The most romantic thing to say in French also happens to be the simplest and most straightforward thing to say.
It’s “I love you.”
There are actually many different ways to say I love you in French. Sure, you could simply say, “I love you,” but where’s the fun in that? French isn’t considered the most romantic language in the world for nothing.
I’ve compiled a list of 13 French phrases you can use when you want to say I love you in French. Use them to sweep that special someone off their feet or incorporate them into your text messages and love letters.
I’ve also included a short video of my daughter and I acting out how to pronounce each phrase. Don’t judge; it was for fun.
Throughout this article, I use informal preposition for you “Tu,” rather than the formal version “Vous” because that’s how you would say it in real life to someone whom you are romantically in love with or someone whom you are close to.
Informal French =”Je t’aime.”
Formal French = “Je vous aime.”
How to say I love you in French: “Je t’aime.”
According to Google, the French love phrase “Je t’aime” (French for I love you) is the most requested translation in French right after “bonjour” (hello).
Why is je t’aime so popular?
Your guess is as good as mine, but I think it’s because “Je t’aime” is one of the simplest and surest ways to profess your love to someone in French.
French is one of several romance languages that not only sounds beautiful but has long been associated with romance and idealized as the language of love.
Pssst, download this free printable Google translate greeting card: I Love You Passionately.
Here’s how to say I love you in French: 13 different ways.
You might like to read this post about kissing: Bisous:👄The many ways to say kiss me in French & French Kiss!
1. I LOVE YOU
Je t’aime:
/zhuh-tem/
How to pronounce Je t’aime:
To correctly say “Je” (I) in French, you have to say it using a sound that doesn’t really exist (that I know of) in the English language.
- The incorrect way: Je is not pronounced with a hard “J” like in the words Jagger or jump.
- The correct way: Je is pronounced with a soft “J” like in the following words: Beijing, Jacques Cousteau and Zsa Zsa Gábor.
The French verb “AiMER” has a dual meaning: Like and love
In English, it’s easy to differentiate between love and like because there are two different verbs for these two sentiments.
In French, however, there is only one verb, “AIMER,” which can mean both LIKE and LOVE, depending on how you construct the French phrase and the context, which we’ll review in my examples below.
Adding certain adverbs in front of the verb “Aimer” changes the nuance and meaning from “love” to “like.”
- “Je t’aime bien: /zhuh-tem bee-yen/: would generally translate to “I like you” or “I care for you” rather than “I love you.” The adverb “bien,” which means well or good, softens the intensity of the affection.
- Je t’aime beaucoup: /zhuh-tem boo-coo/: literally translates to “I love you very much,” but can also mean “I like you a lot” in certain situations because adding the adverb “beaucoup” shifts the emphasis from deep romantic love to strong liking or affection.
If you need to tell someone you love them without implying that you’re in love with them, like a sibling or close friend, you could use the adverb “bien” or “beaucoup.” But don’t use it with someone whom you are romantically involved with.
For example:
- If you tell a family member (brother, sister, parents) “je t’aime beaucoup,” you’re telling them you love them very much. This is perfect because it’s implied that it’s not in a romantic way.
- If you tell someone you are romantically involved with (husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc.), “Je t’aime beaucoup,” you’re actually saying I like you very much.
You might be interested to learn:
The best way to say I love you is to say, “Je t’aime.” However, if you want to express to someone you love them a lot, use the following French love phrases.
2. I Love you so much or I Love you a lot
Je t’aime tellement
/zhuh-tem tell-mawhn/
As I mentioned above, the adverb “beaucoup” means “a lot” or “very much,” but you should never tell someone you are passionately in love with “je t’aime beaucoup” because adding this adverb to the front of the verb”aimer” shifts the emphasis from deep romantic love to a strong liking or affection.
Instead, you should use the adverb “tellement.”
“Beaucoup” and “tellement” are both adverbs in French that indicate a high degree or intensity, but they are used in slightly different contexts:
- “Beaucoup”: This adverb translates to “a lot” or “much” in English. It’s commonly used to express quantity, extent, or intensity. For example, “J’aime beaucoup ce film” means “I like this movie a lot.”
- “Tellement”: This adverb translates to “so much” or “so” in English. It’s used to emphasize the degree of something. For example, “Il est tellement intelligent” means “He is so intelligent.”
3. I love you strongly, or I love you very much
Je t’aime très fort:
/zhuh-tem tray-fore/
“Très fort” literally means “very strong,” and when you tack it on to the end of the phrase (Je t’aime), as in “Je t’aime très fort,” it means: “I love you very strongly,” but can also translate to I love you so much, I love you very much, I really love you.
