ik hou van jou
The English phrase "I love you" is translated into Dutch as ik hou van jou.
ik hou van jou is an affirmation of romantic feeling. It is primarily used when speaking to romantic partners or very close family members.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I hold of you" because the Dutch phrasal verb houden van means "to love".
Which one should you use?
While ik hou van jou is used for deep romantic love, Ik vind je lief is used for much lighter affection, such as saying "I think you are sweet". Additionally, Ik ben verliefd op je describes the state of being "in love" or having a crush, whereas ik hou van jou describes the feeling of love itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual conversation, you can use the unstressed pronoun je instead of jou, resulting in the phrase ik hou van je.
Did you know?
- The word jou is a northern variant of an older form, influenced by Frisian dialects in the early development of the language.
- The phrase ik hou van jou can be used to express love for a country, a hobby, or a favorite food, not just people.
Examples in context
- Ik hou van jou.I love you.This is a simple statement of affection using ik hou van jou.Tatoeba #7550778 by MarijnKp, translation #1434 by awael58
- Frankrijk, ik hou van jou!France, I love you!This shows how the phrase can be used to express affection towards a country using ik hou van jou.Tatoeba #7496478 by MarijnKp, translation #5276566 by Ricardo14
- Ik hou van jou. Ik bel je later.I love you. I'll call you later.This combines the declaration of love with a statement about calling someone later, using ik hou van jou.Tatoeba #6039016 by Mandalay, translation #6033859 by OsoHombre
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A quiet evening at home during a candlelit dinner.
- EmmaIk hou van jou, Levi.I love you, Levi.
- LeviIk hou ook van jou, Emma.I love you too, Emma.
- EmmaDat vind ik heel fijn om te horen.I am very happy to hear that.
- LeviIk ben ook heel gelukkig met jou.I am also very happy with you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ik hou van jou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hou, ik, jou, van, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
