אתה מוצא חן בעיניי
atá motsé khen beenáyaddressee masculine
To say "I like you" in Hebrew, you use the phrase אתה מוצא חן בעיניי (atá motsé khen beenáy). Wiktionary also lists את מוצאת חן בעיניי (at motsét khen beenáy).
Meaning: I like you (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| אתה מוצא חן בעיניי | atá motsé khen beenáy | addressee masculine |
| את מוצאת חן בעיניי | at motsét khen beenáy | addressee feminine |
This phrase is often used to express that you find someone's personality or manner pleasant, rather than just physical attraction.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase can be understood as "you find favor in my eyes."
Which one should you use?
אתה מוצא חן בעיניי (masculine) and את מוצאת חן בעיניי (feminine) differ by the gender of the person you are addressing. While אתה מוצא חן בעיניי expresses liking someone's character or presence, the phrase אני אוהב אותך is used for romantic love or much stronger affection.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb must agree with the gender of the person being liked: use מוצא (motsé) when addressing a man and מוצאת (motsét) when addressing a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
atá motsé khen beenáy
Did you know?
- Hebrew has no single word for 'like' when used as a verb for people. Instead, it uses this multi-word idiom or the verb for 'love' אוהב, which can feel like a huge jump in intensity for English speakers.
- The structure of מוצא חן בעיניי mirrors ancient biblical Hebrew. This specific way of expressing approval is found throughout the Tanakh to describe how God or a king views a person.
- The word אתה (ata) used to address a man is a direct linguistic relative of the Arabic word 'anta', used to say 'you'.
Examples in context
- אתה מוצא חן בעיניי מאוד.ata motse chen be'einai me'od.I like you a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I like you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries את, אתה, CC BY-SA 4.0.
