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. To express affection, you might use the endearing nicknames mon amour (my love), mon chéri (my dear) or mon bébé (my baby). For more intense informal expressions, you can say Je t'aime trop to mean "I love you so much" or Je suis fou de toi to mean "I am crazy about you".
Which one should you use?
While je t'aime is the standard way to express romantic love, je t'adore is often used as a slightly less heavy or intense way to express affection.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
je t'aime and je t'adore are informal forms used when addressing one person. je vous aime and je vous adore are formal forms used when addressing one person or when addressing multiple people.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use je vous aime instead of je t'aime when addressing more than one person or when using the formal vous with a single person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
Did you know?
- Adding the word bien to the phrase je t'aime actually weakens the sentiment, turning 'I love you' into 'I like you' or 'I care for you'.
- The formal vous used in je vous aime was originally a plural pronoun, meaning the formal way to say 'I love you' is grammatically identical to addressing a crowd.
- The formal 'you' used in je vous aime has many linguistic cousins across Europe, including the Italian 'voi' and the Russian 'вы'.
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.This sentence is useful for seeing the phrase je t'aime in a postscript.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!This sentence shows the use of je t'aime for emphasis.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!This sentence shows a person using je t'aime to address their father.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- Je t'aime pour ta gentillesseI love you for your kindness
- Je t'aime pour ton sourireI love you for your smile
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are saying goodbye before work.
- LéaJe t'aime, Gabriel.I love you, Gabriel.
- GabrielMoi aussi, je t'aime.I love you too.
- LéaÀ ce soir alors !See you tonight then!
- GabrielÀ ce soir, ma chérie.See you tonight, 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.
