Ways to say it
| Hungarian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| (én) szeretlek téged | [ˈeːn ˈsɛrɛtlɛk ˈteːɡɛd] (word by word, narrow) | |
| (én) szeretem önt/magát | formal |
This phrase is used to affirm romantic feelings. For an endearing nickname, you can use Drágám (my love) or Cicám (my little cat).
Which one should you use?
Adding the pronoun téged to szeretlek is grammatically redundant but is used to add emphasis, similar to saying "I love *you*" in English. In natural, non-emphatic Hungarian, the pronoun téged is usually omitted entirely.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The informal way to express this is Szeretlek. For formal situations, you should use (én) szeretem önt/magát.
How does it change in a sentence?
The most common way to say "I love you" is the single word szeretlek, which combines the verb szeret (to love) with the first-person singular and second-person singular suffixes.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to say Szeretlek téged with a word order that mimics English, but in natural, non-emphatic Hungarian, the pronoun téged is usually omitted entirely.
Did you know?
- The word Drágám comes from the adjective drága, which means 'expensive', framing a loved one as something precious or high-value.
- If you want to say you love something very much, you often use the word imád instead of szeret, which translates more closely to 'I adore' or 'I worship'.
- While you might expect a formal 'I love you' to be used for elders, using the formal verb form szeretem önt or szeretem magát sounds more like a polite statement of affection than a romantic declaration.
Example sentences for Hungarian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (én, szeretlek, téged) and can differ in connected speech.
