French dating vocabulary: 357 words
Compliments, romance and going out — words and phrases for dating (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese). This page lists 40 of them with their French translations, then lets you practise the full set in either direction with spaced repetition.
English to French: the first 40 words
| English | French | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| love | amour | A deep tender affection felt for someone dear. |
| date | rendez-vous | A romantic meeting with someone, not a calendar day. |
| boyfriend | petit ami | A male romantic partner someone is dating. |
| girlfriend | petite amie | A female romantic partner someone is dating. |
| kiss | baiser | A touch with the lips to show affection. |
| hug | câlin | To hold someone close in your arms affectionately. |
| beautiful | beau | Very lovely to look at, pleasing the eye. |
| handsome | beau | Typically describes men or masculine things; a type of beautiful. |
| cute | mignon | Appealingly small or pretty, not necessarily romantic; can apply to objects or animals. |
| attractive | séduisant | Appealing in looks, arousing interest or desire in others. |
| smile | sourire | A happy expression made by curving the lips upward. |
| eyes | yeux | The two organs in the head used for seeing. |
| heart | cœur | The symbol of emotion and love, not the physical organ. |
| feelings | sentiments | The emotions someone holds inside, especially tender ones toward another person. |
| relationship | relation | The romantic bond and shared life between two partners. |
| couple | couple | Two people joined as romantic partners. |
| flirt | flirter | To show playful romantic interest, not necessarily serious commitment. |
| charming | charmant | Delightfully pleasant in manner, winning people over easily. |
| romantic | romantique | Full of tender lovers' feeling, like candlelight and poetry. |
| shy | timide | Quiet and nervous around other people, easily embarrassed. |
| single | célibataire | Not in a relationship; unmarried status. |
| married | marié | Legally joined to a spouse as husband or wife. |
| wedding | mariage | The ceremony at which two people become spouses. |
| engaged | fiancé | Promised to marry someone; the status before marriage. |
| jealous | jaloux | Resentful because the person you desire may prefer someone else. |
| crush | coup de cœur | A sudden, intense romantic attraction; usually brief or one-sided. |
| sweetheart | chéri | A term of endearment for a romantic partner; affectionate nickname. |
| compliment | compliment | A kind remark of praise about someone's looks or qualities. |
| gift | cadeau | Something handed over freely to please another person, with nothing owed in return. |
| flowers | fleurs | Colourful blossoms cut and given as a token of affection. |
| dinner date | dîner en amoureux | An evening meal shared by two people as a tender outing together. |
| to fall in love | tomber amoureux | To begin loving someone; emphasizes the sudden or involuntary start. |
| to miss someone | manquer à quelqu'un | To feel the absence of someone you care about; nostalgia or longing. |
| You are beautiful | tu es belle | Words telling the person in front of you that they look lovely. |
| I like you | tu me plais | Mild affection; less serious than 'I love you.' |
| I love you | je t'aime | The three words used to declare deep affection to someone. |
| Would you like to dance? | Veux-tu danser ? | A polite question inviting someone to move to music with you. |
| Can I buy you a drink? | Je peux t'offrir un verre ? | Offering to pay for a beverage for someone at a bar as an opening move. |
| What's your name? | Comment tu t'appelles ? | Asking a stranger what they are called. |
| Can I have your number? | Je peux avoir ton numéro ? | Asking someone for their phone digits so you can contact them later. |
317 more words in the full “Dating & Flirting” library, each aligned across seven languages and scheduled for you by spaced repetition. Add it to your account and start drilling English to French in one click.
What to watch out for in French
- 110 of these 357 words are near-identical in English and French (31%) —
couple,compliment,affection. Those are free; the value of drilling is in the rest. - Accents count. Answers are graded accent-sensitively, so you need
àâçéèêîïô— LinguaSwap shows a one-tap keypad for them while you type. - 357 words carry a usage note in the full library, for the cases where a direct translation would mislead you.
Practise French dating vocabulary
Words come back just before you would forget them, and every language direction is tracked separately.