French Love Terms

Love in French

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 sooth 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 Love Terms / Words / Phrases 

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) = masculine noun and (f) = a feminine one. So some parts of the list require a certain level of French understanding.

I love you: je t'aime (juh tehm)
If there was one term you would need to know, it would be je t'aime, I love you.

To love / adore (verb): aimer / adorer / kiffer (slang)
Love (noun): l'amour (if said incorrectly, it may be misunderstood for la mort, "death")
Mon amour: my love (m/f)
An extra Lover: un amant (m), une maîtresse (France), une amante (Canada)

Single (relationship status): célibataire 
To have a date with... : avoir un rendez-vous avec...

To be seeing someone / dating (relationship status): sortir avec...
Do you want to go out with me? (a.k.a be my boyfriend / girlfriend): veux-tu sortir avec moi ?

Boyfriend / girlfriend: petit ami; petite amie 
Note** The terms mon copain and ma copine are  also used to signify boyfriend or girlfriend even though those words are traditionally taught to only mean "friend"

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 thunder)
Madly in love: fou d'amour

La Terre Est Ronde - Orelsan

La Terre Est Ronde
Reviewed/Translated by John Elkhoury
Like all my music reviews, I start with a French to English translation then critique the lyrics below.
COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTY: EASY


Au fond j'crois qu'la terre est ronde,
Deep down I believe the world is round,
Pour une seule bonne raison...
For a single good reason...
Après avoir fait l'tour du monde,
After having made a world tour,
Tout c'qu'on veut c'est être à la maison.
Everything that we want is at home.

T'as besoin d'une voiture pour aller travailler,
You need a car to go to work,
Tu travailles pour rembourser la voiture que tu viens d'acheter.
You work to repay the car you just bought.
Tu vois c'genre de cercle vicieux,
You see this type of viscous circle,
Le genre de truc qui donne envie d'tout faire sauf devenir vieux.
The type of thing which gives desire to everything except becoming old.

Jalouse English Translation - L.

Jalouse in English
Reviewed/Translated by John Elkhoury
Like all my music reviews, I start with a French to English translation then critique the lyrics and style.
COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Des fleurs et du vent
Of the flowers and the wind
Des danses andalouses
Of Andalousian danses
Et des goélands
And (envious) of gulls
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Comme les enfants
Like children
De ce qui me prend ton cœur un instant
Envious of anything that takes your heart in an instant

La Tragédie Du Roi Christophe - Aimé Césaire

Un extrait de la pièce de théâtre; La Tragédie du Roi Christophe, 1963, Acte I, Présence africaine.

Background Information:
À travers l'anecdote tirée de l'histoire de Haïti, Césaire exprime ses espoirs et ses inquiétudes face aux difficultés rencontrées par les pays africains récemment décolonisés. Christophe, ancien esclave, devenu roi du peuple noir de Haïti qui vient de conquérir son indépendance, veut lui redonner toute sa dignité perdue : grande ambition que doit symboliser l'édification d'une gigantesque citadelle. Mais l'épopée tourne à la tragédie : les manœuvres des politiques et l'indifférence des masses font échec aux idéaux de Christophe. Dans l'extrait suivant, il répond aux mises en garde de son épouse.