Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ich liebe dich | /ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/ | |
| ich habe dich lieb | ||
| ich habe Sie lieb | ||
| ich hoan dich gear | ||
| isch hab dsch gerne | ||
| ich liebe euch | plural | |
| ich habe euch lieb | plural | |
| ich liebe Sie | formal, plural, singular |
The phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling. ich liebe dich is considered a very serious and heavy declaration in German culture, often reserved for long-term partners or deep, committed romantic relationships.
Which one should you use?
While ich liebe dich is used for intense romantic love, ich habe dich lieb is a softer, more common way to express affection toward friends, family members or in the early stages of a relationship. If you are addressing a group of two or more people rather than a single person, use the plural forms like ich liebe euch or ich habe euch lieb. ich liebe Sie is the most literal and formal way to say "I love you", but it is extremely rare and carries a strange social weight because the formal pronoun is typically used for strangers or superiors, whereas romantic declarations almost always use the informal dich.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ich liebe dich is the most common and straightforward way to say "I love you". ich habe dich lieb is a more casual way to say it. ich liebe Sie is the formal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word dich is the accusative case of du, which is required because lieben is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. When addressing a group, use euch.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/
Did you know?
- While English speakers might use 'I love you' for everything from a spouse to a pizza, saying ich liebe dich to a pizza would sound strangely heavy and dramatic to a German speaker.
- The phrase ich habe dich lieb is frequently used by parents to children, whereas ich liebe dich can feel too intense for a daily parent-child interaction.
- The English word 'lief' in the archaic phrase 'methinks it lief' is a distant relative of the German word lieb used in these expressions.
Examples in context
- Ich liebe dich sehr.I love you very much.This sentence shows how to express that you love someone very much using ich liebe dich.Tatoeba #816884 by al_ex_an_der, translation #400410 by sysko
- Ich liebe euch auch.I love you, too.This sentence is useful for saying that you love a group of people as well using ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700064 by al_ex_an_der, translation #628763 by meloncurtains
- Auch ich liebe euch.I love you too.This sentence is another way to say you love a group of people using ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700065 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2688199 by Joseph
- Wenn du nicht bei mir bist, vermisse ich dich so sehr. Ich liebe dich, mein Schatz.When you're not with me, I miss you so much. I love you, my darling.
- Ich habe dich lieb, egal was passiert. Du bist immer in meinem Herzen.I love you no matter what happens. You're always in my heart.
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic evening at a restaurant.
- HannahJulian, ich liebe dich.Julian, I love you.
- JulianIch liebe dich auch, Hannah.I love you too, Hannah.
- HannahDas macht mich sehr glücklich.That makes me very happy.
- JulianDu bist mein Ein und Alles.You are my everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ich liebe dich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dich, euch, ich, lieb, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
