133 romantic French words & phrases about love that you'll love

As a romance language, French is often considered the language of love. The English language even borrowed several French words about love such as “beau”, “oh la la”, “je ne sais quoi” and yes… “ménage à trois”.

If you enjoyed our 141 weird and wonderful ways to say I love you in French, keep reading. In this article, you will learn:

• French words for love — you know, in case you want to write a poem to your “moitié.”
• Romantic French phrases and quotes to shine in society or impress “l’objet de votre affection.”
• Pick up lines in French to be fully ready for your next trip in a francophone country.
• A few “romantic” slang expressions, some slightly graphic.

So, get ready to fall head over heels in love with the French language!

Romantic French words

You probably know it, but just in case: in French, “love” is amour. Interestingly, this word can be both femimine and masculine… but only in plural. For example, amours nouveaux or amours nouvelles. In its singular form, amour is masculine. I know what you’re thinking: not very inclusive!

But don’t worry, because we have listed romantic French words for everyone. Love is love!

English	French	IPA
Love	L' amour	l amuɾ
A hug	Un câlin	œ̃ kɑlɛ̃
Valentine's Day	La Saint-Valentin	la sɛ̃-valɑ̃tɛ̃
Flowers	Des fleurs	de flœɾ
Candy	Des bonbons	de bõbõ
Jewelry	Des bijoux	de biʒuks
Chocolate	Des chocolats	de ʃɔkɔla
Perfume	Du parfum	dy paɾfœ̃
A gift	Un cadeau	œ̃ kado
A poem	Un poème	œ̃ poɛmə
A vacation (summer) love	Un amour de vacances	œ̃n‿ amuɾ də vakɑ̃sə
Heart	Le cœur	lə kœɾ
A love letter	Une lettre d’amour	ynə lɛtɾə damuɾ
A declaration of love	Une déclaration d’amour	ynə deklaɾasjõ damuɾ
The first time	La première fois	la pɾəmjɛɾə fwa
The first kiss	Le premier baiser	lə pɾəmje b(e)ze
To hold hands	Se prendre la main	sə pɾɑ̃dɾə la mɛ̃
To kiss	S’embrasser	sɑ̃bɾase
To kiss on the mouth	S’embrasser sur la bouche	sɑ̃bɾase syɾ la buʃə
A lover	Un amant, une amante	œ̃n‿ amɑ̃, yn amɑ̃tə
A boyfriend	Un copain	œ̃ kɔpɛ̃
A girlfriend	Une copine	ynə kɔpinə
To fall in love (with)	Tomber amoureux (de)	tõbe amuɾø (dɛ)
To make out with	Galocher	galɔʃe
To date	Sortir avec	sɔɾtiɾ avɛk
A kiss	Un bisou	œ̃ bizu
To give a kiss	Faire un bisou	fɛɾ œ̃ bizu
An affair	Une liaison	ynə ljɛzõ
A love affair	Une histoire d’amour	ynə istwaɾə damuɾ
Madly in love	Éperdument amoureux	epɛɾdymət‿ amuɾø
The first love	Le premier amour	lə pɾəmje amuɾ
Romantic	Romantique	ɾɔmɑ̃tikə
Tenderness	Tendresse	tɑ̃dɾɛsə
The one	Le grand amour	lə gɾɑ̃d‿ amuɾ
The love of my life	L’amour de ma vie	lamuɾ də ma vjə
Platonic	Platonique	platɔnikə
Passion	Passion	pasjõ
Passionate	Enflammé(e)	ɑ̃flame(ɛ)
Torrid	Torride	tɔridə
Carnal	Charnel	ʃaɾnɛl
A soul mate	Une âme sœur	yn ɑmə sœɾ
An eternal love	Un amour éternel	œ̃n‿ amuɾ etɛɾnɛl
The man of my life	L’homme de ma vie	lɔmə də ma vjə
The woman of my life	La femme de ma vie	lafamə də ma vjə
A kiss	Un baiser	œ̃ b(e)ze
A single man or woman	Un(e) célibataire	yn(ɛ) selibatɛɾə
A heart to take	Un coeur à prendre	œ̃ kœɾ a pɾɑ̃dɾə
In couple	En couple	ɑ̃ kuplə
To desire	Désirer	deziɾe
A candle	Une bougie	ynə buʒjə
To make love	Faire l’amour	fɛɾə lamuɾ
A fireplace	Une cheminée	ynə ʃəmineə
To flirt	Flirter	fliɾte
To flirt	Draguer	dɾage
Jealous	Jaloux/jalouse	ʒaluks/ʒaluzə
A love story	Une histoire d’amour	ynə istwaɾə damuɾ
A love song	Une chanson d’amour	ynə ʃɑ̃sõ damuɾ
Sweet words	Des mots doux	de mo duks
To coo (to say sweet things)	Roucouler	ɾukule
Charm	Le charme	lə ʃaɾmə
Attraction	L’attirance	latiɾɑ̃sə
Seduction	La séduction	la sedyksjõ
To seduce	Séduire	sedɥiɾə
Lovebirds	Les tourtereaux	le tuɾtəɾo
A smooth talker	Un beau parleur	œ̃ bo paɾlœɾ
A broken heart	Un cœur brisé	œ̃ kœɾ bɾize
A break up	Une rupture	ynə ɾyptyɾə
To break up	Rompre	ɾõpɾə
To miss someone	Manquer	mɑ̃ke
To get dumped	Se faire larguer	sə fɛɾə laɾge

