Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ich liebe dich | /ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/ | |
| ich habe dich lieb | /ɪç ˈhaːbə dɪç liːp/ (word by word) | |
| ich habe Sie lieb | /ɪç ˈhaːbə ziː liːp/ (word by word) | |
| ich hoan dich gear | ||
| isch hab dsch gerne | ||
| ich liebe euch | /ɪç ˈliːbə ɔɪ̯ç/ (word by word) | plural |
| ich habe euch lieb | /ɪç ˈhaːbə ɔɪ̯ç liːp/ (word by word) | plural |
| ich liebe Sie | /ɪç ˈliːbə ziː/ (word by word) | formal, plural, singular |
This phrase is used to affirm romantic feelings.
Which one should you use?
Use ich liebe dich for deep, romantic love between partners. For platonic affection toward friends or family members, use ich habe dich lieb. If you are addressing a group of people, use the plural forms like ich liebe euch or ich habe euch lieb.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ich habe dich lieb is an informal way to express feelings of love. While ich liebe Sie is a formal way to say "I love you", it is rare in romantic settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing love to a group of people, use euch instead of dich. For example, use ich liebe euch to mean "I love you (plural)".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/
When do people say it?
To say "I love you too," you can add the word auch to the end of your phrase, such as in Ich liebe dich auch.
Did you know?
- In many German cultures, ich liebe dich is considered so intense that it is often reserved for a few pivotal moments in a relationship rather than daily use.
- The word lieb is a distant relative of the archaic English word 'lief' meaning 'dear' or 'willing'.
- The formal version ich liebe Sie is so rare that using it in a romantic context would sound like a joke or a line from a period drama.
Examples in context
- Ich liebe dich sehr.I love you very much.This sentence shows how to add intensity to the phrase using ich liebe dich.Tatoeba #816884 by al_ex_an_der, translation #400410 by sysko
- Ich liebe euch auch.I love you, too.This sentence demonstrates how to express reciprocal affection to a group using ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700064 by al_ex_an_der, translation #628763 by meloncurtains
- Auch ich liebe euch.I love you too.This sentence provides another way to say "I love you too" to a group using ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700065 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2688199 by Joseph
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic evening at a restaurant.
- FelixIch liebe dich, Sarah.I love you, Sarah.
- SarahIch liebe dich auch, Felix.I love you too, Felix.
- FelixDu bist meine große Liebe.You are my great love.
- SarahDas ist so schön zu hören.That is so lovely to hear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ich liebe dich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ich, Habe, dich, lieb, Sie, Liebe, euch) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dich, euch, ich, lieb, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
