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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.
Steps
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Say "I love you" by saying "Ich liebe dich." [1] X Research source We'll show you how to pronounce each single word, but phonetically it sounds something like this: [ɪç 'li:bə dɪç].
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Say "ich." 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] X Research source 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."
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Say "liebe." This is the "love" in "I love you." Say this slowly "lee-buh." [3] X Research source 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."
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Say "dich." The "ich" in "dich" is pronounced the same as "ich" in the first step. [4] X Research source "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] X Research source This is the "you" in "I love you".
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Say "I have fallen in love with you. " 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] X Research source The phonetic pronunciation is [ɪç 'ha:bə mɪç ɪn dɪç fɛɐ'li:pt].
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Say "I like you a lot. " To say this: "Ich mag dich sehr," which literally translates to "I like you very" (although a bit smoother in German). [7] X Research source The phonetic pronunciation here is [ɪç ma:k dɪç ze:ɐ].
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Say "I like you. " To say this: "Du gefällst mir." [8] X Research source The phonetic pronunciation here is [du: gə'fɛlst mi:ə].
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Add terms of endearment to your compliments. 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] X Research source 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.")
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat does "herzliche Grüße" mean?Community AnswerIt means "affectionate regards."
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QuestionHow would I say "I love your pictures" in German?Community Answer"Ich liebe Ihre Bilder."
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QuestionHow do I say "Hungary" in German?Community AnswerIn German, the word "Hungary" would be translated to "Ungarn", which is pronounced "Un-gun".
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Tips
- Be careful to pronounce words correctly so you can be understood and do not need to go through slight embarrassment of having to repeat yourself.Thanks
- Smile when you say it.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- 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').
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Warnings
- Do not pronounce "ich" as "itch".Thanks
- Do not say it unless you mean it.Thanks
- Do not make the rookie mistake of saying "Ich liebe du" instead of "Ich liebe dich".Thanks
- Do not pronounce "dich" as "ditch".Thanks
- These pronunciations aren't completely correct, they are just guidelines. To hear them correctly, make Google Translate read it out loud for you.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeYS-rhqWC4
- ↑ https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ujf/blog/German_ch.html
- ↑ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/german-english/liebe
- ↑ https://web.stanford.edu/~jrb/reference/german.html
- ↑ https://en.langenscheidt.com/german-english/dich
- ↑ https://www.clozemaster.com/blog/i-love-you-in-german/
- ↑ https://www.clozemaster.com/blog/i-love-you-in-german/
- ↑ https://www.clozemaster.com/blog/i-love-you-in-german/
- ↑ https://www.dict.cc/german-english/Schatz.html
About This Article
Article Summary
X
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!
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