lightning', capturing the sudden shock of the emotion behind je l'aime tellement.
- While je l'aime tellement describes intense love, the phrase je l'aime à la folie is often used to mean 'I love her madly'. This suggests a love so strong it borders on insanity.
- The word tellement is built from the Old French 'tel', meaning 'such'. This makes the word's literal history closer to saying 'I love her in such a way' rather than just 'so much'.
Examples in context
- Je l'aime tellement que je pourrais mourir.I love her so much I could die.This sentence shows how to use je l'aime tellement to express a consequence of one's feelings.Tatoeba #1317036 by sacredceltic, translation #1315990 by CH
- C'est ma meilleure amie et je l'aime tellement.She is my best friend and I love her so much.
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about Léa's sister.
- LéaMa sœur est géniale, je l'aime tellement.My sister is great, I love her so much.
- HugoC'est vrai, elle est très gentille.It's true, she is very kind.
- LéaOui, elle compte beaucoup pour moi.Yes, she means a lot to me.
- HugoOn voit que tu tiens à elle.We can see that you care about her.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, tellement, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
