Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| je t'aime | /ʒə t‿ɛm/ | informal, singular |
| je vous aime | /ʒə vu.z‿ɛm/ | formal, plural |
| je t'adore | informal, singular | |
| je vous adore | formal, plural |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. While je t'aime is the common and informal way to say "I love you", you can also use je t'adore to say "I adore you", which is often perceived as less heavy or serious than je t'aime and is frequently used among friends. If you want to express that you care about someone formally, you can say Je tiens à vous. Other ways to express affection include the informal Je suis fou/folle de toi. (I am crazy about you) and the formal, poetic Vous êtes l'amour de ma vie. (You are the love of my life), or the informal Tu es l'amour de ma vie.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase je t'aime, the components are je (I), te (you) and aime (love). The te is elided to t' because it appears before a vowel.
Which one should you use?
je t'aime is used for singular, informal situations. In contrast, adding beaucoup to the phrase, making it je t'aime beaucoup, actually weakens the romantic intensity and often means "I like you a lot" rather than "I am in love with you". je t'adore can be used romantically, but is often lighter than je t'aime.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
je t'aime and je t'adore are informal and used when addressing a single person. je vous aime and je vous adore are the formal versions used for plural subjects or to maintain a formal tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use je vous aime when expressing love to more than one person or when using the formal vous to address a single person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.This is useful for a postscript.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!This shows an emphatic way to say the phrase.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!This is a way to tell a father that you love him.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are saying goodbye for the evening.
- GabrielJe t'aime, Manon.I love you, Manon.
- ManonJe t'aime aussi, Gabriel.I love you too, Gabriel.
- GabrielPasse une bonne soirée.Have a good evening.
- ManonToi aussi, à demain !You too, see you tomorrow!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries je t'aime, je vous aime, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
