Learning how to say “dear” in French is a wonderful way to show kindness and affection. Whether you’re writing a letter, greeting a loved one, or expressing warmth, this word is used in many ways. French, being a romantic language, has different words for “dear” depending on who you’re speaking to and the situation. This makes it even more special to learn.
In this article, we’ll explore the different ways to say “dear” in French. You’ll also learn how to use them correctly, practice responding to “dear,” and even try a fun exercise. By the end, you’ll feel confident using these expressions in conversations and letters. Let’s get started!
Ways to Say “Dear” in French
In French, the word “dear” can be expressed in many ways depending on the tone, formality, and context. Below are some of the most common ways to say “dear,” with pronunciations and examples.
Cher(shair)
- Meaning: Dear (masculine, formal or casual).
- In a Sentence:
- Cher Marc, merci pour ta lettre. (Dear Marc, thank you for your letter.)
- Cher ami, je suis ravi de te voir. (Dear friend, I am delighted to see you.)
Chère(shair)
- Meaning: Dear (feminine, formal or casual).
- In a Sentence:
- Chère Marie, comment vas-tu ? (Dear Marie, how are you?)
- Chère sœur, merci pour ton soutien. (Dear sister, thank you for your support.)
Mon cher(mohn shair)
- Meaning: My dear (masculine, casual or affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon cher Paul, j’ai une bonne nouvelle. (My dear Paul, I have good news.)
- Mon cher, veux-tu du thé ? (My dear, would you like some tea?)
Ma chère(mah shair)
- Meaning: My dear (feminine, casual or affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Ma chère Sophie, je pense à toi. (My dear Sophie, I’m thinking of you.)
- Ma chère, tu es formidable. (My dear, you are wonderful.)
Cher ami(shair ah-mee)
- Meaning: Dear friend (masculine).
- In a Sentence:
- Cher ami, cela fait longtemps. (Dear friend, it’s been a long time.)
- Merci, cher ami, pour ton aide. (Thank you, dear friend, for your help.)
Chère amie(shair ah-mee)
- Meaning: Dear friend (feminine).
- In a Sentence:
- Chère amie, j’espère te voir bientôt. (Dear friend, I hope to see you soon.)
- Merci, chère amie, pour ta gentillesse. (Thank you, dear friend, for your kindness.)
Mon trésor(mohn tray-zor)
- Meaning: My treasure (affectionate, casual).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon trésor, viens ici ! (My treasure, come here!)
- Bonjour, mon trésor, comment vas-tu ? (Good morning, my treasure, how are you?)
Mon amour(mohn ah-moor)
- Meaning: My love (romantic or affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon amour, tu es incroyable. (My love, you are amazing.)
- Merci, mon amour, pour tout. (Thank you, my love, for everything.)
Ma chérie(mah shay-ree)
- Meaning: My darling (feminine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Bonne nuit, ma chérie. (Good night, my darling.)
- Ma chérie, tu as fait un excellent travail. (My darling, you did an excellent job.)
Mon chéri(mohn shay-ree)
- Meaning: My darling (masculine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon chéri, veux-tu sortir ce soir ? (My darling, would you like to go out tonight?)
- Merci, mon chéri, pour ce cadeau. (Thank you, my darling, for this gift.)
Ma douce(mah doos)
- Meaning: My sweet (feminine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Bonne journée, ma douce. (Have a good day, my sweet.)
- Ma douce, repose-toi bien. (My sweet, get some rest.)
Mon doux(mohn doo)
- Meaning: My sweet (masculine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon doux, merci pour tout. (My sweet, thank you for everything.)
- À bientôt, mon doux. (See you soon, my sweet.)
Ma précieuse(mah pray-syuhz)
- Meaning: My precious (feminine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Ma précieuse, je suis là pour toi. (My precious, I am here for you.)
- Bonne nuit, ma précieuse. (Good night, my precious.)
Mon précieux(mohn pray-syuh)
- Meaning: My precious (masculine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon précieux, prends soin de toi. (My precious, take care of yourself.)
- Merci, mon précieux, pour ton soutien. (Thank you, my precious, for your support.)
Cher collègue(shair koh-leg)
- Meaning: Dear colleague.
- In a Sentence:
- Cher collègue, voici le rapport demandé. (Dear colleague, here is the requested report.)
- Merci, cher collègue, pour votre aide. (Thank you, dear colleague, for your help.)
Ma belle(mah bell)
- Meaning: My beautiful (feminine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Bonjour, ma belle. (Good morning, my beautiful.)