4. I love you like crazy
Je t’aime à la folie:
/zhuh-tem-ah-law-foe-lee/
“La folie” literally means madness, so when you say I love you in French, using “Je t’aime a la folie” adds a touch of whimsy and drama.
It’s like saying you love someone like crazy, madly or insanely. In other words, your love is deep, it goes beyond the ordinary, and is almost irrational.
5. I love you with all my heart
Je t’aime de tout mon Coeur:
/zhuh-tem-duh-too-moan-kur/
The interesting thing about this French phrase is that it uses “de tout mon cœur” instead of “avec tout mon cœur.” Although both phrases mean “with all my heart,” the choice of a preposition (“de” or “avec”) influences the tone and nuance of the expression.
“De tout mon cœur” (with all my heart) Implies that love emanates from within the heart itself and is felt intensely.
The preposition “de,” which on its own means “of,” is often used to convey origin, possession, or intensity.
“Avec tout mon cœur” (with all my heart) emphasizes how love is given or expressed – as if the heart is a vessel or tool for expressing affection.
The preposition “Avec,” which translates to “with,” highlights how the sentiment is conveyed.
Ultimately, both expressions convey profound love, but “Je t’aime de tout mon cœur” offers a slightly different shade of emotional emphasis, focusing on the essence of love emerging from the heart itself.
6. My love for you is limitless” or “My love for you is without limits.”
Je t’aime d’un amour sans limite:
/zhuh-tem-dun-ah-moor-san-limit/
If you want to express that your love for someone is infinite and limitless, add “sans limite” which can be translated to mean several things, including…
- Without limits.
- Limitless.
- Boundless.
- Knows no limits.
7. I love you to the moon and back
Je t’aime jusqu’à la lune et le retour:
/zhuh-tem-zhuska-lah-lune-ay-luh-ruh-tour/
If you say this in French, you might get a comical look because this is NOT a common French phrase. Nevertheless, I included it because I think it’s so poetic.
The interesting thing about “I Love You to the Moon and Back” is that it uses hyperbole by exaggerating the intensity of love by suggesting a love transcending immense distances and barriers.
No one is sure of the origins of this hyperbolic expression; however, we do know how it became so popular. In 1994, Sam McBratney wrote a children’s book titled “Guess How Much I Love You.” The story features a conversation between a parent and a child rabbit, who express their love by trying to outdo each other with grand declarations.
8. I’ll love you forever and always
Je t’aime pour toujours et a jamais:
/zhuh-tem-poor-too-zhure-ay-zha-may/
This French I love you phrase is a bit of a paradox.
Although it’s commonly understood to mean “I’ll love you forever and always,” or “I’ll love you forever and ever,” when taken literally, the phrase means “I’ll love you for always and never” because…
- “Pour toujour”=(forever) or (for always)
- “jamais” =(never)
This paradoxical twist of this linguistic quirk adds a touch of irony, complexity and charm to the phrase’s declaration of eternal love, playing with the juxtaposition of “always” and “never.”
90. I love you more than anyone has ever loved
Je t’aime comme personne n’a jamais aimé:
/zhuh-tem-come-pair-son-nah-zhamay-em-ay/
Like a scene out of that 80s American soap opera “Knots Landin,” tell them you love them as no one has ever been loved before. It’s a playful and heart-stirring way of declaring that your love isn’t just ordinary; it’s an adventure that no one has ever embarked upon quite like this.
10. I love you more than life
Je t’aime plus que la vie:
/zhuh-tem-ploos-kuh-la-vee/
Telling someone “I love you more than life” is a very intimate way to tell someone “I love you in French.”
It’s like saying they are the melody to your song of existence, the very heartbeat that makes your world come alive. – it’s a playful and heartfelt way to emphasize your deep affection and unwavering commitment.
11. I’ll love you for eternité
je t’aime pour l’éternité:
/zhuh-tem-poor-lay-tear-knee-tay/
Use this French phrase if you want to tell someone that your love for them knows no bounds and will endure forever, and ever, and ever, and ever.
12. I’ll love you until my last breath or dying breath
Je t’aimerai jusqu’à mon dernier souffle:
/zhe-tem-err-ay-zhewss-ka-moan-dare-nyair-soofluh/
Straight out of a Tella Novella, this romantic French phrase encapsulates the idea that love endures through all circumstances, even until your very last breath.
13. I love you to death
je t’aime a mourir:
/zhuh-tem-ah-moo-rear/
Using this phrase translates to “I love you to death” or “I love you so much that it kills me.” The use of “à mourir” (to death) adds a touch of passion and vulnerability, turning the act of loving into a metaphor for the intensity of emotion.
Infographic of the 13 ways to say I love you in French
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