Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ich liebe dich | /ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/ | |
| ich habe dich lieb | /ɪç ˈhaːbə dɪç liːp/ (word by word) | |
| ich habe Sie lieb | /ɪç ˈhaːbə ziː liːp/ (word by word) | |
| ich hoan dich gear | ||
| isch hab dsch gerne | ||
| ich liebe euch | /ɪç ˈliːbə ɔɪ̯ç/ (word by word) | plural |
| ich habe euch lieb | /ɪç ˈhaːbə ɔɪ̯ç liːp/ (word by word) | plural |
| ich liebe Sie | /ɪç ˈliːbə ziː/ (word by word) | formal, plural, singular |
The phrase is used to affirm romantic feeling. While ich liebe dich is the most common and universal way to say "I love you", other variations exist depending on the level of intimacy and the relationship between speakers.
Which one should you use?
The choice of phrase depends heavily on the nature of the relationship. Use ich liebe dich to express deep, romantic love. In contrast, ich habe dich lieb is a softer, more casual way to express affection and is appropriate for children, family or close friends. For addressing a group of people, the pronoun changes to the plural forms ich liebe euch or ich habe euch lieb.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ich liebe dich and ich habe dich lieb are the standard informal ways to express affection. If you are addressing someone using the formal Sie, you should use ich liebe Sie or ich habe Sie lieb.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, the equivalent phrase for "I love you" is I hob di(g) liab. Some dialectal variations include ich hoan dich gear and isch hab dsch gerne.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I love you" to a group of people, you must change the object pronoun from dich to the plural euch, resulting in ich liebe euch or ich habe euch lieb. When using the formal address Sie, the phrase becomes ich liebe Sie or ich habe Sie lieb.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/
When do people say it?
When expressing affection, you might also use the phrase Du bedeutest mir alles to mean "You mean everything to me". In more formal settings, if you wish to express that you have great affection for someone, you can say Ich habe große Zuneigung für Sie.
Did you know?
- In German culture, saying ich liebe dich is often seen as a very heavy, serious commitment and is used much less frequently than 'I love you' is in English.
- The word lieb in the phrase ich habe dich lieb shares an ancient ancestor with the archaic English word 'lief', used in phrases like 'my heart's liefest desire'.
- The formal version ich liebe Sie is extremely rare in real life, as the high level of formality usually contradicts the extreme intimacy of romantic love.
Examples in context
- Ich liebe dich sehr.I love you very much.This sentence shows how to add emphasis using the form ich liebe dich.Tatoeba #816884 by al_ex_an_der, translation #400410 by sysko
- Ich liebe euch auch.I love you, too.This sentence demonstrates how to express reciprocity using the form ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700064 by al_ex_an_der, translation #628763 by meloncurtains
- Auch ich liebe euch.I love you too.This sentence provides an alternative word order for expressing reciprocity using the form ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700065 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2688199 by Joseph
- Ich liebe dich, mein SchatzI love you, my sweetheart
- Ich habe dich lieb, mein LieblingI have affection for you, my darling
- Du bist meine große LiebeYou are my great love
- Meine Seele verlangt nach dirMy soul longs for you
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are saying goodbye after a date.
- LukasIch liebe dich, Sarah.I love you, Sarah.
- SarahIch liebe dich auch, Lukas.I love you too, Lukas.
- LukasKommst du mich morgen besuchen?Will you visit me tomorrow?
- SarahJa, das mache ich sehr gerne.Yes, I would love to do that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ich liebe dich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ich, Habe, dich, lieb, Sie, Liebe, euch) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dich, euch, ich, lieb, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
