How do you say “to fall in love” in French? While the classic expression tomber amoureux perfectly captures romantic feelings, the French language offers a rich variety of charming, nuanced, and colorful alternatives that fit both romantic and non-romantic settings. Let’s explore some of these expressions.

As we mentioned, tomber amoureux (to fall in love) typically conveys strong feelings for a person or thing:

Une chanson qui parle des sentiments adolescents et de la solitude qu'on peut ressentir quand on voit des gens tomber amoureux et que nous, on a envie de ressentir de l'amour.

A song that talks about teenage feelings and about the loneliness that we can feel when we see people falling in love and that we want to feel love.

Captions 79-82, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1

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To evoke the sudden, overwhelming feeling of “falling madly in love," the French have a very colorful expression that literally means “to be struck by lightning": avoir un coup de foudre. Back in the 17th century, the expression described just that, an unpleasant electrifying experience! Over time though, it lost its sting and took on the more romantic meaning we know today:

J'ai un coup de foudre pour toi.

I'm madly in love with you.

Caption 77, Français avec Nelly How to flirt in French

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When combined with être (to be) instead of avoir (to have), as in ça a été le coup de foudre, the meaning changes slightly and is best rendered as “it was love at first sight." The focus is now on the event or the catalyst rather than the person experiencing these feelings. Just as in English, un coup de foudre (love at first sight) can happen not only with people but also with everyday things, such as delicious cherries:

Dès la première fois que j'ai goûté une cerise ça a été le coup de foudre.

From the first time I tasted a cherry, it was love at first sight.

Captions 70-71, Le saviez-vous? Comment dire qu'on aime?

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The expression un coup de cœur, literally “a blow/strike to the heart,” works in a similar grammatical way to un coup de foudre (love at first sight) with avoir (to have) or être (to be). Avoir un coup de cœur means to fall in love or to be smitten, emphasizing the initial feeling of attraction toward another person:

J'ai un coup de cœur pour toi.

I'm smitten with you.

Caption 74, Français avec Nelly How to flirt in French

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The expression can also be used in a non-romantic way, such as avoir un coup de cœur pour une peinture (to fall in love with a painting): 

Et j'ai vraiment eu un coup de cœur pour cette peinture.

And I really fell in love with this painting.

Caption 49, Le saviez-vous? Karine Rougier présente son art - Part 3

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Speaking of painting, a speaker in another video describes how she fell in love with a particular painting, how it became “her favorite” and how she developed a little “infatuation”:

C'est vraiment mon coup de cœur, hein. Ben y en a... beaucoup des jolis, mais celui-là vraiment, à chaque fois que je rentre dans ton atelier, j'ai un petit coup de cœur. 

It's really my favorite, you know. Well, there's... many nice ones, but that one, really, every time I enter your studio, I have a little infatuation. 

Captions 13-15, Marie et Sandra Atelier d'art - Part 8

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As you can see, un coup de cœur can translate in a variety of ways depending on whether it is used with avoir or être and on the nature of the feeling being conveyed. In this example, un coup de cœur is more of an "affinity” than “love”:

Avec François, on a repris la librairie y aura bientôt deux ans, une librairie pour laquelle on a eu un véritable coup de cœur.

With François, it's coming on two years ago that we took over the bookstore, a bookstore for which we had a veritable strike of the heart [affinity].

Captions 6-8, Gaëlle Librairie "Livres in Room"

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Moving on to a different charming expression, we have tomber sous le charme (to fall under the spell of something, or simply fall in love), which best describes an irresistible attraction:

Visiblement, ma mère...était tombée sous le charme du vendeur.

Obviously, my mother...had fallen under the spell of the salesman.

Captions 56-58, Mère & Fille Mère ou sœur

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Alternatively, you could say succomber au charme (to succumb to the charm):

Visiblement, ma mère...avait succombé au charme du vendeur.

Obviously, my mother...had succumbed to the charm of the salesman.

A less overt way of admitting one’s feeling of attraction is with the expression avoir un faible (to have a weakness, a soft spot, or a crush):

Olivier a toujours eu un petit faible pour Fabrice.

Olivier has always had a little weakness for Fabrice.

Caption 66, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma collègue veut ma place - Part 1

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Or you may want to use the colloquial phrase craquer sur when “falling for” or “giving in to" the temptation of impulse buying, like this person at a Christmas market in Alsace:

Et ben on a craqué sur des choses un petit peu typiques, euh...

And, well, we fell for things that are a little bit typical, uh...

Caption 10, Alsace 20 Ouverture du marché de Noël de Colmar

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There you have it! We hope you enjoyed this foray into feelings, and that it will help you navigate the world of love.

