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 standard way to express romantic love, so with a friend it can sound stronger than you intend. To show affection to friends, people often say Je t'aime, mon ami, meaning I love you, my friend or Tu comptes énormément pour moi, meaning you mean a great deal to me.
What does it mean word for word?
je means I, t' is the shortened form of te, meaning you as a direct object and aime means love.
Which one should you use?
je t'adore expresses strong affection or admiration and can feel less heavy than the romantic commitment of je t'aime, which is why it is common between friends. Adding beaucoup to je t'aime weakens it to mean I like you a lot in a friendly sense. Tu es cher/chère à mon cœur. means you are dear to my heart.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Je vous aime bien. and Je tiens beaucoup à vous, meaning I care a lot about you, are polite and formal ways to express affection. Je t'aime, mon ami. and Tu comptes énormément pour moi. are informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
je vous aime is used when addressing more than one person, such as a group of friends or a single person with formal respect.
How do you pronounce it?
je t'aime is pronounced /ʒə t‿ɛm/, with the t linked to the vowel that follows.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.Je t'aime is written after PS at the end of a message.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!Mais je t'aime ! insists on the feeling.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!Papa, je t'aime ! shows the phrase said to a parent.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is having a quiet moment at home.
- EmmaJe t'aime, Lucas.I love you, Lucas.
- LucasMoi aussi, je t'aime, Emma.I love you too, Emma.
- EmmaTu es merveilleux.You are wonderful.
- LucasMerci, ma chérie.Thank you, my darling.
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.