Romantic French phrases and quotes about love

Whether you like it cheesy or original, you’ll surely find something to impress your other half in the French quotes about love below. Or pick one of our fun French idioms to make them laugh. As the French expression says: “Femme qui rit à moitié dans son lit” (Woman who laughs, half in your bed”).

It also applies to men, right?

English literal meaning	English real meaning	French	IPA
To be crazy in love		Être fou/folle d’amour	ɛtɾə fu/fɔlə damuɾ
To be crazy about someone		Être fou/folle de quelqu’un	ɛtɾə fu/fɔlə də kɛlkœ̃
To have a crush on someone		Flasher sur quelqu’un	flase syɾ kɛlkœ̃
To have love at first sight		Avoir le coup de foudre	avwaɾ lə ku də fudɾə
Living on love and fresh water	To be so in love you lose your appetite	Vivre d’amour et d’eau fraîche	vivɾə damuɾe do fɾɛʃə
A blue flower	A very romantic/cheesy person	Une fleur bleue	ynə flœɾ blø
Butterflies in the stomach		Des papillons dans le ventre	de papijõ dɑ̃ lə vɑ̃tɾə
To fall for someone		Craquer pour quelqu’un	kɾake puɾ kɛlkœ̃
To have a crush on someone		En pincer pour quelqu'un	ɑ̃ pɛ̃se puɾ kɛlkœ̃
To declare one’s love		Déclarer sa flamme	deklaɾe sa flamə
Dinner by candlelight	Romantic dinner	Dîner aux chandelles	dine o ʃɑ̃dɛlə
To devour someone with one’s eyes	To eye somebody intently	Dévorer quelqu’un des yeux	devɔɾe kɛlkœ̃dez‿ jø
To spin the perfect love	To be happy in love	Filer le parfait amour	file lə paɾfɛt‿ amuɾ
To take a rake	To get turned down	Se prendre un râteau	sə pɾɑ̃dɾ œ̃ ɾɑto
To roll a shovel/a skate	To make out	Rouler une pelle/un patin	ɾule ynə pɛlɛ/œ̃ patɛ̃
To be madly in love with someone		Être raide dingue de quelqu’un	ɛtɾə ɾɛdə dɛ̃gə də kɛlkœ̃
To get under someone's skin		Avoir quelqu’un dans la peau	avwaɾ kɛlkœ̃ dɑ̃ la po
To be addicted to someone		Être accro à quelqu’un	ɛtɾ akɾo a kɛlkœ̃
To want someone		Avoir envie de quelqu’un	avwaɾ ɑ̃vjə də kɛlkœ̃
To be made for each other		Être faits l’un pour l’autre	ɛtɾə fɛ lœ̃ puɾ lotɾə
Love is blind		L’amour est aveugle	lamuɾɛt‿ avœglə
Making eyes at each other		Faire les yeux doux	fɛɾəlez‿ jø duks
Love gives you wings		L’amour donne des ailes	lamuɾ dɔnədez‿ ajə
To have a artichoke’s heart	To be very romantic/sensitive	Avoir un cœur d’artichaut	avwaɾ œ̃ kœɾ daɾtiʃo
The chosen of one’s heart	The heart’s choice	L’élu(e) de son cœur	lely(ɛ) də sõ kœɾ
Do you want to sleep with me?		Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ?	vule-vu kuʃe avɛk mwa ?
To fall in love		Tomber amoureux/amoureuse	tõbe amuɾ(ø)ks/amuɾøzə
To fall in love (Canada)		Tomber en amour (Canada)	tõbeɑ̃n‿ amuɾ
