How To Write A Love Letter in French

Writing a love letter in French, the most romantic language in the world, might be the best way to communicate your love. French is melodious and full of nuances, allowing you to describe a wide range of sensations and emotions through your writing.

If you want to learn how to write the perfect French love letter, this guide will help you put your thoughts into words.

Why Write a French Love Letter?

Some may say that writing a love letter is old-fashioned and inconvenient but receiving a hand-written letter from your partner is incredibly romantic. They might take longer to write than a simple text message, but they are a tangible proof of your love.

Your partner and you can collect love letters over time as a record of your relationship. You can treasure them and later have something to look back on to reminisce your love story. If your partner has yet to write you one, maybe you can ask him/her.

Est-ce que tu pourrais m’écrire une lettre d’amour s’il te plaît? Could you please write me a love letter?

Not everybody is comfortable with receiving a love letter, especially if you just started dating. Sometimes it is better to ask permission before writing your first love letter.

Est-ce que je pourrais t’écrire une lettre d’amour? Could I write you a love letter?

Once everybody involved agrees, it is time to sit down and reflect on your love for one another. Once you find the perfect words to describe it, it is time to get to work.

How To Start Your French Love Letter

First, you will want to find the perfect greeting. This is not the time to be formal, but rather let your heart do the talking. Here are a few greetings you could use:

À ma chère amour / À mon cher amour To my dear love

The first one is feminine and should be used if your letter is addressed to a woman. The second one is masculine and is to be used when addressing a man.

À l’amour de ma vie To my one true love

This is the perfect way to start your letter if you have found “the one”. It sets the tone right from the start regarding how you feel about them and what they mean to you.

À ma chérie / À mon chéri To my dearest

Once again, the first one is feminine and the second one is masculine. This is a more classic way to open a love letter, but still communicates the affection you have for your person.

After greeting your loved one, the first paragraph should explain why you decided to write a love letter. Down below are a few examples you could use.

Write this introduction if you are writing the love letter for an anniversary:

Je tenais à t’écrire cette lettre à l’occasion de notre anniversaire. I wanted to write you this letter to celebrate our anniversary.

This is what you should use if you are giving the letter to celebrate Valentine’s Day:

Pour célébrer la Saint-Valentin, j’ai décidé de t’écrire cette lettre. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I decided to write you this letter.

If you wanted to remind your special someone of your love for them for their birthday, you could say:

Pour ta fête, je voulais te rappeler la place spéciale que tu occupes dans mon cœur. For your birthday, I wanted to remind you of the place you hold in my heart.

If there is no specific reason for you to be writing a letter except your love for that person, you could say:

Mon amour pour toi est tellement grand que j’ai décidé de t’écrire cette lettre. My love for you is so big that I had to write you this letter

Important Things to Include in Your Love Letter

When writing the heart of the letter, you should be thoughtful and specific. You should avoid making general statements about your special person and the love story your share. Make sure to think of specific examples that capture the nature of your feelings for them.

You can also let your personality shine through your writing to make it more authentic. If you are a funny person, add some touches of humor to your letter. If you are a more sentimental person, your letter should reflect that as well.

You might need a little bit of inspiration to get you started, so we have listed a few examples for you.

Mention a romantic memory you share

Think of the past few months you spent together and select one or two of your favorite memories.

For example, you might want to describe the first time you saw each other.

La première fois que mes yeux se sont posés sur toi, j’ai su que tu étais la personne pour moi. The first time I ever saw you, I knew you were the one for me.

Je t’ai trouvé belle/beau dès la première minute. I found you beautiful from the first minute I saw you.

Dès notre première rencontre, je savais que tu serais quelqu’un de spécial pour moi. From the first time we met, I knew you would be someone special to me.

If this is your first time writing this person a love letter, you might want to discuss your first date together. It deserves a mention because it represents the beginning of your story. For example, you can mention how much you liked their outfit, or admit how nervous you felt. Here are a few French sentences you could use:

Je me souviens du souper aux chandelles que nous avons partagé lors de notre premier rendez-vous. I remember the candlelight dinner we shared together during our first date.

Je me souviens de notre premier rendez-vous comme si c’était hier. I remember our first date together as if it was yesterday.

Je me souviens encore de la robe rouge que tu portais lors de notre premier rendez-vous. I still remember the red dress you were wearing during our first date.

J’étais si nerveux lors de notre premier rendez-vous. I was so nervous during our first date.

Say what you love about them

You can also describe what you love specifically about the person you are writing to. You can discuss their appearance, but also their personality and the qualities you admire the most in them.

