volim te
Latin
The English phrase "I love you" is translated into Croatian as volim te. If unsure, use volim te. Wiktionary also lists ja te volim.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| volim te | Latin |
| ja te volim | Latin |
The phrase is used to express romantic love, but it is also appropriate to use for close family members and very close friends.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase volim te is composed of the first-person singular present tense of the verb voljeti (to love) and the second-person singular accusative form of the pronoun ti (you).
Which one should you use?
While volim te is the standard way to say the phrase, the form ja te volim uses the explicit subject pronoun ja (I) to add emphasis to the person doing the loving.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I love you" to more than one person, you must change the object pronoun from te to vas, resulting in the form volim vas.
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, some speakers might use ljubim te to mean 'I love you' in a tender way, though it literally translates to 'I kiss you'.
- While volim te is the standard expression of love, Croatians often use the phrase obožavam te to express a more intense 'I adore you' or 'I idolize you'.
- In Croatian, the word voljeti is used for both romantic love and the love for a hobby or object, such as 'I love chocolate'.
Examples in context
- Volim te.I love you.This sentence is useful for practicing the basic phrase with volim te.Tatoeba #567186 by Shishir, translation #1434 by awael58
- Volim te!I love you!Tatoeba #2390581 by Ricardo14, translation #2365642 by CE
- Dragi prijatelju, želim ti reći da te volimDear friend, I want to tell you that I love you
- Volim te do neba i nazadI love you to the moon and back
- Volim te najviše na svijetuI love you the most in the world
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ivan and Petra are saying goodbye before work.
- IvanVidimo se kasnije, Petra.See you later, Petra.
- PetraVidimo se, volim te!See you, I love you!
- IvanI ja volim te.I love you too.
- PetraSretan put, Ivane.Have a safe trip, Ivan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ja te volim, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
