Talking about love...
Je t’aime. Lovely, famous words. So you probably already know how to say, “I love you” (and may be hoping to use that phrase some day), but do you know how to say, “I have fallen in love with Henri”? We’re going to learn all the ins and outs of love―l’amour― in today’s blog.
Expressing Love
I love you―aimer (both to love and to like)
Je t’aime, ma chérie.
I love you, my darling/dear.
Je t’aime de tout mon cœur.
I love you with all my heart.
Comme je vous aime, mes chers enfants.
How I love you, my dear children.
Je t‘aimerai toujours.
I will love you forever/always.
Eh bien, il l’aime.
Well, he loves her.
Alors, tu l’aimes?
So, do you love her?
That was pretty straight forward. Obviously, je t'aimerai toujours is future tense. Don't forget the word order with the direct object pronoun coming before the verb. The next part is only slightly trickier.
I like you―aimer (both to love and to like)
OK, so if je t’aime means, “I love you”, how do I say, “I like you”?
This is subtle. You have to add an adverb to communicate that you like someone rather than that you are in romantic love with them. In addition, as you would guess, context―who you are talking to under what circumstance―means a lot.
Je t’aime bien.
I like you so much.
Je t’aime beaucoup.
I like you a lot.
Obviously there are many ways that not paying attention to this subtlety could get you in deep trouble. Here’s a couple of alternatives using different verbs:
Je t’apprecie beaucoup.
I like you so much. (Lit. I appreciate you so much.)
Tu me plais bien.
I quite like you. I’m quite attracted to you. (Lit. You please me well.)
You have to add an adverb to communicate that you like someone rather than that you are in romantic love with them.
To be in love with―être amoureux/amoureuse de
Je suis amoureux de Arielle. (masculine speaker)
I am in love with Arielle. (Literal translation: I am loving of Arielle.)
Je suis amoureuse de Henri. (feminine speaker)
I am in love with Henri. (Literal translation: I am loving of Henri.)
Notice that the French do not say, ”in” love, because amoureux/amoureuse are adjectives that also require agreement with the subject je. Also note that the French use de rather than avec.
Like English speakers, the French also talk about “falling” in love. But the same rules apply. (However, Canadiens speaking the Canadian version of French, quebecois, do say tomber en amour avec…)
To fall in love with―tomber amoureux/amoureuse de
Je suis tombé amoureux de toi. (masculine speaker)
I have fallen in love with you.
Je suis tombé amoureux d'Arielle. (masculine speaker)
I have fallen in love with Arielle.
(Apparently "you" got dumped for "Arielle".)
Je suis tombée amoureuse de Thomas. (feminine speaker)
I have fallen in love with Henri.
Elle est tombée amoureuse de Bernard.
She has fallen in love with Henri.
Note the agreement of tombé/tombée with the gender of the subject.
More Intimate Expressions Of Love
There’s no one on the planet who doesn’t understand that sex is a part of love. Well… almost no one. We are all interested in learning how to handle a discussion of sex tastefully and delicately.
Tu veux faire l’amour?
Do you want to make love?
Je veux coucher avec elle ce soir.
I want to sleep with her tonight.
J’ai rêvé de te faire l’amour.
I have dreamed of making love to you.
Une Chanson d'Amour
Je t'aime - Lara Fabian
Lyrics below in French & English
Français
D'accord, il existait
D'autres façons de se quitter
Quelques éclats de verre
Auraient peut-être pu nous aider
Dans ce silence amer
J'ai décidé de pardonner
Les erreurs qu'on peut faire
À trop s'aimer
D'accord, la petite fille
En moi souvent te réclamait
Presque comme une mère
Tu me bordais, me protégeais
Je t'ai volé ce sang
Qu'on aurait pas dû partager
À bout de mots, de rêves
Je vais crier
Je t'aime, je t'aime
Comme un fou, comme un soldat
Comme une star de cinéma
Je t'aime, je t'aime
Comme un loup, comme un roi
Comme un homme que je ne suis pas
Tu vois, je t'aime comme ça
D'accord je t'ai confié
Tous mes sourires, tous mes secrets
Même ceux dont seul un frère
Est le gardien inavoué
Dans cette maison de pierre
Satan nous regardait danser
J'ai tant voulu la guerre
De corps qui se faisaient la paix
English
I admit (~okay), there existed
Other ways for us to leave each other
A few shards of glass
Might have helped us
In this bitter silence
I decided to forgive
The mistakes we can make
Loving too much
I admit often the little girl
In me requested you
Almost like a mother
You tucked me in, protected me
I stole from you this blood
That we never should have shared
Lost for words, for dreams
I will scream
I love you, I love you
Like a fool, like a soldier
Like a movie star
I love you, I love you
Like a wolf, like a king
Like a man that I am not
You see, I love you like that
I admit I confided in you
All my smiles, all my secrets
Even those for which only a brother
Is the undeclared guardian
In this house of stone
Satan was watching us dance
I so wanted a war
Of bodies that made the peace to each other
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