PDF download Download Article PDF download Download Article

Interested in how to say "I love you" in German? Well good for you. It's very simple and almost anyone can say it. Learn to impress someone with your German skills or express your feelings to your Schatzi.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Saying the Basic "I Love You"

PDF download Download Article
  1. [1] We'll show you how to pronounce each single word, but phonetically it sounds something like this: [ɪç 'li:bə dɪç].
  2. This is the "I" in "I love you." The /ch/ sound in "ich," which is also called a voiceless palatal fricative, isn't pronounced the same way you would pronounce it in English.[2] It sounds something like the /j/ sound in Spanish, kind of like a snake hissing.
    • The /ch/ sound is really hard for non-native speakers to master. Most English-speakers getting away with saying "ish," as in "finish" or "fish."
    Advertisement
  3. This is the "love" in "I love you." Say this slowly "lee-buh."[3] The "l" is pronounced normally but the "ie" is pronounced as "ee" like in "tree" and "bee." The "be" at the end of it is pronounced like the "b" in "burn." Put it together to form "liebe."
  4. The "ich" in "dich" is pronounced the same as "ich" in the first step.[4] "Dich" sounds similar to the English word "dish," except the /ch/ sound is produced in the middle of the mouth instead of the front.[5] This is the "you" in "I love you".
  5. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Other Ways of Saying (Or Approximating) "I Love You"

PDF download Download Article
  1. " A different, albeit more formal, way of saying "I love you," this wording is very romantic. Here's how you say it: "Ich habe mich in dich verliebt."[6] The phonetic pronunciation is [ɪç 'ha:bə mɪç ɪn dɪç fɛɐ'li:pt].
  2. " To say this: "Ich mag dich sehr," which literally translates to "I like you very" (although a bit smoother in German).[7] The phonetic pronunciation here is [ɪç ma:k dɪç ze:ɐ].
  3. " To say this: "Du gefällst mir."[8] The phonetic pronunciation here is [du: gə'fɛlst mi:ə].
  4. If you really want your compliments to leave a mark, be sure to add a term of endearment to your "I love you's." Here are two specifically that you can use:
    • "Schatz," meaning "sweetheart" but literally "treasure."[9] Phonetically, it's pronounced [ʃats]. Try "Mein Schatz, ich liebe dich!" or "Ich liebe dich, Schatzi."
    • "Liebling," meaning "darling." Phonetically, it's pronounced ['li:plɪŋ]. Try "Liebling, du bist so hübsch." ("Darling, you are so pretty.")
  5. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    What does "herzliche Grüße" mean?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    It means "affectionate regards."
  • Question
    How would I say "I love your pictures" in German?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    "Ich liebe Ihre Bilder."
  • Question
    How do I say "Hungary" in German?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    In German, the word "Hungary" would be translated to "Ungarn", which is pronounced "Un-gun".
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Video

Tips

Tips from our Readers

  • The /ch/ depends on what part of Germany you are in, but for standard German used in Berlin, it's like /khhh/ with a lot of phlegm in the throat (almost like the ending syllable of 'ugh').
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement

Warnings

Advertisement

About This Article

Alexandra Hamer
Co-authored by:
Native German Speaker and Translator
This article was co-authored by Alexandra Hamer. Alexandra Hamer is a native German speaker and translator based in the Philippines. Alexandra has worked as an English-to-German translator for over 10 years. She first began translating Latin to German and has had a passion for translating and languages ever since. Alexandra is experienced in a variety of fields, from personal care to online research and jurisdictional proceedings. She constantly expands her knowledge of the English language through reading literature and texts and stays up to date on German spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules as well as any recent developments of the German language. Alexandra also has over 3 years of experience as a proofreader and news brief writer. In her spare time, she likes to study foreign languages. This article has been viewed 384,617 times.
44 votes - 76%
Co-authors: 19
Updated: November 3, 2024
Views: 384,617
Article SummaryX

To say “I love you” in German, say “Ich liebe Dich.” “Ich” means “I” and sounds a bit like “ish” as in “fish.” Next is “liebe” or “love,” which is pronounced “lee-buh.” “Dich” ends in the same sound as “ich” and is the word for “you.” To further profess your love, you can add some terms of endearment, such as “schatz,” which means “sweetheart,” or “liebling,” which means “darling.” If you want to learn how to say phrases like "I have fallen in love with you," keep reading the article!

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 384,617 times.

Reader Success Stories

  • Pamela Miller

    Pamela Miller

    Jul 21, 2020

    "My fiancee is from Germany and I wanted to show him his language will be spoken as respect, as well as English."
Share your story

Did this article help you?

Advertisement