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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Language of love – 15 of the best romantic French phrases

French is the language of love and when it comes to expressing your affection - for a lover, a friend or a family member - you are spoiled for choice for phrases. Here are 15 of our favourites.

Published: 13 April 2020 16:00 CEST
Updated: 14 February 2023 10:10 CET
Language of love - 15 of the best romantic French phrases
So you've met your French dream lover, but what do you say next? Photo by Tiny Tribes on Unsplash

So you’ve met Monsieur or Madame Right and now you’re dating, but how do you let them now that they’ve won the keys to your heart? And more importantly, should you be worried if they call you a flea?

Here are some of the most common pet names used among lovers in France;

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Mon amour – perhaps slightly formal, but this tells someone that you love them, it literally means ‘my love’. Also in the realm of more formal and slightly old-fashioned greetings is mon coeur – my heart or my love.

Ma puce – slightly weirdly, this translates as ‘my flea’ (as in les marché aux puces – fleamarkets – that are common in French towns and cities). Fleas aren’t most people’s idea of a cuddly pet so quite how it came to become a term of affection is unclear, although it could be that saying it makes you pucker up your mouth like you’re about to kiss someone.

Mon trésor – this translates as ‘my treasure’ which sounds a bit weird in English but is commonly used in France to refer to someone who is important in your life. Maybe it better translates as precious, although that still sounds a little sickly to English ears.  

Mon bébé – it’s the French version of ‘baby’ or ‘babe’. Its most frequent users are lovers and girlfriends.

Mon loulou – this doesn’t really translate but it’s said to derive from the French word loup (wolf). It’s only used for men or boys.


Is the man in your life a cuddly teddy bear? Photo: AFP

Mon nounours – my teddy bear. This is another one only for men, so if you have a man in your life who wouldn’t object to being described as a teddy bear (and no-one’s judging here) then go right ahead and call him mon nounours, it has a nice sound when you say it out loud.

Ma biche – and here’s one for the ladies, this means doe (a deer, a female deer) and is used as a general term of affection for women, usually but not always girlfriends. Some derivatives of it include ma bichette and ma bibiche.

Minou / mon chaton – Two terms of endearment that both refer to kitty or pussy cat. Ca va minou / mon chaton – are you OK my kitty cat?

Ma poupée/poupette – my doll. Another one specifically for women, it’s a common term of affection. Une poupée means a doll in French (so you will also see the word in toyshops) and poupette is just a slightly cuter way of saying it to a loved one.

Mon petit chou – this is often cited as a ‘typical’ French term of endearment by English speakers, but in fact it’s pretty rarely heard in France these days. It might be another one to consign to the sacre bleu list.

The above tend to be used for people you are in a romantic or sexual relationship with, but there are also plenty of nice terms for people who are important to you in other ways.

Mon pote – this one means my mate, buddy or chum. It’s used both by children and adults and you can either use it to refer to someone – il est mon pote (he is my friend) or directly to them Tu viens, mon pote? – You coming, mate? It can be used to men or women, the female version is ma pote.

Ma grande – this one sounds a bit odd to English speakers, calling someone ‘my big girl’ but it’s a friendly expression roughly similar to calling someone ‘my dear’. It’s mostly used by older people and although there is a masculine version (mon grand) it’s very rarely used.

Mec – specific to men, this one can also be used directly to someone or to describe them. Depending on the context, you can also use it to describe a boyfriend – mon mec is trop chaud – my fella is so hot. But it’s more usually used among men as a term of affection – ça va, mec? You OK, mate?

Meuf – this is the female version of mec. It’s a Verlan inversion of femme (woman) and was originally used as a slightly derogatory description of a woman – similar to describing someone as a chick in English – but in recent years it’s been reclaimed and women, especially young women, will use it to refer to each other. Une soirée avec mes meufs? Formidable! A night out with my gal pals? Great!

Ma poule – Often used in families and for children this is similar to calling someone sweetie or honey. Salut ma poule, passé une bonne journée? Hi honey, did you have a good day? Another option is simply calling someone poulette (this only goes for women).

