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 express an affirmation of romantic feeling. While je t'aime is used for romantic partners, it is also the standard way to express love to family members and children.
Which one should you use?
je t'adore is often used more casually or platonically than je t'aime and can sometimes feel less intense than a declaration of romantic love. Note that adding beaucoup to the phrase (as in je t'aime beaucoup) actually weakens the sentiment to mean "I like you a lot" rather than expressing deep romantic love.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The forms are divided by how many people you are addressing and your level of familiarity. Use the informal je t'aime or je t'adore when speaking to one person (singular). Use the formal je vous aime or je vous adore when speaking to multiple people (plural) or in a formal context.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase je t'aime, the t' is a contraction of the object pronoun te which occurs before a word starting with a vowel.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
Did you know?
- In many French-speaking cultures, saying je t'aime is traditionally reserved for very serious stages of a relationship and is said less frequently than 'I love you' is in the US.
- The formal pronoun vous used in je vous aime is a cognate of the Russian word вы ('vy') and the Italian voi, reflecting a shared linguistic heritage in how these languages handle formality.
- The word aime comes from the Latin 'amare', which is the root for English words like 'amiable' and 'amorous' rather than the word 'love'.
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.This sentence shows the phrase je t'aime used in a postscript.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!This sentence shows the phrase je t'aime used with emphasis.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!This sentence shows the phrase je t'aime used when speaking to a parent.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- Je t'aime plus que tout.I love you more than anything.
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic dinner at a restaurant.
- LucasLéa, je t'aime.Léa, I love you.
- LéaMoi aussi, je t'aime, Lucas.I love you too, Lucas.
- LucasTu es magnifique ce soir.You are beautiful tonight.
- LéaMerci, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
