minä rakastan sinua
The English phrase "I love you" is expressed in Finnish as minä rakastan sinua. Wiktionary also lists rakastan sinua.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Finnish |
|---|
| minä rakastan sinua |
| rakastan sinua |
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of minä (I), rakastan (love) and sinua (you in the partitive case).
Which one should you use?
While minä rakastan sinua is a complete sentence, it is very common in both spoken and written Finnish to omit the pronoun minä, using just rakastan sinua instead. This is because the verb ending already indicates that the subject is "I".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase, the verb rakastaa takes the personal ending -n to indicate the first-person singular I (rakastan). The object sinua is in the partitive case, which is required by the verb rakastaa.
Did you know?
- In Finland, it is common to express romantic love through practical actions and 'doing' rather than frequently saying rakastan sinua.
- In Finnish, the object sinua is in the partitive case because the act of loving is perceived as an ongoing, unfinished process rather than a single completed event.
- The pronoun minä comes from a Proto-Uralic root that is related to the possessive suffixes -ni and the verb ending -n found in rakastan.
Examples in context
- Minä rakastan sinua, Tom.I love you, Tom.This sentence shows how to use the full form minä rakastan sinua with a name.Tatoeba #3762675 by Silja, translation #2765612 by CK
- Tiedät, että rakastan sinua.You know I love you.This sentence shows the use of the form rakastan sinua without the pronoun.Tatoeba #3336983 by Silja, translation #3330899 by CK
- Sen takia minä rakastan sinua.That's why I love you.This sentence demonstrates the use of the full form minä rakastan sinua to explain a reason.Tatoeba #3377369 by Silja, translation #3374653 by CK
- Rakastan sinua todella paljon.I love you very much.
- Sydämeni sykkii sinulle ikuisesti.My heart beats for you forever.
- Mä rakastan sua enemmän kuin mitään.I love you more than anything.
- Rakastan sua niin paljon, ettei sanoja riitä.I love you so much that words are not enough.
- Sä oot mulle kaikki.You're everything to me.
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is having a quiet moment at home.
- LauraMinä rakastan sinua, Juho.I love you, Juho.
- JuhoMinäkin rakastan sinua, Laura.I love you too, Laura.
- LauraOlet todella tärkeä minulle.You are really important to me.
- JuhoKiitos, rakas.Thank you, darling.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries minä rakastan sinua, rakastan sinua, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries minä, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
