30 Most Common British Idioms & Phrases
How many British idioms do you know? How many of them do you use? Idioms are an important part of the language.
6 minute read
So you decided to learn French? You must be wondering why it is called the language of love.
Whether you are curious about the reason behind its title or not, eventually, you will come to realize that the French language earned this charming title for a reason.
If this article caught your attention, then it must mean that you want to improve your romance skills, apart from your French language knowledge.
Learning how to say I love you in French comes with all kinds of lessons – you should also learn how to call your loved ones, how to invite your crush on a date, how to tell your loved ones that you love them too… There’s plenty of ways to be romantic in life, but romance in French is on another level.
Stay tuned, and you’ll see it for yourself.
Let’s start with the essentials.
Romance Language
First things, first! Why is French called a Romance language? There are many reasons for it.
Romance language refers to the language group, where apart from French, there are Spanish, Italian, Portuguese etc.
These languages evolved from old Latin which is why they share some attributes, words, and grammar rules. Luckily for us, the sentence structure and grammar rules have been simplified making them easier to learn than Latin.
French is one of the most popular Romance languages. It is spoken by around 150 million people around the world, and it truly resembles other Romance languages. If you have ever tried learning Spanish and you had some French knowledge already, you know what I mean.
Another reason behind the title ‘Romance language’ is that French just sounds absolutely amazing!
There are not many people who can resist the charm of the French people. The rolling Rs, the nasal sounds, the attitude… So adorable, and it really makes your day better!
There’s one more reason, and it is something that all Romance languages share. They have a long history of expressing Courtly love.
By the way, you should also know that there is a difference between Courtly love and Romantic love in literature – as our main topic is the French language, we will discuss Courtly love today.
If you’ve never heard about it, stay with us a little bit longer.
It is a conception of love in medieval European literature. It focuses on nobility and chivalry of brave charming knights who performed thrilling adventures to express their courtly love and gain their lady's affection.
If these three reasons didn’t make you fall in love with French even more, then you will not resist what’s coming to you.
Related article: How to Say I Love You in 15 Different Languages
Before you learn how to say I love you in French, learn some dating expressions
I think it’s only natural you want to get to know someone before saying I love you to them, right?
For that, you will need to learn some essential dating phrases.
(Refresh your knowledge of the most common French phrases before you continue, so that you can keep up)
No matter if your date is at the movies, or a restaurant, you can replace those words easily with the adequate ones. The most important is to get the general gist of it. So let’s start.
Est-ce que tu es libre demain?
Are you free tomorrow?
Voudrais-tu aller au cinéma avec moi ce soir?
Would you like to go to the cinema with me tonight?
C’était une soirée magnifique, merci!
It was an amazing evening, thank you!
Tu es superbe!
You are amazing!
Tu es très belle ce soir!
You are very beautiful tonight.
Où est-ce qu’on se retrouve?
Where do we meet?
Je vais t’appeler.
I will call you.
Est-ce que je peux te donner un bise?
Can I kiss you?
Oui, je l’aimerais bien!
Yes, I would love that!
If you use these dating expressions to ask your Frenchie out, you will build a reputation for a charming person. Your date will be impressed with your rich vocabulary, with your charms and attitude. Most importantly, you will gain the confidence to ask them out for a second date.
French terms of endearment, or how to call your lover in French
You rocked your French conversation during your date night, and now you are together. Congratulations!
But you should know that the romance doesn’t stop there.
You should still continue charming your loved one and making them happy.
We don’t mean expensive gifts. We mean gestures.
One of the ways to make them happy every day is to call them by sweet names. How do the French do it? Very charmingly and smoothly!
- Mon amour
What a unique way to tell someone you love them. By calling them ‘my love.’ And if you do it in French… If you casually add ‘my love’ to your conversations, the odds will be in your favor, trust me.
- Ma/mon chéri(e)
Ma Chérie is what you use to say ‘My dear’ to girls. Mon cheri is for the guys. Both mean the same thing, though. My dear, my darling, my sweet… The point is the same. You love them, and you are not afraid to say it!
- Mon ange
You don’t hear this in English that often. At least I don’t hear it often… The meaning is ‘My angel’. You can use it for your loved one, but also for kids who are know for being little cute angels.
- Mon Coeur
It means ‘My heart’ or ‘My sweetheart’. This one’s my favorite! Doesn’t it sound so much better in French? Listen to this audio pronunciation and try it yourself.