Member comments

  1. Chouchou? Until very recently, the term used for the Queen’s fondness for Harry, but maybe (hope not) any more.

  2. “mon mec is trop chaud” – euhh, sorry? Plutôt beau, canon, sexy.. even “hot” if you wanna go down the Anglicism road, but not “chaud” unless we’re literally talking about temperature.

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LEARNING FRENCH

Reader question: Should I use Madame or Mademoiselle in France?

You might have heard that the use of the title Mademoiselle has become a little controversial in modern France - so should you still use it? And if so, when?

Published: 18 September 2024 11:52 CEST
Reader question: Should I use Madame or Mademoiselle in France?

As most language learners will be aware, in French the title for men is Monsieur, while women can be referred to as Madame or Mademoiselle.

These can be used as both a title to talk about someone – eg Monsieur Mbappé, Madame Macron – or to address them directly, Bonjour Monsieur, Bonsoir Madame.

Adding a Monsieur/Madame after your greeting makes it a little more formal and respectful – you might therefore hear it used by young people when greeting an older person or in a formal setting such as a meeting.

Likewise referring to someone as ‘le monsieur’ is usually heard in customer service settings and indicates a little extra politeness – eg le monsieur a un rendez-vous – the gentleman has an appointment.

But when referring to women you have a choice of whether to use Madame or Mademoiselle.

Historically, this referred to a woman’s marital status – Madame was for married women, Mademoiselle was for unmarried women. In fact the word oiselle is an old-fashioned term meaning virgin

Men get called Monsieur whether they are married or not, because in patriarchal societies men don’t get defined by their marital status.

However the meaning of Madame has shifted in France, and since roughly the second half of the 20th century Madame began to become more about age than about marital status.

Mademoiselle came to be used more for girls and young women, and Madame for older women, and whether or not they were married.

However, within the last decade there has been another shift, with some people calling for Mademoiselle to be scrapped altogether, saying it is outdated and sexist. If men get a single title, why can’t women?

In 2012 the term Mademoiselle was officially banned from all legal forms in France and you will notice on an increasing number of websites the box for civilité (title) contains only options for monsieur or madame.

Communications from official bodies such as the préfecture refer to all women as Madame, while most commercial organisations (eg your bank) do too. 

An increasing number of younger French women say that they dislike the term Mademoiselle.

Julie, a 26-year-old archaeology student, told The Local: “In the law it is forbidden to use Mademoiselle now, and I like it, we’re not completely there yet but we are getting used to it, and honestly it is much better Madame and Monsieur, otherwise if you want to use Mademoiselle, you have to use jeune-homme.

“When someone addresses me they use Mademoiselle with me, which most of the times I’m okay with, but sometimes you feel as if the person addressing you as Mademoiselle has a hidden and weird motive behind it, for example using it to flirt and it annoys me a lot.”

Louise, 32-year-old teacher, said: “I always use Madame, it allows me not to differentiate between women and men. Also it decreases the chances of assuming whether that person is married or not, or her age, or her looks.

“Some people address me as Madame and others as Mademoiselle but personally, I prefer Madame, I use Madame with everyone, even my young pupils, to eliminate the differentiation between them.'”

The term itself is not outlawed, however, and plenty of people do still use it, especially French people of the older generation.

It might also depend on the situation – for example a young waitress in a café could be referred to as Mademoiselle but if you’re talking to a younger work colleague you would more likely use Madame.

So which should you use?

Well in good news, being a foreigner gets you a certain leeway on French language battles – if you use Mademoiselle incorrectly and are speaking with a foreign accent, most French people will be more likely to assume that you have made a language mistake because you are foreign, rather than making an etiquette gaffe.

As outlined above; Mademoiselle is fine for children and teenagers while some women in their 20s, especially their early 20s, may not object to it.

You’ll also find demographic differences with older French people being more likely to use Mademoiselle widely.

If in doubt, however, it’s probably safer to use Madame.

Do you or your French friends/neighbours/colleagues use Mademoiselle? Share your experiences in the comments section below

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