If you usually compliment them more about their looks, maybe it is better to emphasize their character in the letter, and vice versa. This is your time to tell your partner things you might not say daily.

We have written a full article about French compliments. Some of them are suitable to be used in a French love letter.

Examples of what you might say include:

J’adore ton sourire, c’est la première chose que j’ai remarqué chez toi. I love your smile, it is the first thing I noticed about you.

Tes yeux bleus me rappellent la couleur de l’océan. The blue of your eyes reminds me of the ocean’s color.

Ton ambition est inspirante et je suis fièr(e) de tout ce que tu as accomplis. Your ambition is inspiring, and I am proud of everything you have accomplished.

Tu sais prendre soin de tous ceux autour de toi. You know how to take care of those around you.

Ton bon cœur et ta loyauté font de toi l’amoureuse parfaite. Ton bon cœur et ta loyauté font de toi l’amoureux parfait. Your good heart and your loyalty make you the perfect lover.

How to End a French Love Letter

Tying It All Together

The first little bit of your last paragraph should relate back to the beginning of your letter and the reasons why you decided to write it in the first place.

For example, if your letter was a Valentine’s Day gift, you could say something like:

Je suis si heureuse/heureux de passer la Saint-Valentin en ta compagnie. I am so happy to spend Valentine’s Day in your company.

Tu mérites de te sentir spéciale/spécial en cette journée de l’amour. You deserve to feel special on this day celebrating love.

If this letter was to celebrate an anniversary, you could end by saying:

Je suis si heureuse/heureux de célébrer un autre anniversaire avec toi. I am so happy to celebrate another anniversary with you.

Je ne peux pas croire qu’une autre année avec toi tire à sa fin. I cannot believe that another year with you is coming to an end.

Make Plans for the Future

Then, you want to end your paragraph with a look to the future. You want to make it clear that you are in it for the long run. This will help the person feel special and make them understand your commitment towards them.

For example, you could describe a project you would like to share with them:

J’ai tellement hâte de construire notre maison de rêve ensemble. I cannot wait to build our dream home together.

Ça fait longtemps que nous en discutons, et je pense que nous devrions adopter un chiot ensemble. We have been discussing this for a long time, and I think we should finally adopt a little dog together.

Je veux vivre plein d’aventures avec toi et je pense que nous devrions explorer l’Europe ensemble. I want to experience a lot of adventures with you, and I think we should explore Europe together.

You could also discuss the next steps to take your relationship to the next level.

If you are just beginning to date, you could say:

Je suis impatiente/impatient de célébrer notre premier anniversaire. I cannot wait to celebrate our first anniversary.

If you have been dating for a long time and you think your relationship is ready, you could even discuss things like marriage and children.

Je sais que le jour de notre mariage sera la plus jour de ma vie. I know that our wedding day will be the best day of my life.

J’ai hâte de fonder une famille avec toi. I cannot wait to start a family with you.

The Final Signature

To end your French love letter perfectly, you should add romance to your signature. Simply writing your name is a little too formal. You want your signature to reflect the same loving and caring tone you have adopted throughout your letter.

Examples of signatures you could use include:

À toi pour toujours, Jennifer Yours forever, Jennifer

Avec tout mon amour, Alex With all my love, Alex

Je t’aimerai toujours, Sophie I will always love you, Sophie

Helpful Advice to Write Your French Love Letter

Now that we have gone over the different sections of your letter and what should be included in each of them, we also want to give you some general advice.

Writing a love letter is not easy because you need to convey your feelings on paper. The best way to do so is to be as detailed as possible.

To help with this, you should sit and brainstorm different ideas about what to include in your letter. Start with a general idea and then focus it as much as possible.

For example, you might want to discuss their beautiful eyes. What is beautiful about them? The color? The shape? Why do you love them so much? Do they remind you of something? How does it make you feel when you look into their eyes?

A general statement like:

Tu as de beaux yeux. You have beautiful eyes.

Can become something like:

Quand je regarde dans tes yeux verts comme la forêt, le temps semble s’arrêter. When I look into your eyes, which are the same color as the forest, time seems to stop.

Do you see how the second example is much more thoughtful? It shows you spent time thinking about the person and what they mean to you.

You also might want to start by writing a rough draft before writing your final version. Once you have edited and proofread it, you can write your final copy on a beautiful piece of paper. Use your best handwriting and add a special touch like a spray of your perfume.

Lastly, just do it. If you have been holding back from writing a French love letter to your special someone because you are worried it will not be perfect, stop worrying. Just start writing and if it comes from the heart, your partner will love it!

On a related note, French is not the only romantic language out there, see for example this tutorial on writing a love letter in Spanish.