Eyes in eyes	To look at each other in the eyes	Les yeux dans les yeux	lez‿ jø dɑ̃lez‿ jø
A longing look		Un regard langoureux	œ̃ ɾəgaɾ lɑ̃guɾø
Do something with love		Faire quelque chose avec amour	fɛɾə kɛlkə ʃoz avɛk amuɾ
Out of sight, out of mind		Loin des yeux, loin du cœur	lwɛ̃dez‿ jø, lwɛ̃ dy kœɾ
Happy at play, unhappy in love		Heureux au jeu, malheureux en amour	(ø)ɾøx‿ o ʒø, mal(ø)ɾøx‿ɑ̃n‿ amuɾ
Love goes through the stomach	If you can cook, you’ll find someone	L’amour passe par l’estomac	lamuɾ pasə paɾ lɛstɔmak
Woman who laughs half in bed	Humor will help you score	Femme qui rit à moitié dans son lit.	famə ki ɾit‿ a mwatje dɑ̃ sõ li.
New loves forget the old ones	Date new people to forget about your ex	Amours nouvelles oublient les vieilles.	amuɾ nuvɛləz‿ ubljəle vjɛjə.
It is necessary to leave each other often to love each other always	Missing each other is important for a long lasting relationship	Il faut se quitter souvent pour s’aimer toujours.	il fo sə kite suvə puɾ s(e)me tuʒuɾ.
Where there is love, it is never dark		Là où on s’aime, il ne fait jamais nuit.	la u õ sɛmə, il nə fe ʒame nɥi.
To find the rare pearl	To find the one	Trouver la perle rare	tɾuve la pɛɾlə ɾaɾə
To have chemistry with someone		Avoir des atomes crochus avec quelqu’un	avwaɾdez‿ atɔmə kɾɔʃyz‿ avɛk kɛlkœ̃
Rose water	Soapy, cheesy	À l’eau de rose	a lo də ɾozə
To take one’s foot	To take pleasure, to enjoy	Prendre son pied	pɾɑ̃dɾə sõ pje
To hold the candle	To be the third wheel	Tenir la chandelle	təniɾ la ʃɑ̃dɛlə
To put a rabbit	Stand up somebody	Poser un lapin	poze œ̃ lapɛ̃
To have a hit/ticket	Someone having a crush on you	Avoir une touche/un ticket	avwaɾ ynə tuʃɛ/œ̃ tikke
To have a heartache		Avoir un chagrin d’amour	avwaɾ œ̃ ʃagɾɛ̃ damuɾ
To find one’s other half		Trouver sa moitié	tɾuve sa mwatje
Love triangle		Triangle amoureux	tɾjɑ̃gl amuɾø
To have a crush on someone		Avoir le béguin pour quelqu’un	avwaɾ lə begɛ̃ puɾ kɛlkœ̃
He/she is so hot		Il/elle est trop canon	il/ɛlɛ tɾo kanõ
Hold me in your arms		Prends-moi dans tes bras	pɾɑ̃-mwa dɑ̃te bɾa
Love is stronger than anything		L’amour est plus fort que tout	lamuɾɛ ply fɔɾ kə tu
To tell a tale	To smooth talk	Conter fleurette	kõte flœɾɛtə
My heart is beating out of my chest		J’ai le cœur qui bat la chamade	ʒe lə kœɾ ki ba la ʃamadə
My heart beats for him/her		Mon cœur bat pour lui/elle	mõ kœɾ ba puɾ lɥi/ɛlə
Who look alike, fit together	Birds of feather flock together	Qui se ressemble s’assemble	ki sərəsɑ̃blə sasɑ̃blə
To make a nice couple		Former un joli couple	fɔɾme œ̃ ʒɔli kuplə
To court		Faire la cour	fɛɾə la kuɾ

