France is renowned the world over for being romantic, with Paris receiving the nickname The City of Love. But what is it that makes this country so romantic? Is it the architecture? The food? The films? Or could it be the language itself?
A lot of English speakers know very little French, but they usually know je t’aime. And going back a generation or so it was quite frequent for English speakers to call a condom a “French letter” (conversely, the French would call these an “English letter”).
Let’s explore the French language of love further by looking at 15 French idioms about love that’ll make you go “aww” – we’ll even throw in a few strange ones from other French-speaking countries from around the world.
French idioms about love
1. Avoir un cœur d’artichaut
Translation: To have an artichoke heart
This French idiom about love is used to describe a person who falls in love with everyone they meet. In other words, they fall in love quickly and easily.
This phrase originates from a proverb from the late 19th century which was “cœur d’artichaut, une feuille pour tout le monde”. This translates into English as “artichoke heart, a leaf for everyone”.
Essentially, it is symbolic in that you can imagine a person peeling off artichoke leaves and giving them to everyone they love.
Example:
Florence a un cœur d’artichaut. Elle change de petit copain chaque semaine!
Florence falls in love with everyone she meets. She changes boyfriends every week!
2. Mon petit chouchou
Translation: my little cabbage
With their love of food, it’s not surprising to us that there are lots of French idioms about love that incorporate foods. French people often refer to those dear to them as mon petit chouchou or mon petit chou.
In English, we wouldn’t call someone ‘my little cabbage’, we might hear people use “honey” or “sweet pea”, which is the closest you might get while using a food item!
Example:
Bonne nuit mon petit chouchou
Goodnight honey
3. Vivre d’amour et d’eau fraiche
Translation: To live on love and fresh water
Often, when a person falls in love, they will forget everything – sometimes they even forget to eat! This French idiom about love is often used in the negative with people saying, “you can’t live on love and fresh water alone”.
In English, we might hear people say, “love won’t pay the bills” or for a more positive spin (and a Beatles song title!), we might say “all you need is love”.
Example:
On ne peut pas vivre d’amour et d’eau fraiche!
You can’t live on love alone!
4. Avoir un coup de foudre
Translation: To have a lightning strike
As far as French idioms about love go, this one really strikes a chord – to use an English idiom! The English equivalent of this French phrase about love is “to fall in love at first sight”.
I simply love how imaginative the French idiom is. If you’ve ever fallen in love at first sight, it can feel like you’ve been hit by a bolt of lightning!
Example:
C’était un coup de foudre entre les deux!
For them, it was love at first sight.
5. Se prendre un râteau
Translation: to take a rake
This phrase isn’t a positive one, unfortunately. But, a person’s love life is rarely plain sailing. If someone uses this phrase it means they have been rejected by someone they were interested in.
Example:
Ça s’est passé bien avec Nathalie?
Non. Je me suis prise un râteau!
Did it go well with Natalie?
No, I got knocked back.
6. S’envoyer en l’air
Translation: To throw yourself in the air
French idioms about love are often very figurative, and the phrase s’envoyer en l’air is an example of this. When a French person says they threw themselves in the air, it means they ‘got laid’.
In other words, it’s a more casual and informal way of saying they had sex.
Example:
Nico, il sait bien comment s’envoyer en lair!
Nico knows all too well how to get laid!
7. Avoir un ticket avec
Translation: to have a ticket with
This is a fairly recent French idiom about love that dates to the mid-20th century. When someone has ‘a ticket with’ another person, it means they are into someone or they have a thing for someone.
Example:
Regarde, je pense que Claire a un ticket avec le barman!
Look, I think that Claire has a thing for the barman!
8. Être fleur bleue
Translation: to be a blue flower
If you’re described as being a blue flower in French, it means you’re a little sentimental or soppy and perhaps naïve.
What was, in the 19th century, quite a romantic expression, being a blue flower is now seen somewhat negatively.
Example:
Où as-tu appris à être aussi fleur bleue?
Where did you learn to be so soppy?
9. Voir la vie en rose
Translation: to see life in pink
As for French idioms about love, this one could apply to many things – not just your love life. This phrase was brought to life by the French singer Edith Piaf, who made it her signature song. It was written in 1945 and articulates themes of romance, love and resilience.
Its release shortly after the end of World War II meant it became somewhat of an anthem since its lyrics were all about finding love after a difficult time.
Now, the phrase is used in a similar way to the English expression “to see life through rose-tinted spectacles”.
Example (taken from the lyrics of La vie en rose):
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
When he takes me into his arms
He speaks to me softly
And I see life through rose-tinted spectacles
10. En pincer pour quelqu’un
Translation: pinching for someone
This French idiom about love is similar to the expression ‘avoir un ticket’ as mentioned above. In English, we’d say things like ‘to have a crush on someone’ or ‘to have the hots for someone’.
I love how expressive the French phrase is, though. You can almost imagine someone playfully pinching someone they’re interested in to gain their attention!
Example:
Marion en pince pour Jacques
Marion has a crush on Jacques
11. Déclarer sa flamme
Translation: to declare your flame
This French idiom about love goes quite nicely with our number four above (un coup de foudre) in that love, flames and electricity seem to go quite nicely together.
When you ‘declare your flame’ in France, it means you declare your love for someone.
While we don’t use the word flame in exactly this way in English, we do use it when talking about ‘an old flame’ – as in someone we used to be in love with.
Example:
Il a déclaré sa flamme.
He declared his love for her/him.
French idioms about love from elsewhere in the French-speaking world
As we know, French isn’t just spoken in France and there are some great French idioms about love in other francophone countries too. Let’s take a look at a few.
12. Être kaoté – Burkina Faso
Translation: to be knock-outed
In Burkina Faso, if you are kaoté, you are madly in love. Sometimes when you’re in love you can feel a bit winded or that you’ve done a few rounds with Mike Tyson!
13. Avoir un coup de soleil – Haiti
Translation: to get sunburned
The Haitians say you get sunburned when you have a crush on someone. It’s as if they’re saying someone is so hot they can burn you!
14. Glisser pour quelqu’un – Cameroon
Translation: to slip for someone
In Cameroon, they have a unique expression about love – glisser pour quelqu’un. Essentially, if you’re slipping for someone, you are falling in love with them.
In English, the expression “falling head over heels” gives you a similar way of looking at it.
15. Frencher son chum/sa blonde – Canada
Translation: to French kiss one’s chum/blonde
In French-speaking Canada, they often like to mix English and French. This expression is a classic example of Franglais in action.
Chum and blonde are common ways of talking about boyfriends and girlfriends in Canada – even if the girlfriend isn’t actually blonde!
Final thoughts on French idioms about love
As we’ve seen, there are some really great French idioms about love!
So, next time you go to a French-speaking county, perhaps try not to ‘be a blue flower’ and see ‘life in pink’.
Remember, you can’t ‘live on love and fresh water alone’, so don’t worry about ‘taking a rake’ when you ‘have a ticket with’ someone!
As the French poet Charles Baudelaire said, “l’amour est une rose, chaque pétale une illusion, chaque épine une réalité” (love is a rose, each petal an illusion, each thorn a reality). So, we can see how despite being romantic, the French are not naïve in their understanding of the challenges that love brings!
I think french’s more difficult in pronounciation more than english….but I love learning french too