volim te
Latin
The English phrase "I love you" is expressed in Croatian as volim te. Wiktionary also lists ja te volim.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| volim te | Latin |
| ja te volim | Latin |
This phrase is an affirmation of romantic feeling. You can use various expressions to add intensity, such as Volim te baš puno (I really love you a lot), Volim te više nego ikad (I love you more than ever) or Volim te najviše na svijetu (I love you the most in the world).
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase volim te, volim is the first-person singular form of the verb voljeti (to love) and te is the short form of the accusative pronoun tebe (you).
Which one should you use?
While volim te is the standard way to say "I love you", using the form ja te volim adds the pronoun ja (I) to place extra emphasis on the subject "I".
How does it change in a sentence?
To address more than one person, or to use the formal "you", change the pronoun te to vas, resulting in volim vas.
Did you know?
- While volim te is the standard phrase, adding the pronoun ja as in ja te volim can sound almost confrontational or defensive, as if you are correcting someone who doubted your feelings.
- The root of volim is shared with the word volja, which means 'will' or 'desire', linking the act of loving to the act of willing something.
- The word ja in Croatian is a direct descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root '*éǵh₂', which is also the distant ancestor of the English word 'ego'.
Examples in context
- Volim te.I love you.Tatoeba #567186 by Shishir, translation #1434 by awael58
- Volim te!I love you!Tatoeba #2390581 by Ricardo14, translation #2365642 by CE
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Luka and Mia are saying goodbye before work.
- LukaUgodan dan ti želim, Mia.I wish you a pleasant day, Mia.
- MiaHvala, Luka. Volim te!Thanks, Luka. I love you!
- LukaI ja tebe volim.I love you too.
- MiaVidimo se kasnije.See you later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ja te volim, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ja, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
