When you think of love, France seems to be the place people associate it with. I mean, Paris is known as the city of love! From the French kiss to holding hands down the Champs-Élysée, the French language is certainly one of the best languages to express endearment towards the one you care about.
Its fluidity and beautiful melodic rhythm can soothe anyone in the right situation.
To help out those who are learning French or those who want to get a taste of French, this article was designed to go over important vocabulary words, phrases, and terms related to love.
At the very bottom, there are terms of endearment. Don’t be shy, keep reading.
FRENCH TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
Just as in English, there are many cute nicknames you can come up with to address your love. Here’s just a few of them I decided to share. Make sure that the gender of the word agrees with the gender of the person you’re talking to.
WOMEN ONLY TERMS:
Ma belle: my beautiful
Ma petite: my little love
Ma biche: my doe (common)
Ma bichette: my little doe
Ma chère: my dear
MEN ONLY TERMS:
Mon amour: my love
Mon chéri: my dear
Mon chou: my sweetheart
Mon chèr: my dear
GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMS OF ENDEARMENT:
These terms can be used for anyone!
Mon chou: my sweetheart / sweetie (literally: my cabbage)
Ma puce: my sweetheart (literally: my flea)
Mon cœur: my love (literally: my heart)
Mon trésor: my treasure
Mon ange: my angel
Mon canard: my little duck
Mon bébé: my baby
FRENCH LOVE TERMS, WORDS, PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS
Now we’re going to talk about some love terms and phrases in French.
Keep in mind that some of the verbs need to be conjugated, and some adjectives need to agree with the gender of the speaker: (m) = a masculine noun and (f) = a feminine one. So, some parts of the list may require a certain level of French understanding.
Tu m’aimes? / Est-ce que tu m’aimes?
Do you love me?
Je t’aime (juh tehm)
I love you
Je n’aime que toi (juh nem kuh twah)
I only love you
Aimer, adorer, kiffer (slang)
To love / To adore (the verb)
L’amour
Love (noun)
NOTE: if said incorrectly this word can be misunderstood for “la mort” which means death… so… um… don’t mess this up! Elongate the “ooooueeerr” portion to avoid confusion.
A lover on the side: un amant (m), une maîtresse (f)(France), une amante (f)(Canadian French)
To be single: célibataire
To have a date with (name of person): avoir un rendez-vous avec (name of person)
Example sentence: j’ai un rendez-vous avec Michelle, on va regarder Netflix chez elle.
To be seeing someone / dating: sortir avec…
Boyfriend / girlfriend: petit ami / petite amie
NOTE: The terms mon copain and ma copine are also commonly used to signify a boyfriend or girlfriend even though they’re traditionally translated as “friend” in English
To be in love with…: être amoureux de…
To fall in love with…: tomber amoureux de…
Love at first sight: un coup de foudre (literally: a strike of lightning)
Madly in love: fou d’amour
To flirt / make a move / come on to: draguer, flirter avec…
To kiss somebody: donner (quelqu’un) un bisou; embrasser
To hug somebody: serrer (dans les bras) [family members / for comfort];embrasser
NOTE: Embrasser means both to hug and to kiss in French. This can only be sorted out through context. The other example given is a comforting hug without any romantic intent behind it – kind of when you hug someone going through tough times. We don’t hug a lot in France between friends, rather we use the bise.
To cuddle: faire un câlin
To make out with…: s’embrasser (in the meaning to kiss each other passionately), se rouler une pelle (colloquial), peloter (slang/sexual touching implied), se galocher (colloquial, probably not used everywhere).
To have sex / make love: faire l’amour; baiser (slang & somewhat offensive)
My first time: ma première fois (there’s a funny song about this)
To break up (relationship): rompre / casser
My Ex: mon ex (m)(f)
To get back together / make-up: faire la paix; se réconcilier
A love triangle: triangle amoureux
A love affair (person): une aventure
A love affair (activity): une passion
To marry: épouser; se marier
Do you want to marry me? veux-tu m’epouser
NOTE: you should respond with a say “YES”
My fiance: mon fiancé (male); ma fiancée (female)
Engagement ring: une bague des fiançailles
Wedding ring: une bague; un anneau
A marriage: un mariage
Honeymoon: lune de miel
Honeymoon trip: voyage de noces
My husband: mon mari; mon époux (legal terminology)
My wife: ma femme; ma marie; ma épouse (legal terminology)
