Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ich liebe dich | /ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/ | |
| ich habe dich lieb | ||
| ich habe Sie lieb | ||
| ich hoan dich gear | ||
| isch hab dsch gerne | ||
| ich liebe euch | plural | |
| ich habe euch lieb | plural | |
| ich liebe Sie | formal, plural, singular |
German uses different phrases depending on the intensity and type of affection. ich liebe dich is reserved for deep, romantic love and is much more serious than the English 'I love you'. For affection toward friends, family members or in less intense romantic contexts, you should use ich habe dich lieb. In spoken German, ich habe dich lieb is often shortened to ich hab' dich lieb by dropping the final 'e' in 'habe'. For a personal and informal way to say someone means everything to you, you can say Du bedeutest mir alles. Another informal way to express affection among friends or family is Ich hab' dich (ganz) doll lieb.
Which one should you use?
The choice of phrase depends on the recipient. ich liebe dich is specifically for intense romantic love, whereas ich habe dich lieb is used for platonic affection or less intense romantic contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ich liebe dich is a serious romantic expression, ich habe dich lieb is more informal and suitable for friends or family. In formal contexts, one might use Sie bedeuten mir sehr viel. to convey affection, or ich liebe Sie / ich habe Sie lieb, though expressing romantic love using the formal Sie is extremely rare and usually implies a specific social distance or a joke.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Switzerland, the phrase Ich ha di gärn. is equivalent to 'I love you.'
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing love to more than one person, such as a group of friends or parents, the object pronoun dich changes to euch, resulting in ich liebe euch or ich habe euch lieb. In formal contexts, the object pronoun dich is replaced by Sie, resulting in ich liebe Sie or ich habe Sie lieb.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/
When do people say it?
The word Schatz is an endearing nickname meaning 'darling'.
Did you know?
- While ich liebe dich is the standard phrase, the word Schatz is used as a common pet name and literally translates to 'treasure'.
- The phrase ich hab' dich ganz doll lieb uses the word doll, which usually means 'crazy' or 'extreme', to amplify the amount of affection.
- Using the formal Sie in ich liebe Sie is so rare that it is often used in period dramas to show love between people of different social classes.
Examples in context
- Ich liebe dich sehr.I love you very much.This sentence shows how to express that you love someone very much 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 is useful for saying you love a group of people 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 is another way to say you love a group of people 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 in a quiet park.
- JuliaIch liebe dich, Felix.I love you, Felix.
- FelixIch liebe dich auch, Julia.I love you too, Julia.
- JuliaDas ist so schön zu hören.That is so lovely to hear.
- FelixIch bin sehr glücklich mit dir.I am very happy with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries ich liebe dich, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
