ich liebe mich
/ɪç ˈliːbə mɪç/word by word
To say "i love myself" in German, you use the phrase ich liebe mich.
The phrase is used to express a feeling of deep affection or care for one's own person.
Which one should you use?
While ich liebe mich is grammatically correct, ich liebe mich selbst is more common when the speaker wants to emphasize that they are the object of their own love, often in a context of self-reliance or contrast. Additionally, Ich liebe mich selber. is an informal variation used to express self-love with emphasis.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ich liebe mich, the reflexive pronoun mich is used to indicate that the subject and the object of the verb lieben are the same person. Adding 'selbst' to the reflexive pronoun 'mich' emphasizes the reflexive nature of the action, often used to contrast one's own feelings with the feelings of others.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɪç ˈliːbə mɪç/
Did you know?
- If a German speaker says ich liebe mich, they might be jokingly referring to their own vanity or narcissism rather than expressing healthy self-care.
- German allows for the creation of compound words, so someone obsessed with self-love might be jokingly called a Selbstlieber.
- In German, the word liebe is also used as a noun meaning 'love', and it is always capitalized as Liebe when used this way.
Examples in context
- Es interessiert mich nicht, dass du mich nicht liebst. Ich liebe mich selbst.I don't care that you don't love me. I love myself.This sentence is useful for showing how to use ich liebe mich in a context where you contrast your own feelings with those of another person.Tatoeba #5796529 by ruth_tatoeba, translation #5796818 by Herobane
- Ich liebe mich einfach so, wie ich bin.I just love myself exactly as I am.
- Ich liebe mich selbst und bin stolz auf mich.I love myself and am proud of myself.
Example conversation
Sarah and Julian are discussing self-confidence during a walk in the park.
- SarahIch habe gelernt, dass ich mich liebe.I have learned that I love myself.
- JulianDas ist eine sehr gesunde Einstellung, Sarah.That is a very healthy attitude, Sarah.
- SarahJa, denn ich liebe mich jetzt wirklich.Yes, because I truly love myself now.
- JulianIch freue mich sehr für dich.I am very happy for you.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ich, Liebe, mich) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
