How to Say Happy Valentine’s Day in French 2024 [Best Ways]! Saying “Happy Valentine’s Day” in French is a great way to express love and affection to someone special on this romantic holiday. There are several ways to express this sentiment in French, depending on the level of formality and the relationship between the speakers. The most common expression is “Joyeuse Saint-Valentin,” which is a simple and straightforward way to wish someone a happy Valentine’s Day.
Another option is “Bonne Saint-Valentin,” which is slightly less formal but still conveys the same message. For a more elaborate expression, you can use phrases like “Meilleurs vœux pour la Saint-Valentin” or “Je t’aime aujourd’hui et toujours.” Regardless of the specific phrase used, expressing love and affection in French is a beautiful way to show someone how much they are loved and appreciated on Valentine’s Day.
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How to Say Happy Valentines Day in French 2024 [Best Ways]
| French | English |
| avoir le béguin pour quelqu’un | to have a crush on someone |
| avoir un coup de foudre | to fall in love at first sight |
| conter fleurette à quelqu’un | to whisper sweet nothings in somebody’s ear |
| demander quelqu’un en mariage | to ask somebody to marry you |
| demander la main de quelqu’un | to ask somebody’s hand in marriage |
| draguer quelqu’un | to hit on somebody, to make a move on somebody |
| écrire une lettre d’amour à quelqu’un | to write a love letter to someone |
| faire une déclaration d’amour à quelqu’un | to declare your love to someone |
| flirter avec quelqu’un | to flirt with somebody |
| se fiancer | to get engaged |
| se marier | to get married |
| sortir avec quelqu’un | to go out with somebody |
| tomber amoureux/amoureuse de quelqu’un | to fall in love with somebody |
| une chanson d’amour | a love song |
| vivre une amourette | to have a fling |
And here are a few more words to talk about your other half:
| French | English | Comments |
| un amant, une amante | a lover | Be careful: amant and amante refers to a sexual partner or an extraconjugal lover. |
| un chéri, une chérie | a darling | |
| un conjoint, une conjointe | a partner | The word only refers to love partners, and not to business partners. |
| un époux, une épouse | a spouse | |
| une femme | a wife | In French, femme has two meanings: “woman” and “wife”. |
| un petit ami, une petite amie | a boyfriend, a girlfriend | The literal meaning of the phrase is “little friend”. |
| un petit copain, une petite copine | a boyfriend, a girlfriend | Similar to the expression above, the literal meaning of the phrase is “little pal” or ‘little mate”. |
| un mari | a husband |
French Love Vocabulary
- L’amour – love
- L’amitié – friendship
- Je t’aime – I love you (using tu)
- Je vous aime – I am in love with you (using vous)
- Je l’aime – I am in love with him/her
- Je suis amoureux / amoureuse de toi, lui, elle, vous… – I am in love with you, him, her, you
- Tomber Amoureux / amoureuse – to fall in love (not tomber en amour which is used in Canadian French but not in France)
- Est-ce que tu veux sortir avec moi – would you like to go out with me ?
- Est-ce que tu veux (bien) m’épouser – would you marry me? The bien here is optional, and means “are you willing to marry me”, but it’s what we traditionally say.
- To kiss – embrasser, s’embrasser. WATCH OUT !!! Not “baiser”… I’m sorry to be vulgar but you need to be aware that “un baiser” is fine, it’ a kiss, but “baiser” as a verb nowadays means to f..k.
- A kiss – un baiser, un bisou – I wrote a whole article on the subject of French kisses.
- Les fiançailles – engagement
- Se fiancer – to get engaged
- Un fiancé, une fiancée – someone you are engaged to. But sometimes used to say someone you are just dating.
- Le mariage – marriage, wedding (only one R in French)
- Se marier avec qq’un – to get married with someone
- Épouser quelqu’un – to marry someone
- Un marié – a groom
- Une mariée – a bride
- Un mari / un époux – a husband
Watch out between un marié, une mariée, un mari… - Une femme (pronounced “fam”) / une épouse – a wife
- Un/ une partenaire – a partner. Mostly used for gay couples in French.
- Un compagnon / une compagne – a partner as used in British English : someone you live with but you are not necessarily married to.
- Un amoureux / une amoureuse – a sweetheart
- Un petit-ami/ un petit-copain – a boyfriend
- Une petite-amie / une petite-copine – a girlfriend
