Tuesday, October 22, 2019
There Are Lots of Ways to Say I Love You in German
There Are Lots of Ways to Say I Love You in German A widespread clichà © of Americans among Germans is that they tend to love everybody and everything and do not shrink from telling everybody about it. And to be sure, Americans do tend to say ââ¬Å"I love youâ⬠more often than their counterparts in German-speaking countries. Why Not UseIch Liebe Dich Liberally Sure, ââ¬Å"I love youâ⬠translates literally as ââ¬Å"Ich liebe dichâ⬠and vice versa. But you cant sprinkle this phrase quite so liberally throughout your conversation as you might in English.à There are many different ways to tell people that you like or even love them. You only say ââ¬Å"Ich liebe dichâ⬠to somebody you really, really love- your long-term girlfriend/boyfriend, your wife/husband, or somebody you have very strong feelings for. Germans dont say it rashly. It is something they must feel sure about. So if youre in a relationship with a German-speaker and waiting to hear those three little words, dont despair. Many would rather avoid using such a strong expression until they are completely sure its true. Germans Use Lieben Less Frequently Than... In general, German speakers, particularly older ones, use the word ââ¬Å"liebenâ⬠less frequently than Americans do. They are more likely to use the phrase Ich mag (I like) when describing something. Lieben is considered a powerful word, whether you are using it about another person or an experience or an object. Younger people, who have been more influenced by American culture, may tend to use the word lieben more often than their older counterparts. Just a bit less intense might be ââ¬Å"Ich habââ¬â¢ dich liebâ⬠(literally, I have love for you) or just ââ¬Å"ich mag dichâ⬠which means ââ¬Å"I like youâ⬠.à This is the phrase used to tell your feelings to beloved family members, relatives, friends or even your partner (especially in an early stage of your relationship). It is not as binding as using the word ââ¬Å"Liebeâ⬠. There is a huge difference between ââ¬Å"liebâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Liebeâ⬠, even if there is just one letter more. To tell somebody you like him as ââ¬Å"ich mag dichâ⬠is just not something you would tell everyone. Germans tend to be economical with their feelings and their expressions. The Right Way to Express Affection But there is another way of expressing affection: ââ¬Å"Du gefllst mirâ⬠is hard to translate properly. It wouldnââ¬â¢t be suitable to equal it with ââ¬Å"I like youâ⬠even it is indeed rather close. It means more than you are attracted to somebody- literally you please me. It can be used to mean you like somebodys style, their way of acting, the eyes, whateverââ¬âperhaps more like ââ¬Å"you are lovelyâ⬠. If you have made the first steps and acted and especially talked correctly to your beloved, you can go further and tell him or her that you have fallen in love: ââ¬Å"Ich bin in dich verliebtâ⬠or ââ¬Å"ich habe mich in dich verliebtâ⬠. Rather ponderous, right? It all comes together with the basic tendency of Germans to be rather reserved until they really know you.
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