Valentine’s Day is approaching fast, a time when we express our love with cards and presents. Love is honoured on this day throughout the world.
Valentine’s Day is shrouded with myths of sacred marriage, fertility and romance. The true St. Valentine was a Christian saint but very little is known about him. Originally St Valentine’s Day was celebrated as a Christian feast but it was abandoned due to lack of solid information. There are many Valentine’s in history martyred by the church and until 1969 the Catholic Church actually celebrated 11 Valentine’s Days throughout the year.
Language is a very important part of the Valentine’s celebrations. Billions of cards are sent on Valentine’s making it the second most popular time to send cards behind Christmas. What is said in the card can mean so much to the receiver even when the sender sticks with tradition and sends their words anonymously.
There are certain languages which have an association with love, French and Italian being the most famous romantic languages.French has a reputation for being the language of love; its flowing sound makes it perfect for flamboyant love poems. Descending from Latin, French is one of the ‘romance languages’ and is spoken as a first language by approximately 128 million people around the world.
Valentine’s Day has no real connection with French but the perception is that the French are very romantic. This may or may not be true, I would guess that it depends on the individual but the smooth, romantic tones of their language impress people from around the world on this day for lovers.
Valentine’s Day has become a very commercial event perhaps we should do something extra special this year, learn a phrase in French and recite it to your loved one. Below we have included some examples to get you started….
Bonne Saint Valentin! – Happy Valentine’s Day!
Je t’aime – I love you
Mon amour pour toi est éternel – My love for you is eternal
Je t’aime de tout mon cœur – I love you with all my heart
À toi, pour toujours – Yours forever
Tendres baisers – Love and kisses
Je veux passer la reste de ma vie avec toi – I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Tu es la femme de ma vie – you are the woman of my life (a man talking to a woman and telling her)
Un bouquet de fleurs – a bunch of flowers
Une bague – a ring
With it being Valentines Day those romantic men among you may want to ask….
Veux-tu m’épouser ? – Marry me? (Will you be my wife?)
Or if you want to be cheeky….
On va chez toi ou chez moi ? – Your place or mine?
Just about every achievement starts off along with the decision to try
Well macdamaia nuts, how about that.
I have been learning to speak Russian for the past six years. While their language tends to sound with hard edges, their love words really soften
I love you so much = ya lyublyu tebya tak sil’no
When looking a good reason to master another language, look no further than the reason of love. And nothing feels more thrilling in romance than an international love affair. A reason to see the world!