# In France, They Don't Say "I Love You" On April 14th, 2013, Tumblr user werepuppyscott posted a French phrase about Les Misérables followed by the line "And I think that's beautiful," launching one of the site's most-copied fandom snowclones. Posters substitute a foreign-language line and an in-universe clue, then tag it with the beautiful closer. By September 2014, Italian and Japanese variants had surfaced, including a Neon Genesis Evangelion riff that translated to "Get inside the robot, Shinji." ## Origin On April 14th, 2013, Tumblr user werepuppyscott posted the earliest known version of the format, a French sentence that translated to "this man stole some bread and I will hunt for the rest of his life before going out with him, I mean put him in jail"[1]. The post pointed at Les Misérables, specifically the shippy reading of Inspector Javert's pursuit of Jean Valjean, and gathered over 35,000 notes by September 2014[6]. - **Platform:** Tumblr - **Creator:** werepuppyscott (Tumblr) - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview Tumblr posts in this template treat fandom in-jokes as tender sayings from another country. A writer picks a show, movie or book, invents a line in the target language, translates it in a caption, then adds the sign-off "And I think that's beautiful." The humor comes from the gap between the romantic setup and the fact that the translated line is usually a plot threat, a chase, or a hostile declaration between two characters a shipper reads as yearning[1]. Variations borrow from any language a fan can approximate, with Italian versions tied to pop lyrics and Japanese versions tied to anime catchphrases[4][5]. The joke tends to omit the source material by name, so readers who already know the fandom reference get the punch line[6]. ## How to Use A post typically opens with "In [country], they don't say 'I love you,' they say [foreign-language line]," then translates the line, then closes with "And I think that's beautiful." Writers tend to pick a line that reads hostile or absurd to outsiders but tender to fandom insiders who recognize the character beat behind it. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is In France, They Don't Say "I Love You"? A Tumblr snowclone that credits a fictional foreign idiom to another country, then translates a fandom in-joke under it before closing with "And I think that's beautiful"[1]. ### Where did In France, They Don't Say "I Love You" come from? Tumblr user werepuppyscott posted the first version on April 14th, 2013, with a French line about Les Misérables that nods to the Javert and Jean Valjean ship[1][6]. ### What does In France, They Don't Say "I Love You" mean? The pattern treats a hostile or odd line between two characters as a tender saying, so a Les Misérables chase reads as a confession once you know the source[6]. ### How do you use In France, They Don't Say "I Love You"? Pick a country and language, write an in-universe line that reads tender if you catch the fandom reference, translate it, then add "And I think that's beautiful"[1]. ### Is In France, They Don't Say "I Love You" still popular? It peaked across 2013 and 2014, with Italian and Japanese variants following the Les Misérables original, and now reads as a Tumblr classic from that era[4][5]. ## References 1. [http://werepuppyscott.tumblr.com/post/47986548005/in-france-they-dont-say-i-love-you-they-say]() 2. [http://cozydozer.tumblr.com/post/51233549608/in-france-they-dont-say-i-love-you-they-say]() 3. [http://captainjaneways-bitch.tumblr.com/post/69720155984/vodkaboyfriend-in-france-they-dont-say-i-love]() 4. [http://www.indiemusicfreak.com/post/86959942640/dirtydanvevo-in-italy-they-dont-say-i-love]() 5. [http://camsfarts.tumblr.com/post/97523726801]() 6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-france-they-dont-say-i-love-you]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/in-france-they-dont-say-i-love-you Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library