Marriage material

Do I hear wedding bells ringing? First of all, congratulations! Second, it might be time to learn some useful vocabulary around tying the knot.

And if you haven’t proposed yet, check out our different ways to pop the question in French. Oui !!!

English	French	IPA
The engagement	Les fiançailles	le fjansajə
An engagement ring	Une bague de fiançailles	ynə bagə də fjansajə
A wedding ring	Une alliance	yn aljɑ̃sə
The wedding	Les noces, le mariage	le nɔsə, lə maɾjaʒə
The honeymoon	La lune de miel	la lynə də mjɛl
The honeymoon	Le voyage de noces	lə vwajaʒə də nɔsə
The wedding night	La nuit de noces	la nɥi də nɔsə
A husband, a spouse	Un mari, un époux	œ̃ maɾi, œ̃n‿ epuks
A wife, a spouse	Une femme, une épouse	ynəfamə, yn epuzə
A fiancé	Un fiancé	œ̃ fjɑ̃se
A fiancée	Une fiancée	ynə fjɑ̃seə
To be engaged to	Se fiancer à (or avec)	sə fjɑ̃se a (ɔɾ avɛk)
To get married to	Se marier avec	sə maɾje avɛk
To form a civil union	Se pacser	sə pakse
To put a ring on it	Passer la bague au doigt	pase la bag o dwa
Rainy wedding happy wedding	Mariage pluvieux mariage heureux	maɾjaʒə plyvjø maɾjaʒə (ø)ɾø

Dating in France

A hot French person has caught your eye? Before you use the romantic French phrases above, hold your horses and read this.

French people don’t date. Whaaaat? By “don’t date”, I just mean to say that there is no nuance between “dating” and “exclusivity”.

A French person may ask you out for a rendez-vous at the movies or for dinner, for example. If the night ends with a kiss and with a promise to see each other again, it usually implies that you two are exclusive. Vous sortez ensemble.

In a nutshell, French people never have the “we are exclusive” conversation. So, as an advice, never assume you can see other people while dating a French person — and never assume that you’re on a break. But this goes for all cultures.

That’s not to say French people don’t have one night stands! Speaking of which, check out these cool ways to say “good morning” in French!

If you don’t want to go too fast, an invitation for an informal drink or coffee is a good idea and doesn’t really commit you to anything.

Practical video guides

If you’re still a bit confused by all this love etiquette, here a couple of videos to help:

• My all-time favorite Loïc Suberville teaches you a couple of very graphic — and frankly weird — love-related French idioms.
• Learn some pick lines and romantic French words with Natalie.

Bonne chance ;-)

Love has no borders. Love is a language.

While I’m fully convinced that sometimes language has little to do with people getting along or not, you will need to communicate with your love interest at some point.

So, when it’s too soon for physical “communication”, you’ll love the words and quotes you’ve just learned.

And if they do help, don’t miss our sweet ways to say goodnight in French… and good morning.