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 |
je t'aime is the standard way to tell someone you love them romantically. It is also used with family, as when a child says it to a parent.
What does it mean word for word?
je t'aime is a contraction of je te aime, where te (you) shortens to t' before the vowel.
Which one should you use?
je t'aime carries strong romantic weight. je t'adore is often used more casually, as a strong expression of affection for friends or family. Adding beaucoup after je t'aime actually weakens it to mean I like you a lot in a friendly sense. Je suis amoureux de toi means I am in love with you.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
je t'aime and je t'adore are informal. je vous aime and je vous adore are the formal versions, and Je suis amoureux de vous is the formal way to say I am in love with you.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use je vous aime instead of je t'aime when speaking to more than one person or when using the respectful vous.
How do you pronounce it?
je t'aime is pronounced /ʒə t‿ɛm/.
Did you know?
- In French, the intensity of your feelings is often reversed when using certain verbs. While je t'aime is the standard for deep romantic love, the verb adorer in je t'adore is frequently used for more casual, friendly affection.
- The formal 'you' used in je vous aime is a close relative of the Italian word voi and the Russian word вы ('vy').
Examples in context
- PS : Je t'aime.PS: I love you.Je t'aime signs off a note as a postscript.Tatoeba #848270 by sacredceltic, translation #1357022 by sacredceltic
- Mais je t'aime !But I love you!Mais je t'aime ! insists on the feeling.Tatoeba #10087314 by Rovo, translation #10087190 by ddnktr
- Papa, je t'aime !Daddy, I love you!Here je t'aime is said to a father.Tatoeba #5230593 by michelnialon, translation #2075226 by Vened
- Jean, je vous aime sincèrement.Jean, I love you sincerely.
- Sophie, je suis amoureux de vous depuis longtemps.Sophie, I have been in love with you for a long time.
- 171 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic evening at a restaurant.
- ChloéJe t'aime, Hugo.I love you, Hugo.
- HugoMoi aussi, je t'aime, Chloé.I love you too, Chloé.
- ChloéTu es merveilleux.You are wonderful.
- HugoEt toi, tu es incroyable.And you, you are incredible.
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.