- Mon trésor
My treasure. My precious. My gold. As the term ‘my treasure’ is not really used in English, I would go with ‘My precious’. Great thing about this is that you can use it for friends, family and your lover. It’s up to you.
- Ma moitié
This means ‘my half’ but let’s translate it as ‘my other half’ as it sounds more natural in English. You can use this while you’re talking about your boyfriend or girlfriend to someone else.
- Mon rêve
It means that your significant other is your dream, something you’ve always wanted and dreamed of. So romantic, right? If you roll your R when you say ‘Mon rêve’ you will leave everyone speechless.
- Ma raison d’être
My reason for being. What’s amazing about this term is that everything and everyone can be your ‘reason d’être’. It’s a unique way of expressing your love for someone.
- L’amour de ma vie
This title should be deserved. By telling someone they are ‘l’amour de ta vie’ you are telling them that they are the life of your life. If that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is!
Telling a boy or a girl those three words
The moment has come. You feel it. You want to show it.
But you also want to express it with words.
French words!
Your loved one deserves to hear those three words in their native language. It is a real proof that you care.
Je t’aime – I love you
Je t’adore – somewhere between I like you and I love you
Je t’aime beaucoup – I love you a lot
Je t’aime pour toujours – I will love you forever
Je t’aime aussi – I love you too (this is what you want to hear them say back)
Je t’aime plus (and you can add que/qu’ + name or qu’avant, qu’hier, que l’année dernière) – I love you more than…
*plus can mean ‘more’ but also ‘not anymore’.
To say ‘more’, you pronounce the ‘s’ at the end of ‘plus’. To say ‘not anymore’, you don’t pronounce this ‘s’.
Je t'aime énormément – I love you very much
Je t’aime plus que tout – I love you more than anything
Je t’aime mon amour – I love you, my love
Je t’aime à la folie – I love you like crazy
Je suis amoureux/amoureuse de toi – I am in love with you (amoureux – if you are a guy, amoureuse – if you’re a girl)
Je suis fou/folle de toi – I am crazy about you (fou – guy, folle – girl)
Je t’ai dans la peau – I have you under my skin (dans means in, but I have you in my skin is not quite English, is it?)
Tu me rends tellement heureux/heureuse – You make me very happy (heureux – boy, heureuse – girl)
Tu me plais – I like you
Tu es l’amour de ma vie – You are the love of my life
And how to say I love you to family members and friends?
Friends and family members are the most important people in your life. They also deserve an ‘I love you’ from time to time.
Since they know you’ve been working hard on your French skills, I am sure they would be eager to hear you roll those Rs and rock that accent in front of them.
Make their day by telling them that you love them in French.
Share a kind word now and then with them; they will love it, and they will be very proud!
Maybe you have some French friends already? You might move to a French-speaking country soon, so why not be ready for the moment where you want to tell your French friends how you feel.
Je t’aime – I love you
Je t’adore – somewhere between I like you and I love you
Je t’aime beaucoup – I love you very much
Je t’aime bien – I like you so much
Je t’aime aussi – I love you too
Romantic vocabulary to up your French game
Tomber amoureux/amoureuse – to fall in love (amoureux – man, amoureuse – woman)
Coup de foudre – love at first sight
Un câlin – hug, cuddle
La Saint-Valentin - St. Valentine’s Day
Les fiançailles - engagement
Une alliance – marriage (union, alliance, matrimony, agreement)
Les noces, le marriage – marriage
La lune de miel – Honeymoon
Un mari, un époux - husband
Une femme, une épouse - wife
Un fiancé – same in English, your fiancé who is a guy
Une fiancée – same in English, your fiancée who is a girl
Un copain - boyfriend
Une copaine - girlfriend
Galocher – to French kiss
Sortir avec – to go out with
Final thoughts
You must be thinking: Wow, this language is very rich and abundant!
And you are right.
French is one of the oldest languages in the world, a language with a big cultural heritage and a lot of history.
There was a lot of outside influence, a lot of inner changes, too, that have led to the French language being what it is today — a very complex and outstanding language.
If your native language doesn’t have as wide a romantic vocabulary, I am sure you will appreciate French even more for its richness and beauty.
With the help of this article and other audio language resources, you will be one step closer to speaking fluent French, but there’s nothing better than to speak with native speakers before charming your loved ones.
Justlearn French tutors are at your disposal, so start implementing new French words today already.
