With French being the language of love, and Paris the city of romance, you know that there are going to be some fabulous romantic French phrases and proverbs out there.
As someone who came to France as a singleton, did the whole “meeting a Frenchie” and getting married, I really enjoyed writing this article. Whether you are looking to meet someone, already in a relationship, or getting married, there is something for everyone.
From compliments to “I love you”s in French, there are some beautiful expressions, cheesy ones, and certainly some heartfelt ones. So allons-y and let’s get started!
☞ READ MORE: Top French travel phrases for every occasion
I. “I Love You” in French
Poetic and passionate, there are many different ways to say “I love you” in French.
| French Love Phrases | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Je t’adore | I adore you. |
| Je t’aime. | I love you. |
| Je t’aime très fort. | I love you very much. |
| Je t’aime beaucoup. | I love you so much. |
| Je t’aimerai jusqu’à mon dernier souffle. | I love you till my last breath. |
| je t’aime pour l’éternité. | I love you till eternity. |
| Je t’aime pour toujours et a jamais. | I love you forever and always. |
| Je t’aime de tout mon coeur. | I love you will all my heart. |
| Moi aussi, je t’aime. | Me too, I love you too. |
| Tu es l’amour de ma vie. | You’re the love of my life. |
And then there are of course all the ways to say “I love you” without saying “I love you”.
| French Love Phrases without the word “love” | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Je pense toujours à toi. | I always think of you. |
| Tu me manques. | I miss you. |
| Je ne peux pas vivre sans toi. | I can’t live without you. |
| Je ne supporte pas d’être loin de toi. | I cannot bear to be far from you. |
| Je suis amoureux(euse) de toi. | I am in love with you. |
| Je ne supporte pas d’être séparé(e) de toi. | I cannot stand to be away from you. |
| Je pense à toi tout le temps. | I think of you all the time. |
| L’amour est plus fort que tout. | Love is stronger than anything. |
| Je veux être avec toi. | I want to be with you. |
If you want to go a step further and quote sweet nothings to your loved one, here are some sweet and romantic French terms of endearment.
II. Flirty Phrases
However, if you are just starting off, imagine you are at a dinner party or a night out in a bar in Paris, and you catch the eye of someone special. A few flirty phrases and ice breakers in French will definitely come in handy:
| Flirty French Phrases | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Je peux vous offrir un verre? | Can I offer you a drink? |
| Vous venez souvent ici? | Do you come here often? |
| Tu me fais tourner la tête. | You make my head spin. |
| Quand te reverrai-je ? | When will I see you again? |
| Tu es un beau parleur ! | You are a smooth-talker! |
| Tu fais battre mon cœur. | You set my heart racing. |
| Tu me brise le cœur. | You are breaking my heart. |
| Fais-moi un calin. | Give me a hug. |
| J’ai besoin d’un calin. | I need a hug. |
| J’en pince pour toi. | I have a crush on you. |
I wouldn’t recommend going overboard, but you can find more pick-up lines, good and bad here.
III. Compliments in French
Once you’ve gotten in a couple of ice-breakers, it may be time to amp up the flirt-o-meter.
Just because French people don’t date much, it doesn’t mean that they are not prepared to spout out a few declarations of amour. French people tend to like subtlety so keep your French romantic phrases real.
| Compliments in French | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Tu as de beaux yeux. | You have beautiful eyes. |
| Tu es très jolie. | You are pretty. |
| Tu es mignon(ne). | You are cute. |
| Tu es belle. | You are beautiful. (female) |
| J’adore ton sourire. | I love your smile. |
| Tu es charmante. | You are charming. |
IV. Dating, Kissing, and Relationships Expressions
Once you are past the basics, here are a few good French relationship expressions to launch into that phase of “dating”. I have to put dating here in quotes because French people don’t really do dating.
After seeing someone a couple of times and a couple of kisses, French people usually consider themselves to be “en couple” (in a relationship). Yes, really.
So for instance, I’ve included the question “Will you be my boy/girlfriend?” but most French couples never actually ask each other this question. It tends to go without saying, and the next thing you know the couple is moving in together and having a baby.
There are times when you have an important question to ask:
| French Questions for Dating & Relationships | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Tu veux sortir avec moi? | Will you go out (on a date) with me? |
| Est-ce que tu m’aimes ? | Do you like me? |
| Veux-tu être mon copain/mec/petit-ami? | Would you like to be my boyfriend? |
| Veux-tu être ma copine/petite-amie? | Would you like to be my girlfriend? |
Now, if you are on the receiving end and looking to answer yes (with a bit of passion) to any of these questions, you can say:
| French Phrases for Dating & Relationships | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Je suis fou/folle de toi. | I am mad about you. |
| J’ai envie de toi. | I want you. |
| J’ai besoin de toi. | I need you. |
| J’ai des sentiments pour toi. | I feel something for you. |
| Je veux te serrer contre toi. | I want to hold you close to me. |
| Embrasse-moi. | Kiss me. |
| Fais-moi l’amour. | Make love to me. |
| Je veux vivre avec toi. | I want to live with you. |
| Prends-moi dans tes bras. | Take me in your arms. |
And there are the phrases for all the times you want to give someone the brush-off:
| French Phrases to say you are unavailable | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Non, merci. | No, thank you. |
| Je suis en couple. | I’m in a relationship. |
| C’est mon mec/compagnon. | That’s my boyfriend. |
| C’est ma copine/compagne. | That’s my girlfriend. |
V. The Platonic “I like you” in French
One thing to be aware of is the phrase “Je t’aime bien“, which means “I like you a lot”. However, it means I like you a lot, and not particularly in a romantic sense! This is what you might say to someone you might be turning down, as in “Je t’aime bien, mais j’ai déjà une copine“, meaning “I like you a lot, but I already have a girlfriend”.
