je t'aime
/ʒə t‿ɛm/informal, singular
In French, the phrase for "I love you" is je t'aime. Wiktionary also lists je vous aime and je t'adore.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
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 to express an affirmation of romantic feeling.
Which one should you use?
Je t'aime is the standard way to express romantic love, whereas je t'adore is often used to express strong affection or admiration without the heavy romantic weight of je t'aime.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Je t'aime and je t'adore are informal singular forms. Je vous aime and je vous adore are formal plural forms.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use je vous aime when addressing more than one person or when using the formal vous to address a single person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
Did you know?
- While je t'aime is used for romantic love, adding the word bien to make je t'aime bien actually weakens the sentiment to mean 'I like you'.
- The word je shares its roots with the Classical Latin 'egō', which is the ancestor of the English word 'I'.
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.This sentence shows how to use je t'aime in a postscript.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!This sentence uses je t'aime to express an emphatic statement.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!This sentence shows a child using je t'aime to address their father.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- Maman, je t'adore plus que tout au monde. Ta présence illumine ma vie et je suis tellement reconnaissant(e) de t'avoir.Mom, I adore you more than anything in the world. Your presence brightens my life, and I am so grateful to have you.
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are saying goodbye before work.
- LucasJe t'aime, Emma.I love you, Emma.
- EmmaMoi aussi, je t'aime.I love you too.
- LucasPasse une bonne journée !Have a great day!
- EmmaMerci, toi aussi !Thanks, you too!
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.
