mon grand amour
In French, "my true love" is expressed as mon grand amour.
The phrase refers to the person someone loves more than anyone else in their life. While mon grand amour is a common way to identify this person, other terms exist depending on the context of your affection. For instance, if you want to say "my other half", you would use ma moitié or if you are saying "my dear", you would use mon chéri or ma chérie.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase mon grand amour literally translates to "my great love".
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between levels of intimacy. Mon grand amour refers specifically to the one person who is your one true love. In contrast, mon amour is a much more common and general term of endearment used for any partner, similar to calling someone "my love" or "darling".
How does it change in a sentence?
In informal address, a woman would use mon chéri to address a man.
Did you know?
- While mon grand amour describes a soulmate, the phrase un amour de… is used to describe something exceptionally cute, such as un amour de bébé for 'a darling baby'.
- In French, mon amour is used regardless of the gender of the person being addressed, unlike mon chéri and ma chérie which must change to match the partner's gender.
- The word amour avoided the standard phonetic evolution from Latin, which would have turned it into ameur, likely due to the influence of Old Occitan.
Examples in context
- Tu es mon véritable amourYou are my true love
- Ma bien-aimée, je t'aime énormémentMy beloved, I love you immensely
- Je suis chanceux/se de t'avoir, ma moitiéI'm lucky to have you, my other half
- Elle est mon grand amour depuis l'enfance.She has been my true love since childhood.
- Je ne l'oublierai jamais, c'est mon grand amour.I will never forget her, she is my true love.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking about their relationship.
- NathanChloé, tu es mon grand amour.Chloé, you are my true love.
- ChloéC'est adorable, Nathan !That's adorable, Nathan!
- NathanJe t'aime plus que tout.I love you more than anything.
- ChloéMoi aussi, je t'aime.I love you too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amour, grand, mon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