Instead, you want to say “Je t’aime beaucoup” meaning, “I like you a lot”, if you want to tell someone you are interested in them.
VI. Romantic Expressions
Now, if you planning on popping the big question and asking someone to marry you, you may need a few good French phrases to prepare for your proposal.
| Romantic French Phrases | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Tu me rends heureux (euse). | You make me happy. |
| Tu es ma joie de vivre. | You’re the joy of my life. |
| Je veux te demander en mariage | I want to ask you to marry me |
| Je suis à toi. | I am yours. |
| Tu représentes tellement pour moi. | You mean so much to me. |
| Veux-tu m’épouser ? | Will you marry me? |
| Veux-tu être ma femme? | Will you be my wife? |
| Oui, je t’épouserai | Yes, I will marry you. |
| Tu es l’amour de ma vie. | You are the love of my life. |
| Tu fais partie de moi. | You are a part of me. |
| Nous sommes faits l’un pour l’autre. | We are meant for each other. |
| Je t’aime de tout mon cœur. | I love you with all my heart. |
| Je t’aime pour toujours. | I love you forever. |
| Je t’appartiens. | I belong to you. |
| Je veux être avec toi pour toujours. | I want to be with you forever. |
| Je veux passer ma vie avec toi. | I want a lifetime with you. |
| Nous vivons d’amour et d’eau fraîche. | We will live on love and freshwater (famous french love quote). |
And here are some phrases for when you are talking about your partner to someone else:
| Romantic French Phrases | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Je vais me marier! | I’m getting married! |
| Elle est ma fiancée. | She is my fiancée. |
| Il est mon fiancé. | He is my fiancé. |
| J’ai trouvé le grand amour. | I found true love. |
Now, if you are planning to propose to your significant other, do check out my article on a traditional French wedding, as well as my tips on having that wedding in a château (why not!?).
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La Vie en Rose Pink | Art Poster
VII. Other Romance Vocabulary
Beyond the phrases, there is are certain words and phrases that just enthuse love and romance.
- amour d’adolescent – puppy love
- amour de ma vie – love of my life
- amoureux / amoureuse – boyfriend / girlfriend
- avoir le cœur brisé – to be brokenhearted
- bisous – kiss
- célibataire – single
- choper – to pick up
- craquer pour quelqu’un – to fall for someone
- déclarer sa flamme – to declare your love
- des bijoux – jewellery
- des bonbons – candy
- des fleurs – flowers
- des mots doux – sweet nothings
- des tourtereaux – lovebirds
- désirer – to desire
- draguer (slang) – to hit on
- du parfum – perfume
- embrasser – to kiss
- éperdument amoureux – lovestruck
- épouser – to marry
- faire l’amour – to make love
- faire un câlin – to hug
- flirter – to flirt
- fou d’amour – madly in love
- jaloux / jalouse – jealous
- l’âme sœur – soulmate
- l’amour – love
- l’epoux/epouse – spouse
- la lune de miel – honeymoon
- la passion – passion
- la piece montée – the cake at a traditional French wedding
- la Saint-Valentin – St. Valentine’s Day
- la tendresse – tenderness, affection
- le cœur – the heart
- le grand amour – true love
- le mariage – marriage
- les fiançailles – engagement
- les noces – wedding
- ma femme – my wife
- mon mari – my husband
- murmurer des mots doux – to whisper sweet nothings
- se fiancer – to get engaged
- se marier – to get married
- se pacser – to enter in a civil partnership (a particular legal status in France)
- se tenir la main – to hold hands
- son premier amour – first love
- sortir avec quelqu’un – to date somebody
- tenir une promesse – to keep a promise
- tomber amoureux (de) – to fall in love (with)
- tomber sous le charme de quelqu’un – to fall under the spell of somebody
- un amant, une amante – lover
- un amour éternel – endless love
- un baiser – a kiss
- un câlin – cuddle, hug
- un coup de foudre – love at first sight (lightening strike)
- un dîner aux chandelles – a candlelit dinner
- un nid d’amour – a love nest
- un triangle amoureux – love triangle
- un voyage de noces – honeymoon
- un(e) copain(e) – boyfriend/girlfriend
- un(e) fiancé(e) – fiancé
- une alliance – a wedding ring
- une bague de fiançailles – an engagement ring
- une déclaration d’amour – declaration of love
- une histoire d’amour – a love story
- une liaison – love affair
- une preuve d’amour – a proof of love
☞ READ MORE: French views on love & love-making
So have you found the French words to sweep that special someone off their feet? If you enjoyed that article, you may want to read more about the romantic nicknames French people give each other. A bientôt!
I love this post! It’s so romantic and I can’t wait to try out some of these phrases!