French Love Vocabulary & Romantic Language
France, the motherland of love. This is undeniably one of the strongest cliché attached to France. Why is French language so often considered the language of love?
Is it because of the French’s supposedly romantic behavior? Or because of the so-called elegance of their language?
Perhaps it has something to do with Paris or the way the language sounds, or perhaps it’s because the French were historically the first to really embrace the concept of falling in love before marriage.
If a cliché is woven out of old unconscious fantasies and the real facts, then the line between the two remains blurry.
With Valentines Day coming up, lets take a look at a few facts and some fantasies here in our blog. In this week’s post I also share French vocabulary to express love.
1- French is sexy
French is considered a sexy language. This is one of the strongest ingrained cliches’ about the French language.
According to Babbel’s recent survey – (a specialist in language learning) – 34% of the people interviewed declared French to be the sexiest language. The French accent also has had good press. 37 % of 140 000 people interviewed mark it as the “sexiest” accent’s chart-topper. 90% of Babbel’s internet users also say that if they were to learn a language according to its’s romanticism, they’d probably choose French. So yes, there is certainly a perception that French is the language of love.
2- A little more than a matter of harmonious sounds
But just what is it that renders French so irresistible? According to the ears of foreigners, it seems that French’s tone is perceived as musical and harmonious. A lot of words are linked together by a liaison, bringing a certain softness to sentences’ rhythm. To the ear of non-native listeners, such phrases lacking any brutal interruptions are perceived as gracious tessitura. Melodic variations are few, contrary to English or Italian.
The French language is very accurate and comprises of many nuances to describe emotional and sensational ranges. Even though French’s lexical expressions are fewer than English ones.
Having said this, can we simply rely on a linguistic subtlety matter? Perhaps, but only partially. If we take a look at French expressions, we may find love’s numerous terms interesting. For example: “fiancé”, “ménage à trois”, “liaison”, “femme fatale”, “cinq à sept”, “tête à tête”. Words which have crossed the linguistic and country borders to enter the English language. If a language always reflects a country’s culture, to a certain extent, the answers to our queries must be found elsewhere.
3 - French vocabulary to express love
The French language is rich and diverse when it come to express feelings and emotions. Many words, expressions express nuances to express love, attraction, seduction, etc. Knowing them allows you to vary the vocabulary, but also to qualify and clarify your feelings and especially love. It is not surprising, then, to discover that there are many different types of ways to say “I love you” and express your love in French.
L'âme sœur - soulmate
L'amour - love
Un amour éternel - endless love
Avoir le cœur brisé - to be brokenhearted
Un baiser - a kiss
Un coup de foudre - love at first sight
In French, un coup de foudre is literally a lightning bolt. So love at first sight is like being struck by lighting for the French.
Craquer pour quelqu'un - to fall for someone
Déclarer sa flamme - to declare your love
Désirer - to desire
Dévorer quelqu'un des yeux - to devour somebody with your eyes
Draguer (slang) - to hit on
Flirter - to flirt
Embrasser - to kiss
Epouser - to marry
Faire l'amour - to make love
Faire un câlin - to hug
Une histoire d'amour - a love story
Jaloux (boy) / jalouse (girl) - jealous
La passion - passion
Se prendre un râteau/une veste - to get rejected (US), a knock back (UK)
Une preuve d'amour - a proof of love
Sortir avec quelqu'un - to date somebody
La tendresse - tenderness, affection
Tenir une promesse - to keep a promise
Se tenir la main - to hold hands
Tomber amoureux/euse (boy/girl) or tomber en amour (Quebec) - to fall in love
Tomber sous le charme de quelqu'un - to fall under the spell of somebody
4- 30 French Love phrases and expression
Je t'aime
I love you
Je suis raide dingue de toi
I'm totes crazy about you
Je t'aime à mourir
I love you to death
Je suis accro à toi
I am addicted to you
Je suis fou/folle de toi
I am mad about you
Je t'aime pour toujours
I love you forever
Je t'ai dans la peau
I have you under my skin
Tu fais battre mon cœur
You set my heart racing
L'amour donne des ailes
Love gives you wings
J'ai trouvé le grand amour
I found true love
Tu es l'amour de ma vie
You are the love of my life
Je pense à toi tout le temps
I think of you all the time
J'ai des sentiments pour toi
I feel something for you
Je suis amoureux/amoureuse de toi
I am in love with you
Je veux te serrer contre toi
I want to hold you close to me
Je suis en couple
I'm in a relationship
J'ai envie de toi
I want you
Je brûle de désir pour toi
You make me burn with desire
Tu m'as brisé le cœur
You broke my heart
Je veux vivre avec toi
I want to live with you
Je veux passer ma vie avec toi
I want a lifetime with you
Je ne supporte pas d'être loin de toi
I cannot bear to be far from you
Tu me manques
I miss you
Loin des yeux, loin du cœur
Out of sight, out of mind
Tu me fais tourner la tête
You make my head spin
Tu es tout pour moi
You are my everything
Nous sommes faits l'un pour l'autre
We are meant for each other
Quand te reverrai-je ?
When will I see you again?
L'amour est aveugle
Love is blind
Tu représentes tellement pour moi
You mean so much to me
5 - Movies and literature
It would be foolish to crown the French with an Oscar, over such a universal theme as love. Nevertheless, we have to admit that French passion, romanticism and love behaviours have very much inspired the country’s literature. It all started with two cursed lovers: Abelard and Heloise, and their passionate letters. Their tragic affair transformed them into love martyrs in the 12th century . Over the centuries, authors such Stendhal, Flaubert, [Dumas, Balzac, Zola, and Hugo…] have fed their novels with love stories and romances. Later on, movies carried on the torch with films, and the same happened with photography.
But if love is so portrayed in French literature, movies and photography, what about the common Frenchmen? Love and its practiced demonstrations do seem to hold an exceptional cultural stand. For instance, in France showing certain physical intimacy in a public place is widely practiced and accepted culturally. While on the other hand, public displays of affection is often perceived as inappropriate or shocking in other countries.