The fourteenth of February is a date well known to lovers as St. Valentine’s Day. In France, the tradition is to offer a gift to your beloved. While 80% of French people consider St. Valentine’s Day to be a commercial holiday, 75% opt to give a present to their partner on this date! But what do men prefer to buy for the women they love? In general, the most popular gift is the traditional bouquet of flowers, with rings and candlelit dinners also common. To address the person they love, French people use the terms mon chéri (or ma chérie for a woman), meaning “my darling”, or mon amour (“my love”). Do you know any other sweet nothings that you can whisper to your loved one? French people certainly aren’t lacking in imagination on this point. You can say mon lapin (literally “my rabbit”), ma biche (“my doe”, and the preferred endearment of actor Louis de Funès in his films), mon chou (my cabbage), ma puce (“my flea”) or finally mon cœur (“my heart”). As for French expressions, avoir le coup de foudre means to fall in love at first sight (un coup de foudre is a “bolt of lightning”) and déclarer sa flamme à quelqu’un is to declare one’s love (une flamme also means “a flame”). One last thing: don’t forget to visit the Peynet Museum, which is near Place Nationale in Antibes. Raymond Peynet is the artist who created the very romantic pair of lovers that you see on postcards and stamps. Yet another reason to come to our beautiful town!
Language stay at the Centre International d'Antibes
