TO say I love you in German, say Ich liebe dich.

Ich liebe dich is pronounced ikh leeb-uh dikh. (The ‘h’ is harsh, similar to Scottish loch.)

Church, Berchtesgaden, Germany

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Now you know how to say I love you in German!

WHILE the German language may not flow off your tongue like, say, Spanish or French might, you can nevertheless delight your fraulein by whispering sweet nothings into her ear. And what better phrase to start with than those three little words?

How do you say I love you in German?

Ich liebe dich.

Ich (pronounced ikh or ish; it varies by region) means I. Liebe (pronounced leeb-uh) means love. Dich (pronounced dikh or dish) means you.

The pronunciation ‘ikh’ is difficult to transcribe. It’s not like a hard ‘k’ sound at all, but more like a harsh exhalation with the slightest hint of ‘k’. It is similar to the way the ‘loch’ is said by someone from Scotland. Or say the English word ‘here’ or ‘huge’ – the sound of the ‘h’ when you pronounce those words is very close to the way ‘ch’ is pronounced in German.

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Pet names are commonly used by the majority of Germans. Now that you have learned how to say I love you in German, you can easily add a term of endearment to the foreign phrase. The one that is perhaps the most widely used is Schatz, the German word for treasure. Also popular is Mausi, which means little mouse. Others you can try are Engel (angel), Liebling (darling or beloved), Hasi (bunny), Kuschelbär (huggy bear), Süße (sweetie), Spatzi (little sparrow) and Schneckchen (little snail).

Little snail?

On second thought, maybe it’s best to keep it simple, after all! You can’t go wrong with Ich liebe dich.

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WHO doesn’t love to hear those three little words, I love you? So few words can express so much. As much as they can make your heart flutter, it can be even more magical – or just plain fun – to share your feelings by saying I love you in a foreign tongue. To that end, here is a list of ways how to say I love you in different languages.

I love you in Afrikaans – ek is lief vir jou

I love you in Arabic – ana behibak (to a man); ana behibek (to a woman)

I love you in Catalan – t’estimo

I love you in Chinese (Mandarin) – Wo ai ni

I love you in Croatian – volim te

I love you in Czech – miluji tě

I love you in Danish – jeg elsker dig

I love you in Dutch – ik hou van jou

I love you in Filipino – mahal kita

I love you in Finnish – Minä rakastan sinua

I love you in French – je t’aime

I love you in German – ich liebe dich

I love you in Greek – S’agapo

I love you in Hebrew – Ohevet ot’cha (to a man); ani oheve otach (to a woman)

I love you in Irish – tá grá agam duit

I love you in Italian – ti amo

I love you in Japanese – aishiteru

I love you in Norwegian - jeg elsker deg

I love you in Polish – kocham cię

I love you in Portuguese – eu te amo

I love you in Russian – ya tebya lyublyu

I love you in Spanish – te amo

I love you in Swahili – ninakupenda

I love you in Swedish – jag älskar dig

I love you in Turkish – seni seviyorum

I love you in Vietnamese – Tôi yêu bạn

I love you in Welsh - Rwy’n dy garu di