maite zaitut
In Basque, the phrase for "I love you" is maite zaitut. Wiktionary also lists maite haut and maite zaituztet.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Basque | Note |
|---|---|
| maite zaitut | |
| maite haut | informal |
| maite zaituztet | plural |
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling.
Which one should you use?
maite haut is an informal variant. If you are addressing more than one person, use the plural form maite zaituztet.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
maite haut is considered an informal way to say "I love you".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form maite zaituztet is specifically used when addressing more than one person.
Did you know?
- The core of the phrase, maite, might actually share a common ancestor with the Irish word maith, suggesting a deep link to ancient Celtic languages.
- The word zaitut in the phrase contains a built-in 'me' and 'you', making the phrase a single complex unit rather than a string of separate words like 'I love you'.
- Because Basque is an ergative-absolutive language, the structure of maite zaitut doesn't follow the standard Subject-Verb-Object pattern found in English.
Examples in context
- Asko maite zaitut!I love you so much!This sentence shows how to express "I love you so much!" using the form maite zaitut.Tatoeba #6122383 by Mireen10, translation #2385458 by Ricardo14
- Maite zaitut.I love you.This sentence provides a simple way to say "I love you" using the form maite zaitut.Tatoeba #859425 by agirregabiria, translation #1434 by awael58
Example conversation
Gaizka and Nerea are saying goodbye.
- GaizkaMaite zaitut, Nerea.I love you, Nerea.
- NereaNi ere maite zaitut, Gaizka.I love you too, Gaizka.
- GaizkaBihar ikusiko dugu elkar.We will see each other tomorrow.
- NereaBai, arte berri!Yes, see you soon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maite, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
