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 |
German uses different phrases depending on the type of affection being expressed. ich liebe dich is a direct way to declare deep, romantic love between partners. For platonic affection or to express that you are fond of someone, such as a child or a close friend, you should use ich habe dich lieb or ich habe euch lieb for a group. These phrases carry less romantic weight than the former.
Which one should you use?
The choice of phrase depends on the intensity of the feeling and the number of people you are addressing. Use ich liebe dich for romantic love, while ich habe dich lieb is used for affectionate, non-romantic connections. When addressing more than one person, you switch from dich to euch, resulting in ich liebe euch for romantic contexts or ich habe euch lieb for platonic affection.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ich liebe dich is the common and direct way to express romantic love. While ich liebe Sie exists as a formal version, it is generally avoided in most social contexts because it can sound inappropriately intimate or strangely formal. The phrase ich habe dich lieb is an informal way to express affection to friends or children.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ich liebe dich, the word dich is the accusative form of du and serves as the direct object of the verb lieben. When expressing love to a group of people, you use euch instead of dich, creating the forms ich liebe euch or ich habe euch lieb.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʔɪç ˈliːbə ˌdɪç/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using ich liebe Sie in most social situations. It often sounds strangely formal or inappropriately intimate for a romantic declaration.
Did you know?
- The phrase ich habe dich lieb literally translates as 'I have you dear'.
- The word lieb in these expressions shares an ancient root with the archaic English word 'lief', which means 'dear' or 'beloved'.
- Using the formal Sie in ich liebe Sie is so rare that it is almost exclusively found in period dramas or very stiff literature.
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 that you love a group of people as well, 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 that you love a group of people, also using ich liebe euch.Tatoeba #2700065 by al_ex_an_der, translation #2688199 by Joseph
- Herr Schmidt, ich liebe Sie von ganzem Herzen.Mr. Schmidt, I love you with all my heart.
- Schatz, ich liebe dich mehr als Worte sagen können.Sweetheart, I love you more than words can say.
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A romantic evening at a quiet restaurant.
- FelixLaura, ich liebe dich.Laura, I love you.
- LauraIch liebe dich auch, Felix.I love you too, Felix.
- FelixDu bist mein ganzes Glück.You are my everything.
- LauraDas 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.
