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 |
The primary way to express an affirmation of romantic feeling is through je t'aime. You can expand this to Je t'aime de tout mon cœur to say "I love you with all my heart." For a more poetic way to say "I am smitten/in love with you," you can use Je suis épris de vous. Other romantic expressions include Je suis amoureux de toi (I am in love with you) and T'es l'amour de ma vie (You're the love of my life).
Which one should you use?
While je t'aime is a deep expression of romantic love, adding the word "beaucoup" to create je t'aime beaucoup actually weakens the phrase, changing the meaning to "I like you a lot" or "I love you a lot." Additionally, je t'adore can be used romantically, but it is often used more casually or platonically to mean "I really like you" when compared to the weight of je t'aime.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
je t'aime is the informal form used for a single person. je vous aime is a formal choice and is a safe option in formal situations. je vous aime is used when addressing more than one person or when addressing a single person using the formal "vous", though using the formal "vous" for romantic declarations is rare. je t'adore and je vous adore are the informal and formal versions of "I adore you" respectively.
How does it change in a sentence?
In je t'aime, the t' is a contraction of the object pronoun te (you) used before a word starting with a vowel. When using je vous aime, the vous is used when addressing multiple people or a single person formally.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
Did you know?
- The word épris in Je suis épris de vous comes from the verb prendre, meaning 'to take', suggesting the person has been 'captured' by love.
- The French pronoun vous is a cognate of the Italian word voi and the Russian word вы, which both serve as formal or plural versions of 'you'.
- Despite being a romantic phrase, je t'aime is the standard way to express love to a parent or family member, not just a romantic partner.
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 emphasis on the feeling of love.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!This is a way to express love to a parent.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic dinner at a restaurant.
- ManonJe t'aime, Nathan.I love you, Nathan.
- NathanMoi aussi, je t'aime tellement.Me too, I love you so much.
- ManonTu es l'homme de ma vie.You are the man of my life.
- NathanEt toi, tu es ma vie.And you, you are my life.
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.
