Whether you're writing a love letter or saying je t'aime to your partner, French offers a multitude of words and expressions to express your love. Discover the different ways of saying je t'aime in French. Beware of a trap that English speakers fall into. In French, we can say "je t'aime" and "je vous aime". Both will be translated as "I love you", but they are not used in the same way. 

What is the meaning of "I love you"?

"Je t'aime" means "I love you" in English. It's an expression used to express feelings of love towards someone. However, "je t'aime" can have a different meaning depending on the context and the relationship between the people involved.

Expressed to one's spouse, je t'aime indicates a deep, romantic and passionate feeling of love. Here, je t'aime can be translated as "I love you". 

Expressed to a friend or family member, "je t'aime" in French indicates a feeling of attraction, affection or friendship. In English, it's translated as "I like you".

To avoid any ambiguity, you can also use the expression "je t'aime bien" in French.

"I love you" or "I like you", don't make the mistake!

"Je t'aime" expresses a feeling of deep, intense love or friendship for someone.

"Je t'aime bien" expresses a slightly less intense but sincere feeling of affection or friendship.

"I love you" is often used to express romantic feelings between two lovers, while "I like you" is often used to express feelings of friendship or strong affection for a friend.

Be careful not to say "I like you" to your lover, he might take it the wrong way 😳

How to write "I love you" or "je t'aime" correctly?

Sometimes non-French speakers (and even French speakers) misspell je t'aime or je vous aime. They add an "s" to "aime" and therefore write "je vous aimes" or "je t'aimes" ❌

They mistakenly think that the verb "to love" should be conjugated in the second person singular or plural, whereas the subject is "I", i.e. the first person singular. 

So we'll write "je t'aime" or "je vous aime".

Translation of je t'aime in different languages 

🇫🇷 In French : je t'aime, je t'aime bien

🇺🇸 English I love you / I like you

🇪🇸 Spanish Te quiero (for "I like you") / Te amo (for "I love you")

🇩🇪Allemand: Ich mag Dich (for "I like you") / Ich liebe Dich (for "I love you")

🇮🇹 Italian Ti voglio bene (for "I love you well") / Ti amo (for "I love you")

🇵🇹 Portuguese Eu gosto de voce (for "I like you") / Eu te amo (for "I love you")

🇷🇺 Russian : Я тебя люблю ("Ya tebya lyublyu", for "I love you") / Мне нравишься ("Mne nravishsya for "I like you")

🇯🇵 Japanese : 大好きです ("Daisuki desu", for "I like you") / 愛しています ("Aishite imasu", for "I love you")

Arabic : احبك ("Ana uhibbuka", for "I love you") / انا احبك بشكل خاص ("Ana uhibbuka bishakl khas", for "I like you")

"I love you" or "I love you"?

In 99% time, we'll say "I love you" when addressing someone with whom we have an intimate relationship, such as a love partner. In fact, it's logical to say "je t'aime" to someone with whom you have such a close relationship.

However, there are very rare cases in France where people who know each other very well may use "vouvoie". This is the case, for example, in certain noble families, where members of the same family may use vouvoiement instead of tutoiement. 

"I love you" will therefore be more commonly used in these environments. 

How do you pronounce "je t'aime" in French? 

The pronunciation of "je t'aime" in French is: /ʒə tɛm/.

To pronounce "je t'aime" correctly, pronounce the "j" sound as in "jaune", followed by the silent "e" as in "petit".

The "t" sound is pronounced lightly with the tip of the tongue touching the hard palate. Next, "aime" is pronounced like "èm", with the lower lip lightly touching the upper teeth.

The link between the words "t'aime" is also important: "t" is linked to "aime", so it's pronounced "tèm".

Want to know more about love in French?

5 proverbs about love in French