What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of jako (strongly/very much), te (you – accusative case) and volim (I love).
Which one should you use?
While jako te volim means "I love you so much", replacing jako with previše in the phrase Previše te volim changes the meaning to "I love you too much", which implies an excessive or problematic amount. Other informal variations include Volim te jako puno and Volim te toliko, both meaning "I love you so much" or Ludo te volim, which translates to "I love you like crazy.".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Istria and Dalmatia regions, the expression Volin te jako is used to mean "I love you so much".
How does it change in a sentence?
The subject pronoun ja (I) is typically omitted because the verb ending -im in volim already indicates that the subject is "I". If you are expressing this to more than one person or using the formal "you", the pronoun te changes to vas, as seen in the form jako vas volim.
Did you know?
- In Croatian, the word volim is used for both romantic love and the love one feels for family or friends, but it is used much more sparingly than the English 'love'.
- The word jako is built from the root jak, which means 'strong', effectively framing love as a force of strength rather than just a feeling.
- Croatian allows for the word order to be shifted to Volim te jako or Jako te volim without changing the meaning, which is a flexibility not found in English.
Examples in context
- Draga, volim te jako puno.Dear, I love you so much.
- I ja tebe volim jako puno.I love you so much too.
- Jako te volim, moja draga.I love you so much, my dear.
Example conversation
Marko and Petra are saying goodbye before work.
- MarkoMoram ići, vidimo se kasnije.I have to go, see you later.
- PetraU redu, sretno na poslu!All right, good luck at work!
- MarkoHvala, jako te volim!Thanks, I love you so much!
- PetraI ja tebe, ljubavi.I love you too, love.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jako, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
