ты мне нравишься
ty mne nravish'sya
In Russian, the phrase used to say "I have a crush on you" is ты мне нравишься (ty mne nravish'sya).
This phrase is used to tell someone that you are romantically attracted to them. It is less intense than saying я тебя люблю (I love you).
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ты мне нравишься translates to "you are pleasing to me".
Which one should you use?
While ты мне нравишься is the standard way to say 'I like you' or 'I have a crush on you', it is less intense than saying я тебя люблю (I love you).
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to express attraction to someone using the formal 'you', you must use the form вы мне нравитесь.
How do you pronounce it?
ty mne nravish'sya
Did you know?
- Because the phrase relies on the word нравиться, it can be used for inanimate objects too. You could say 'this book is pleasing to me' using the exact same grammatical structure as a crush.
- The pronoun ты shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'thou'.
- If you were to use the formal вы мне нравитесь to a stranger, it might sound more like a polite compliment or an expression of professional admiration than a romantic confession.
Examples in context
- Я хотел сказать, что ты мне нравишься.Ya khotel skazat', chto ty mne nravish'sya.I wanted to say that I like you.
- Ты мне нравишься больше всех.Ty mne nravish'sya bol'she vsekh.I like you more than anyone.
Example conversation
Sergey and Maria are walking in a park.
- Сергей SergeyМария, я должен признаться: ты мне нравишься.Mariya, ya dolzhen priznatsya: ty mne nravishsya.Maria, I have to admit: I have a crush on you.
- Мария MariaОй, правда? Ты мне тоже нравишься!Oy, pravda? Ty mne tozhe nravishsya!Oh, really? I have a crush on you too!
- Сергей SergeyЯ так рад это слышать.Ya tak rad eto slyshat.I am so glad to hear that.
- Мария MariaЯ думала, ты никогда не скажешь.Ya dumala, ty nikogda ne skazhesh.I thought you would never say it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries мне, ты, CC BY-SA 4.0.
