French · Emotions & Descriptions

"Love" in French: amour

l'amour

Say it: lah-MOORmasculine · l'amournoun/a.muʁ/

Love in French is l'amour, a masculine noun said lah-MOOR. Je t'aime means I love you. Mon amour is a common pet name, even though amour is masculine.

Romantic talk

L'amour est important pour moi.
Love is important to me.
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How to pronounce amour

Say it

lah-MOOR

/a.muʁ/

Lah-MOOR. The final r is a soft French r. Amour has two syllables; stress the second. The h in spelling is not a letter here—l'amour uses elision.

"Love" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
l'amourlove

The feeling or idea of love.

je t'aimeI love you

Direct declaration to one person you call tu.

mon amourmy love

Pet name for a partner.

faire l'amourto make love

Physical sense; be aware of the meaning.

How to use amour in real life

  1. 1Romantic talk

    L'amour est important pour moi.

    Love is important to me.

    L'amour as a general idea takes singular verbs.

  2. 2To a partner

    Je t'aime, mon amour.

    I love you, my love.

    Very direct; save it for real intimacy.

  3. 3Song or film chat

    C'est une histoire d'amour magnifique.

    It's a magnificent love story.

    Histoire d'amour = love story.

Mistakes English speakers make with amour

Incorrect: La amour est belle.

Correct: L'amour est beau. / L'amour est bel…

Amour is masculine and takes l' before the vowel. Adjectives are usually masculine singular with l'amour.

Incorrect: Amour toi ! (calque de I love you)

Correct: Je t'aime. / Mon amour.

Amour is the noun. To say I love you, use the verb: je t'aime.

Good to know

Je t'aime is treated as serious in French; many people do not say it lightly. Je t'aime bien means I like you and fits friends. Love songs and cinema keep amour highly visible in public culture.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Quiet evening talk between partners

  1. ChatPal

    Pour moi, l'amour, c'est aussi les petites choses.

    For me, love is also the little things.

  2. You

    Oui. L'amour, c'est partager le quotidien.

    Yes. Love is sharing everyday life.

  3. ChatPal

    Je t'aime, tu le sais.

    I love you, you know that.

  4. You

    Moi aussi, je t'aime.

    I love you too.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Love" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Love" in French

Is amour masculine or feminine?

Masculine: l'amour, un bel amour. (Old poetry sometimes treated plurals specially, but learners can keep it masculine.)

What is the difference between je t'aime and je t'aime bien?

Je t'aime is romantic love. Je t'aime bien means I like you.

How do you say "love story"?

Une histoire d'amour.

Can I call someone mon amour early on?

It is intimate. Wait until the relationship feels close.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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