je t'aime
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
The English phrase 'te amo' translates to je t'aime in French.
je t'aime is used to tell someone that you love them. There are several ways to express different levels of affection: Je t'aime beaucoup means 'I love you a lot' and acts as a slightly softer alternative to the standard expression. For intense admiration or liking without the weight of romantic love, you can use the informal Je t'adore. If you want to say 'I cherish you', use Je te chéris. To express being in love, men say Je suis amoureux de toi and women say Je suis amoureuse de toi.
Which one should you use?
While je t'aime expresses romantic love, adding the adverb 'bien' to create je t'aime bien actually weakens the meaning to 'I like you'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒə t‿ɛm/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use te amo to express love in French. That phrase is Spanish. In French, you should use je t'aime.
Did you know?
- While je t'aime is the standard, poets like Victor Hugo often used the more archaic or formal je vous aime to convey a love that is both passionate and respectful.
- The verb in je t'aime comes from the Latin 'amare', which is the same root that gives English the word 'amorous'.
- When responding to je t'aime, French speakers often use the phrase moi aussi, which literally means 'me too' rather than 'I love you too'.
Examples in context
- Je t'aime de tout mon cœur.I love you with all my heart.
- Je t'aime beaucoup, ma chérie.I love you a lot, my darling.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are saying goodbye before work.
- LucasPasse une bonne journée, Chloé.Have a good day, Chloé.
- ChloéMerci, toi aussi !Thank you, you too!
- LucasJe t'aime.I love you.
- ChloéJe t'aime aussi, Lucas.I love you too, Lucas.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry je t'aime, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
