amour
/a.muʁ/masculine
The English word 'love' is translated into French as amour.
amour is a masculine noun used to describe the abstract concept or feeling of love. When used with an indefinite article, such as un amour, it can refer to a person who is a sweetheart or a beloved. To express the action of loving or liking, you would use the verb aimer instead of the noun.
Meaning: strong affection (noun)
Which one should you use?
The noun amour refers to the concept or feeling of love itself. In contrast, the verb aimer is used to express the action of loving or liking something or someone.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
amour is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.muʁ/ (2 syllables)
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse the noun amour with the verb aimer. Use amour when referring to the concept and aimer when you want to perform the action of loving.
When do people say it?
In French, different phrases are used to modulate the intensity of affection. While Je t'aime expresses deep romantic love, adding bien to the phrase as in Je t'aime bien actually softens the meaning to a friendly fondness.
Did you know?
- The phrase un amour de… can be used as an idiom to describe something wonderful or cute, such as un amour de chat for a 'sweet little cat'.
- The word amour is a masculine noun, but if you use it in the plural form, amours, it can actually become feminine in some poetic or old-fashioned contexts.
- The word amour is used in the phrase amour-propre to describe a person's sense of self-esteem or vanity, literally translating to 'self-love'.
Examples in context
- C'est ça l'amour ?Is this love?This example shows how to ask if a situation constitutes love using amour.Tatoeba #606421 by qdii, translation #326263 by CK
- Je veux ton amour.I want your love.This example shows a desire for someone's love using amour.Tatoeba #1790159 by sacredceltic, translation #1789308 by Spamster
- Crois en l'amour !Believe in love!This example is an exhortation to believe in love using amour.Tatoeba #1947486 by sacredceltic, translation #1945925 by Scott
- 1168 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is discussing their relationship in a cafe.
- HugoNotre amour est très fort.Our love is very strong.
- ManonOui, Hugo, je le ressens aussi.Yes, Hugo, I feel it too.
- HugoTu es l'amour de ma vie.You are the love of my life.
- ManonC'est merveilleux d'être avec toi.It is wonderful to be with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “love” translations and entries amour, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
