4.9K
If you’d like to say “I like you” in French, you have to be extremely careful. There is no direct way to say it. Literally, the expression would be Je t’aime, but this has come to mean “I love you.” And while you can modify that same phrase by adding a bien (well) or beaucoup (a lot), each of those expressions has a highly nuanced meaning that depends on the context. To err on the side of caution, you might want to opt for T’es sympa, which translates to “You’re nice.”
There are many nuances that come with learning a language. Rosetta Stone can help you effortlessly improve your language skills (and understand nuance) without resorting to memorization, so you can say exactly what you mean—no translation required!
‘I like you’ vs. ‘I love you’ in French
In most languages, saying “I like you” means something very different from “I love you.” See how very different these phrases are interpreted in French.
Je t’aime bien/beaucoup (I like you as a friend)
To avoid confusion in telling someone you like them as a friend, there are a couple of ways to say “I love you” in French without expressing romantic love.
The most common way in French to say “I love you” to your friends is Je t’aime bien or Je t’aime beaucoup. A bit ironically, by adding the adverb bien (well) or beaucoup (a lot), this signifies that you are not interested romantically. This could also be translated as “I like you as a friend.”
Je t’adore (I adore you as a friend)
Another other way to express love to friends is to use Je t’adore (I adore you). Although “adore” is a stronger verb in English, in French, it signifies that the person is just a friend. The verb adorer (to adore) can also be used with French nouns other than people, usually inanimate objects or animals.
- Je t’adore. = I adore you (as a friend).
- J’adore mon café. = I love my coffee.
- Il adore son chat. = He loves his cat.
Je t’aime (I love you romantically)
The most common way to say “I love you” in French is Je t’aime. The French verb aimer means “to like” when used with objects or places, but it translates to “love” when used with a person. Faites attention ! (Be careful!)
- Je t’aime. = I love you.
- J’aime les croissants. = I like croissants.
Pronunciation of ‘I like you’ and ‘I love you’ in French
Whether you are expressing friendship or romantic love, make sure you are pronouncing these phrases correctly.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| Je t’adore. | jhe tah-door | I adore you (as a friend). |
| Je t’aime. | jhe tem | I love you. |
| Je t’aime beaucoup. | jhe tem boh-coo | I like you (as a friend). |
| Je t’aime bien. | jhe tem bee-ehn | I like you (as a friend). |
Informal vs. formal ‘I like you’ in French
There are two distinct ways to address someone using “you” in French: tu and vous. Tu is used with one person in an informal situation. Vous can mean you are addressing a group or addressing someone formally (or both) and is often used in workplaces and daily exchanges with strangers. Although the formal vous is seemingly going out of fashion, it never hurts to err on the side of caution to avoid a faux pas.
| French | Pronunciation | Formality | English |
| Je t’adore. | jhe tah-door | informal | I adore you (as a friend). |
| Je vous adore. | jhe vooz ah-door | formal | I adore you (as a friend). |
| Je t’aime. | jhe tem | informal | I love you. |
| Je vous aime. | jhe vooz em | formal* | I love you. |
| Je t’aime beaucoup. | jhe tem boh-coo | informal | I like you (as a friend). |
| Je vous aime beaucoup. | jhe vooz em boh-coo | formal | I like you (as a friend). |
| Je t’aime bien. | jhe tem bee-ehn | informal | I like you (as a friend). |
| Je vous aime bien. | jhe vooz em bee-ehn | formal | I like you (as a friend). |
*If you are wondering when you might tell someone you love them while in a formal situation, you are not alone! Most likely, you are expressing respect to someone older than you, like a grandparent.
Like learning French naturally with Rosetta Stone
Never again tell someone “I love you” by mistake! By learning the different ways to say “I like you” in French, you’ll be sure to get the sentiments right when talking to friends.