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. You can say Je t'aime de tout mon cœur to mean "I love you with all my heart" or Je suis amoureux de vous to say "I am in love with you." Other ways to express affection include Je t'adore, which translates to "I adore you" and Je suis fou/folle de toi, which means "I'm crazy about you." You can also qualify your affection by saying Je t'aime un petit peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout, meaning "I love you a little, a lot, passionately, madly, not at all."
Which one should you use?
While je t'aime expresses deep romantic love, adding beaucoup to create je t'aime beaucoup actually weakens the phrase to mean "I like you very much." Additionally, while je t'adore can be used for romantic feelings, it is often used more casually or platonically to mean "I really like you" or "I adore you" in a friendly way.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
je t'aime and je t'adore are informal and singular. je vous aime and je vous adore are formal and plural.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase je t'aime, the t' is a contraction of te used before a word starting with a vowel.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
Did you know?
- While je t'aime is a declaration of love, French has a specific phrase avoir le coup de foudre to describe the feeling of falling in love at first sight. It literally translates to 'being struck by lightning'.
- In French culture, je t'aime is typically reserved for serious romantic partners and family. Saying it too early in a relationship can be seen as overwhelming or premature compared to the English 'I love you'.
- The word amour used in romantic contexts comes from the Latin 'amor'. In Old French, this word influenced the development of the 'courtly love' tradition, which codified strict rules for how nobility expressed romantic longing.
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
- Chérie, je t'aime plus que tout au monde. Tu es la personne qui illumine ma vie chaque jour.Darling, I love you more than anything in the world. You are the person who lights up my life every single day.
- Mon amour, je ne peux pas imaginer ma vie sans toi. Tu es ma source de bonheur et de joie.My love, I can't imagine my life without you. You are my source of happiness and joy.
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are sitting on a park bench at sunset.
- LucasJe t'aime, Chloé.I love you, Chloé.
- ChloéMoi aussi, je t'aime, Lucas.I love you too, Lucas.
- LucasTu es magnifique ce soir.You are beautiful tonight.
- ChloéMerci, tu es très gentil.Thank you, you are very kind.
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.
