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 |
Je t'aime is the most common informal way to say I love you to a partner, and it is also said within close families.
What does it mean word for word?
je means I, t' is the shortened form of te, meaning you and aime means love. The pronoun sits before the verb.
Which one should you use?
Je t'aime bien expresses fondness and care without necessarily meaning romantic love. Je t'adore can express deep, intense love similar to adoration, but it is also often used for strong affection or admiration without the heavy romantic weight of je t'aime. Adding beaucoup to je t'aime weakens it to I like you a lot.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Je vous aime is the formal expression. Je t'aime is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
je t'aime uses the singular informal object pronoun te, shortened to t' before the vowel. je vous aime uses the plural or formal vous.
How do you pronounce it?
je t'aime is pronounced /ʒə t‿ɛm/, with the t linked to the vowel that follows.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not add beaucoup to sound more romantic. It makes the phrase sound friendly rather than loving.
Did you know?
- The pronoun je in je t'aime evolved from the Late Latin eo, which itself comes from the Classical Latin egō̆.
- In France, je t'adore is frequently used to express strong admiration or affection without the heavy romantic commitment associated with je t'aime.
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.Je t'aime appears here at the end of a letter after PS.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!Mais je t'aime ! stresses the feeling in reply to doubt.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!Papa, je t'aime ! is said by a child to a father.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are saying goodbye before work.
- GabrielBonne journée, Léa. Je t'aime.Have a good day, Léa. I love you.
- LéaMoi aussi, je t'aime, Gabriel.I love you too, Gabriel.
- GabrielÀ ce soir alors !See you tonight then!
- LéaÀ ce soir, bisous !See you tonight, kisses!
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.