- Ma belle, tu es magnifique ce soir. (My beautiful, you look stunning tonight.)
Mon beau(mohn boh)
- Meaning: My handsome (masculine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Salut, mon beau. (Hello, my handsome.)
- Mon beau, merci pour cette soirée. (My handsome, thank you for this evening.)
Cher(e) professeur(shair prof-es-sir)
- Meaning: Dear teacher.
- In a Sentence:
- Cher professeur, merci pour vos conseils. (Dear teacher, thank you for your advice.)
- Chère professeure, j’apprécie votre aide. (Dear teacher, I appreciate your help.)
Mon ange(mohn ahnj)
- Meaning: My angel (affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon ange, tu es merveilleux. (My angel, you are wonderful.)
- Merci, mon ange, pour ton amour. (Thank you, my angel, for your love.)
Cher(e) client(e)(shair klee-ahn(t))
- Meaning: Dear client (formal).
- In a Sentence:
- Cher client, nous vous remercions pour votre fidélité. (Dear client, we thank you for your loyalty.)
- Chère cliente, votre commande est prête. (Dear client, your order is ready.)
Mon petit(mohn puh-tee)
- Meaning: My little one (affectionate, often for children or loved ones).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon petit, viens manger. (My little one, come eat.)
- Bonne nuit, mon petit. (Good night, my little one.)
Ma petite(mah puh-teet)
- Meaning: My little one (feminine, affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Ma petite, sois sage. (My little one, be good.)
- Ma petite, je t’aime beaucoup. (My little one, I love you so much.)
Mon lapin(mohn lah-pahn)
- Meaning: My bunny (endearing, informal).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon lapin, qu’est-ce que tu fais ? (My bunny, what are you doing?)
- Viens ici, mon lapin. (Come here, my bunny.)
Ma puce(mah puce)
- Meaning: My sweetie (affectionate, often for children or loved ones).
- In a Sentence:
- Ma puce, tu veux jouer ? (My sweetie, do you want to play?)
- Bonne journée, ma puce. (Have a good day, my sweetie.)
Mon bijou(mohn bee-zhoo)
- Meaning: My jewel (romantic or affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Mon bijou, je suis tellement fier de toi. (My jewel, I’m so proud of you.)
- Merci pour tout, mon bijou. (Thank you for everything, my jewel.)
Cher enfant(shair ahn-fahn)
- Meaning: Dear child (formal or affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Cher enfant, sois prudent. (Dear child, be careful.)
- Cher enfant, écoute ton professeur. (Dear child, listen to your teacher.)
Chère famille(shair fah-mee)
- Meaning: Dear family (formal or affectionate).
- In a Sentence:
- Chère famille, nous espérons vous voir bientôt. (Dear family, we hope to see you soon.)
- Merci, chère famille, pour votre soutien. (Thank you, dear family, for your support.)
Other Ways to Say “Dear” in French
Here are more alternatives to say “dear” in French, with their meanings and example sentences in a table format.
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| Ma moitié | mah mwah-tyay | My better half (romantic) | Ma moitié, je t’aime plus que tout. (My better half, I love you more than anything.) |
| Mon étoile | mohn eh-twahl | My star (affectionate) | Mon étoile, tu es incroyable. (My star, you are amazing.) |
| Mon bonheur | mohn boh-nuhr | My happiness (romantic) | Mon bonheur, tu illumines ma vie. (My happiness, you brighten my life.) |
| Mon cœur | mohn kur | My heart (romantic) | Mon cœur, viens ici. (My heart, come here.) |
| Ma perle | mah pehrl | My pearl (affectionate) | Ma perle, merci pour ta gentillesse. (My pearl, thank you for your kindness.) |
| Cher ami de longue date | shair ah-mee duh lohn-g daht | Dear longtime friend | Cher ami de longue date, je suis heureux de te revoir. (Dear longtime friend, I am happy to see you again.) |
| Chère équipe | shair ay-keep | Dear team | Chère équipe, merci pour vos efforts. (Dear team, thank you for your efforts.) |
Responses to “Dear” in French
When someone addresses you with “dear” in French, you can respond politely or affectionately, depending on the context. Below are some common responses:
Merci, cher/chère [name].
- Meaning: Thank you, dear [name].
- In a Sentence:
- Merci, cher Paul. (Thank you, dear Paul.)
- Merci, chère Sophie. (Thank you, dear Sophie.)
Moi aussi, mon cher/ma chère.
- Meaning: Me too, my dear.
- In a Sentence:
- Moi aussi, mon cher. (Me too, my dear.)
