Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ich mag dich | informal | |
| du gefällst mir | informal | |
| Sie gefallen mir | /ziː ɡəˈfaln̩ miːɐ̯/ (word by word) | formal |
| ich mag Sie | formal |
You can use ich mag dich to express a platonic liking for a friend or to highlight your appreciation for someone's personality and character.
Which one should you use?
While both can mean "I like you," there is a nuance in meaning: ich mag dich focuses on your personal liking of the person's character or personality, whereas du gefällst mir often implies an attraction to someone's appearance or a general aesthetic appeal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For informal situations, such as speaking to friends, use ich mag dich or du gefällst mir. For formal situations, use ich mag Sie or Sie gefallen mir.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase du gefällst mir, the person being liked is grammatically the subject (nominative) and the person doing the liking is the object (dative). When using the formal Sie in the phrase Sie gefallen mir, the verb gefallen must take the plural form even if you are addressing only one person.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use ich liebe dich if you only mean to say you like someone, as ich liebe dich means "I love you."
Did you know?
- The verb gefallen in the phrase du gefällst mir literally translates to 'you are pleasing to me', as it is built from the prefix 'ge-' and the verb 'fallen', which means 'to fall'.
Examples in context
- Ich mag dich sehr.I like you very much.This sentence shows how to express liking someone very much using ich mag dich.Tatoeba #607521 by virgil, translation #257095 by CK
- Ich mag dich auch.I like you, too.This sentence shows how to say "I like you, too" using ich mag dich.Tatoeba #3491297 by Zaghawa, translation #3374142 by CK
- Ich mag dich wieder.I like you again.This sentence shows how to say "I like you again" using ich mag dich.Tatoeba #13094266 by Biderl, translation #13179641 by rul
- Herr Schmidt, ich mag Sie wirklich als meinen Vorgesetzten.Mr. Schmidt, I really like you as my supervisor.
- Herr Wagner, ich empfinde starke Zuneigung für Sie und Ihre Persönlichkeit.Mr. Wagner, I feel strong affection for you and your personality.
- Lisa, ich mag dich wirklich als Freundin.Lisa, I really like you as a friend.
- Tobias, du bist mir wirklich sympathisch und ich verbringe gerne Zeit mit dir.Tobias, I find you really likeable, and I enjoy spending time with you.
- Julia, ich habe starke Gefühle für dich und möchte meine Zeit nur mit dir verbringen.Julia, I have strong feelings for you and want to spend my time only with you.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Hannah are walking in a park.
- LukasHannah, ich mag dich.Hannah, I like you.
- HannahEcht? Ich mag dich auch.Really? I like you too.
- LukasDas freut mich sehr.That makes me very happy.
- HannahDu bist ein toller Typ.You are a great guy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i like you” translations and entries ich mag dich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Sie, gefallen, mir) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Sie, du, gefallen, ich, mir, sie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