Pouvoir (to be able to) and vouloir (to want) are two very useful verbs that share common features but also differ in many ways. Let’s explore what the similarities and differences are in this lesson.

Pouvoir and vouloir are the only two irregular verbs ending in -eux in the first-person singular of the indicative. We have je veux (I want) and je peux (I can). Let’s look at the verb vouloir first. Vouloir can be followed by a noun, as shown in Zaz's song simply titled "Je veux":

Je veux de l'amour, de la joie, de la bonne humeur.

I want love, joy, good humor.

Caption 63, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1

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Vouloir can also be followed by a verb in the infinitive. In her song, Zaz uses the colloquial expression je veux crever (I want to croak):

Moi, je veux crever

Me, I want to croak

Caption 65, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1

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So far so good. However, when vouloir is followed by a subordinate clause, je veux que + verb (I want + verb), you will need to use the subjunctive mood. It pays to become familiar with this tricky grammatical structure, as it is very common in French: 

Je veux que mon ami comprenne.

I want my friend to understand.

Caption 39, Français avec Nelly 25 Phrases for Mastering Everyday Conversation - Part 2

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Speaking of the subjunctive mood, do you recognize this form of the verb vouloir, veuillez? 

This is vouloir in the second-person plural (vous) subjunctive, but it's also a very formal way of saying “please." (For other ways of saying "please," check out this lesson.) The expression veuillez + verb (please + verb) is often used in court settings, for example:

Veuillez vous présenter à la barre s'il vous plaît.

Please take the stand.

Caption 23, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Détournement d'argent dans le couple ? - Part 3

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Now let's move on to pouvoir, "to be able to." Just as in English, it can only be followed by a verb, and often comes in the form of a question: Est-ce que je peux + verb (can I + verb)?

Est-ce que je peux au moins le rencontrer ?

Can I at least meet him?

Caption 26, Extr@ Ep. 9 - Du boulot pour Sam et Nico! - Part 4

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Now, there is a more formal and less common alternative to est-ce que je peux, which is puis-je. This comes from an antiquated version of je peux, je puis. You may form your question starting with puis-je + verb, equivalent to “may I...?” (Interestingly, you can NEVER say peux-je, only puis-je.) You can use puis-je (may I) when approaching a stranger, for example:

Puis-je vous demander à quelle heure est votre rendez-vous?

May I ask you what time your appointment is?

Caption 8, Le saviez-vous? Conversation entre étrangers

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Incidentally, the subjunctive form of je peux/je puis is que je puisse (that I might/could). Once again, this construction is very common so it would pay to become familiar with it:

Il t'est pas venu à l'esprit que je puisse être dans ma chambre

It didn't occur to you that I could be in my room

Caption 75, Mère & Fille "Distraite", "La fille idéale", "Inquiète", "Zenitude"

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There you have it! Now vous pouvez utiliser pouvoir et vouloir si vous voulez (you can use pouvoir and vouloir if you want). Thank you for reading!

When you want to exit a building, look for a sign that says Sortie (Exit). Based on the past participle of the verb sortir (to go out), la sortie is a very versatile word that can be used in many different ways, both literally and figuratively.

As mentioned earlier, la sortie refers to “the exit” of a building. The studio in the video below has several sorties, which may explain André’s wife’s mysterious disappearance:

Ah ben... parce qu'il y a d'autres sorties...

Oh, well... because there are other exits... 

Caption 24, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ? - Part 2

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Just as in English, you can combine sortie with faire (to make): faire sa sortie (to make one's exit), like singers and superstars do.

Voici comment toutes les grandes superstars font leur sortie.

Here's how all the big superstars make their exit.

Captions 64-65, Extr@ Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née - Part 3

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Speaking of singers, we also use the word sortie to talk about an album release:

Sortie de l'album le vingt-sept février deux mille douze

Album release February twenty-seventh, two thousand twelve

Caption 1, Boulbar New York, 6 heures du matin

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Sortie is also a verb form meaning "released." In this case, it's the feminine past participle of the verb sortir (to be released). Remember that sortir belongs to the small group of verbs that go with the auxiliary être and take agreement in the past tense. In the video below, sortie agrees with the feminine noun chanson (song):

Cette chanson est sortie en deux mille onze.

This song was released in two thousand eleven.

Caption 134, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1

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It’s not just songs or movies that can be released. People can too! In the example below, it’s a prisoner who is being freed.

Dès sa sortie de prison, Brice contacte Enzo.

As soon as he is released from prison, Brice contacts Enzo.

