ik hou van jou
The English phrase "i love you" is translated into Dutch as ik hou van jou.
ik hou van jou is an affirmation of romantic feeling. It is primarily used for romantic partners or very close family members rather than for casual friends.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I hold of you".
Which one should you use?
While ik hou van jou is reserved for deep romantic love, the phrase Ik vind je lief is used for lighter affection, such as saying "I think you're sweet" or "I find you lovely". Additionally, Ik ben gek op u translates to "I'm crazy about you" or "I'm madly in love with you".
How does it change in a sentence?
In spoken Dutch, it is very common to replace the stressed pronoun jou with the unstressed je, as in Ik hou van je. This sounds more natural in casual conversation.
Did you know?
- In the Netherlands, expressing romantic love with ik hou van jou is often considered more heavyweight and serious than the English 'i love you', which is used more freely.
- In Dutch, the distinction between the formal 'you' (u) and the informal 'you' (jou/je) is crucial. Using the formal u in Ik hou van u can actually make a romantic declaration feel strangely distant or polite, like addressing a stranger.
- The Dutch word hou is actually a cognate of the English word 'hold', sharing the same Proto-Germanic roots.
Examples in context
- Ik hou van jou.I love you.This example shows the standard use of the phrase ik hou van jou.Tatoeba #7550778 by MarijnKp, translation #1434 by awael58
- Frankrijk, ik hou van jou!France, I love you!This example shows the phrase ik hou van jou being used to address a place.Tatoeba #7496478 by MarijnKp, translation #5276566 by Ricardo14
- Ik hou van jou. Ik bel je later.I love you. I'll call you later.This example shows the phrase ik hou van jou used alongside another sentence.Tatoeba #6039016 by Mandalay, translation #6033859 by OsoHombre
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic dinner at a restaurant.
- DaanJulia, ik hou van jou.Julia, I love you.
- JuliaDaan, ik hou ook van jou.Daan, I love you too.
- DaanIk ben zo gelukkig met jou.I am so happy with you.
- JuliaIk ben ook heel gelukkig.I am also very happy.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ik hou van jou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hou, ik, jou, van, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