- Moi aussi, ma chère. (Me too, my dear.)
C’est gentil, merci.
- Meaning: That’s kind, thank you.
- In a Sentence:
- C’est gentil, merci beaucoup. (That’s kind, thank you very much.)
Je suis touché(e), merci.
- Meaning: I’m touched, thank you.
- In a Sentence:
- Je suis touché(e), cher ami. (I’m touched, dear friend.)
- Merci, je suis très touché(e). (Thank you, I’m very touched.)
Pareillement, mon cher/ma chère.
- Meaning: Likewise, my dear.
- In a Sentence:
- Pareillement, mon cher Marc. (Likewise, my dear Marc.)
- Pareillement, ma chère Lucie. (Likewise, my dear Lucie.)
Avec plaisir.
- Meaning: With pleasure.
- In a Sentence:
- Merci, cher ami, avec plaisir. (Thank you, dear friend, with pleasure.)
C’est un honneur, merci.
- Meaning: It’s an honor, thank you.
- In a Sentence:
- C’est un honneur, mon cher professeur. (It’s an honor, my dear teacher.)
Merci, ça me fait chaud au cœur.
- Meaning: Thank you, that warms my heart.
- In a Sentence:
- Merci, ma chère amie, ça me fait chaud au cœur. (Thank you, my dear friend, that warms my heart.)
Toujours un plaisir, mon cher/ma chère.
- Meaning: Always a pleasure, my dear.
- In a Sentence:
- Toujours un plaisir, mon cher. (Always a pleasure, my dear.)
- Toujours un plaisir, ma chère. (Always a pleasure, my dear.)
Merci, tu es adorable.
- Meaning: Thank you, you’re adorable.
- In a Sentence:
- Merci, ma douce, tu es adorable. (Thank you, my sweet, you’re adorable.)
- Tu es adorable, merci, mon ange. (You’re adorable, thank you, my angel.)
Exercise to Practice Saying “Dear” in French
Fill-in-the-Blanks
Complete the following sentences using the correct word or phrase for “dear” in French. The sentences are designed to reflect real-life scenarios.
- Bonjour, _______ Marc, comment vas-tu ?
- Merci, _______ amie, pour ton aide aujourd’hui.
- _______ famille, nous sommes ravis de vous voir ici.
- Mon ________, tu as fait un excellent travail !
- Je suis content de te voir, _______ Sophie.
- À bientôt, _______ collègues, et merci pour votre temps.
- Mon ________, peux-tu m’apporter le livre, s’il te plaît ?
- Merci, _______ petit, pour ton dessin.
- Mon ________, veux-tu du café ou du thé ?
- Chère ________, ce cadeau est parfait, merci !
- _______ Paul, merci pour ton soutien pendant cette période difficile.
- _______ professeur, pourriez-vous m’expliquer ce problème ?
Answers
- Bonjour, cher Marc, comment vas-tu ? (Hello, dear Marc, how are you?)
- Merci, chère amie, pour ton aide aujourd’hui. (Thank you, dear friend, for your help today.)
- Chère famille, nous sommes ravis de vous voir ici. (Dear family, we are delighted to see you here.)
- Mon chéri, tu as fait un excellent travail ! (My darling, you did an excellent job!)
- Je suis content de te voir, chère Sophie. (I am happy to see you, dear Sophie.)
- À bientôt, chers collègues, et merci pour votre temps. (See you soon, dear colleagues, and thank you for your time.)
- Mon ange, peux-tu m’apporter le livre, s’il te plaît ? (My angel, can you bring me the book, please?)
- Merci, mon petit, pour ton dessin. (Thank you, my little one, for your drawing.)
- Mon cœur, veux-tu du café ou du thé ? (My heart, would you like coffee or tea?)
- Chère amie, ce cadeau est parfait, merci ! (Dear friend, this gift is perfect, thank you!)
- Cher Paul, merci pour ton soutien pendant cette période difficile. (Dear Paul, thank you for your support during this difficult time.)
- Cher professeur, pourriez-vous m’expliquer ce problème ? (Dear teacher, could you explain this problem to me?)
Conclusion
Learning how to say “dear” in French is a helpful way to make your conversations and letters more personal and warm. Whether you’re addressing a friend, family member, or someone special, the right word can show your affection or respect. From cher and chère to affectionate terms like mon cœur or ma puce, there are many ways to express closeness and care.
Practicing these phrases will not only improve your French skills but also help you connect better with others. Keep trying different expressions in letters or daily conversations. Over time, using these phrases will feel natural and add a touch of French charm to your words. Bonne chance! (Good luck!)