Caption 1, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon père - Part 9

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The recently released prisoner would no longer need permission for chaque sortie (each outing), unlike French residents during the early COVID pandemic:

Il faut signer une attestation, surtout attester de chaque sortie.

You have to sign a certificate, above all register every outing.

Captions 54-55, Lionel L La pandémie

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As for poor Barbara, she has to beg her mother for la permission de sortie:

Il fallait passer par d'interminables négociations pour obtenir la permission de sortie.

I had to go through endless negotiations to obtain permission to go out.

Captions 26-27, Mère & Fille La soirée

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Unlike Barbara, our former prisoner is free to enjoy être de sortie (being out and about), like the people in this Christine and the Queens song:

Nous et la "man", on est de sortie

We and the man, we are out and about

Caption 25, Christine and the Queens Christine

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Être de sortie can also just mean “to be out,” as opposed to being home:

J'aurais pu refuser et prétexter que j'étais de sortie

I could've refused on the pretext that I was out

Caption 72, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 5

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Interestingly, when sortie is preceded by the definite article la (the), as in à la sortie, the phrase usually signals the end of an activity:

À la sortie, cette idée semble avoir été abandonnée

In the end, they seem to have abandoned this idea

Caption 6, Le Journal Enseigner l'Holocauste en classe

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À la sortie de la séance, certains n'en reviennent toujours pas.

At the end of the showing, some still can't believe it.

Caption 27, Le Journal Les Ch'tis

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...et de me les communiquer à la sortie du conseil de classe.

...and communicate them to me at the end of the teachers' conference.

Captions 54-55, Mère & Fille Le coup de téléphone

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However, note the subtlety here. La sortie des classes doesn’t just mean the end of classes, but also when classes are dismissed:

Ça tombe juste pendant la sortie des classes.

That falls right when classes are dismissed.

Caption 23, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 3

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And watch out: in a different context, une sortie de classe is a "field trip" or "school trip," like the one Barbara is going on: 

Les sorties de classe, c'est l'occasion de découvrir des choses nouvelles

Class field trips are an opportunity to discover new things

Caption 1, Mère & Fille La sortie de classe

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Here are some other uses of the noun sortie. This one is straightforward: à la sortie du four means “out of the oven."

...pour que les manneles à la sortie du four, ils aient une belle croûte. 

...so that the mannele out of the oven have a beautiful crust.

Caption 62, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas

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In the next example, however, the meaning is not so obvious. Remember earlier when we talked about la sortie d’un album? This time, la sortie sort of means the opposite: "the phaseout" or "the end of an era":

Tu crois que pour toi ça symbolise la sortie du nucléaire, là ?

Do you think this symbolizes the phaseout of nuclear energy for you?

Caption 75, Actus Quartier Manif anti-nucléaire à Bastille

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Another less common meaning of sortie is “output” in an industrial context, as in la sortie de l’électricité:

Dans les batteries, on a des contacteurs qui coupent la sortie de l'électricité

In the batteries, we have contactors that shut off the electricity output

Captions 64-65, Bateau sport 100% électrique Le Nautique 196 E

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And in a commercial context, we have l'entrée et sortie de marchandises: 

...logiciels informatiques pour gérer tout ce qui est entrée et sortie de marchandises. 

...computing software to manage everything that is about the entry and departure of goods.

Captions 33-34, GO! Formations Présentation du centre

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Indeed, sortie can mean “departure,” as in to leave a place or depart. In the video below, la sortie refers to the time the couple left the hotel:

Au moment de leur sortie, eh bien, cette carte avait disparu.

At the time of their departure, well, this card had gone missing.

Captions 88-89, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 6

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In some cases, sortie doesn’t just mean “departure,” but “quitting,” as in giving up:

C'est-à-dire les différentes épisodes de sortie, ensuite, les envies, et cetera, correspondent en tout point à ce que nous vivons avec...des patients qui fument...

That is, the different quitting episodes, then the cravings, et cetera, correspond point by point with what we experience with...patients who smoke...

Captions 157-160, Le Figaro Elle a banni le sucre pendant un an - Part 2

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So far, we’ve explored many ways of using the word sortie, and like Sacha in the video below, you may be wondering comment vous allez vous en sortir (how you’re going to manage):

Oh là là là là, comment vont-ils s'en sortir ?

Oh dear, how are they going to manage?

Caption 10, Extr@ Ep. 6 - Le jour du loto - Part 1

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Just keep in mind that the main meanings of sortie are “exit," "departure," and "outing." However, pay close attention to context to interpret the less common uses of sortie. And remember that Yabla videos are at your disposal pour vous aider à vous en sortir (to help you cope). Thanks for reading!