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 |
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling. You can also say je suis amoureux/amoureuse de toi to mean "I am in love with you". Use je suis amoureux de toi if you are male and je suis amoureuse de toi if you are female.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase je t'aime literally translates to "I you love" because the object pronoun te is contracted to t' and precedes the verb.
Which one should you use?
While je t'aime is the standard way to express love to a romantic partner, je t'adore is often used more casually as a strong expression of affection, such as "I adore you!", without necessarily carrying the same heavy romantic weight.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The informal ways to express this are je t'aime and je t'adore, which are used for singular subjects. The formal versions are je vous aime and je vous adore, used for plural subjects. Je vous aime is the standard and formal way to say "I love you" in French, while je vous adore can be used to express profound admiration or love for someone formally.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form je vous aime is used when addressing more than one person or when addressing a single person using the formal vous.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
When do people say it?
In France, the expression Je t'aime à la folie means "I love you madly".
Did you know?
- French has a specific term coup de foudre to describe the feeling of 'love at first sight', literally meaning 'a bolt of lightning'.
- Adding an adverb like bien to the phrase, turning je t'aime into je t'aime bien, actually weakens the sentiment to mean 'I like you' rather than 'I love you'.
- In French, the verb aimer can mean both 'to love' and 'to like', meaning the context of the conversation determines if the feeling is romantic or platonic.
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- Madame, je vous aime sincèrement.Madam, I love you sincerely.
- Monsieur Dupont, je vous adore de tout mon cœur.Mr. Dupont, I adore you with all my heart.
- Docteur, je vous aime de tout mon cœur depuis le premier jour où je vous ai rencontré.Doctor, I have loved you with all my heart since the first day I met you.
- Mon amour, je t'aime plus que tout.My love, I love you more than anything.
- Ma meilleure amie, je t'adore de tout mon être.My best friend, I adore you with all my being.
- Mon cher, mon cœur est fou, je suis amoureuse de toi.My dear, my heart is crazy. I am in love with you.
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are sitting together in a park at sunset.
- LucasChloé, je t'aime.Chloé, I love you.
- ChloéMoi aussi, je t'aime.I love you too.
- LucasTu es la femme de ma vie.You are the woman of my life.
- ChloéEt toi, tu es mon grand amour.And you, you are my great love.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i love you” translations and entries je t'aime, je vous aime, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
