FAQs about love in French

Of course they do. Only very rarely. The French are known for being physically affectionate with their spouses in public, so why are they shy to profess their love for each other in words?

French culture can be very direct for many things. However, it can also be very roundabout for many others. Saying “I love you” to your spouse, partner, and even children is something that doesn’t happen nearly as often as you’d expect it to if you grew up in the United States.

Part of the reason why they have to take a circuitous route to arrive at the famous three words is because they don’t have a verb that strictly means “love.” Of course, as you know, the verb aimer can mean ‘love.’ But it can also mean ‘like.’

So, when you hear a French person say something like “J’aime le sport”, they’re not exaggerating by saying that they love sports. They simply mean that they like sports, which is the other meaning of the verb aimer.

So, French people tend to express love in alternative ways, like with small gestures and by using cute pet names to refer to their loved ones.

J’adore translates literally to “I adore.” However, in French, it’s really used more as a slight step-down from j’aime when you want to say that you like something.

For example, let’s say you really enjoy going to the movies, but you wouldn’t go as far as saying that you love cinema. In this case, you can say j’adore le cinéma. It’s sort of an intermediate level between j’aime bien le cinéma and j’aime le cinéma.

If the love is requited, you can respond with je t’aime aussi or moi aussi, je t’aime.

However, if you don’t love the person back, or are simply not ready to utter those words, we got you. Here are some ways you can respond when someone says je t’aime to you:

English

French

IPA Spelling

Pronunciation

I like hearing you say that

J’adore t’entendre dire ça

ʒadɔʁ tɑ̃tɑ̃dʁə diʁ sa

Zha-door tahn-tahn-druh deer sa

Are you serious?

Vraiment ?

vʁɛmɑ̃ |

vreh-meh

You’re driving me crazy

Tu me rends fou/folle

ty mə ʁɑ̃ fɔl

Too muh rahn foll

I am touched, but I don’t feel that way

Je suis touché(e), mais je ne me sens pas comme ça

ʒə sɥi tuʃe | mɛ ʒə nə mə sɑ̃s pa kɔm sa

Zhe soo-ees too-sheh, meh zhe nuh muh sah pah come sah

I would have loved for things to be different, but I don’t love you back

J'aurais aimé que les choses soient autrement, mais je ne t’aime pas en retour

ʒoʁɛ eme kə le ʃoz swa otʁəmɑ̃ | mɛ ʒə nə tɛm pa ɑ̃ ʁətuʁ

Zho-ree-eh eh-may kuh leh shos swa oh-tray-meh, meh zhe nuh tem pah eh ruh-toor

Now you’re ready to conquer love, in French!

And that’s a wrap! Now you’re familiar with well over a hundred ways to declare affection and adoration in French (141, to be exact!). From things like I love you very much in French, to more risky phrases like asking someone to marry you in French, you’re now ready to conquer all romantic endeavors!

We hope you found this blog helpful! If you’re a hopeless romantic, now you won’t be stuck wondering “how do you say I love you too in French?” Now you’ve got all the tools you need to navigate any romantic endeavors in French.

As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions about learning French or any other language. You can also check out our French blog for many more resources on learning French.

Thanks for reading through to the end! Berlitz vous aime!