с большой любовью
s bol'shoy lyubov'yu
The Russian phrase for "much love" is с большой любовью (s bol'shoy lyubov'yu).
с большой любовью is used as a warm closing at the end of a letter, email or long message to express affection for the recipient. It is intended as a sign-off rather than a standalone exclamation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "with great love".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While the phrase expresses deep affection, its structure is slightly more formal and grammatically complete than a casual "love you" (люблю тебя).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word любовью is the noun любовь in the instrumental case, which is required by the preposition с (with) in this context.
How do you pronounce it?
s bol'shoy lyubov'yu
Did you know?
- The noun любовь is used as a common female name in Russia, meaning that a sign-off like с любовью could literally be read as 'from Lyubov'.
- The root of любовью is shared with the word любопытный, which means 'curious'. In Russian, curiosity is framed as a 'love of seeing' or 'love of knowing'.
- While с большой любовью is affectionate, Russians often sign off letters to close friends or partners with just целую, which means 'I kiss you'.
Example conversation
Anastasia is sending a short text message to Alexander.
- Анастасия AnastasiaПривет, Александр! Хорошего тебе дня.Privet, Aleksandr! Khoroshego tebe dnya.Hi, Alexander! Have a great day.
- Александр AleksandrСпасибо, Анастасия! И тебе тоже.Spasibo, Anastasiya! I tebe tozhe.Thanks, Anastasia! You too.
- Анастасия AnastasiaДо встречи вечером. С большой любовью, Настя.Do vstrechi vecherom. S bol'shoy lyubov'yu, Nastya.See you tonight. Much love, Nastya.
- Александр AleksandrЖду тебя с нетерпением!Zhdu tebya s neterpeniyem!I'm looking forward to seeing you!
