pidän sinusta
In Finnish, "I like you" is expressed as pidän sinusta.
The phrase is used to express affection or to indicate that you like someone's personality.
Meaning: I like you (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The expression literally translates to "like from you".
Which one should you use?
Pidän sinusta is the standard way to express affection for someone's personality or general liking. Tykkään sinusta is a more colloquial alternative used to express the same sentiment.
How does it change in a sentence?
Therefore, you must use sinusta (from you) rather than the object form.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not say pidän sinua.
Did you know?
- The verb pitää used in this phrase is a polysemous word that can also mean 'to keep' or 'to hold', meaning the root of 'liking' is tied to the concept of 'holding onto' something.
- In Finnish, using tykkään sinusta can sometimes feel more casual or 'younger' than pidän sinusta. It is closely related to the word tykätä, which is now used as the standard verb for 'liking' a post on social media.
- The word sinusta is in the elative case, which generally denotes movement 'out of' or 'from' something. This makes the Finnish phrase for 'I like you' grammatically similar to saying 'I derive pleasure from you'.
Examples in context
- Pidän sinusta todella paljon!I like you very much!This sentence shows how to add emphasis with "very much" using pidän sinusta.Tatoeba #2836049 by Silja, translation #1334797 by Eldad
- Pidän sinusta enemmän kuin edellisestä tyttöystävästäni.I like you better than my last girlfriend.This sentence demonstrates a comparison using pidän sinusta.Tatoeba #3763117 by Silja, translation #3732607 by CK
- Tiedätkö, mä tykkään susta ihan älyttömästi!You know, I really like you a lot!
- Hei, sä oot just mun tyyppi, tiedätkö?Hey, you're exactly my type, you know?
- Oon ajatellut sua paljon viime aikoina, ja täytyy sanoa, että susta pidän tosi paljon.I've been thinking about you a lot lately, and I have to say I really like you.
- Minä pidän sinusta.I like you.
Example conversation
Juho and Laura are talking after a first date.
- JuhoPidän sinusta todella paljon.I like you very much.
- LauraKiitos, pidän minäkin sinusta!Thanks, I like you too!
- JuhoHaluaisitko nähdä minut uudestaan?Would you like to see me again?
- LauraKyllä, se olisi kivaa.Yes, that would be nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I like you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
