Wondering how to tell someone you love them in English? Sometimes we just have to blurt it out: “I love you!”, but other times you might be able to do a bit of preparation. If you are looking for different ways to say “I love you”, here are some phrases you can use to make that person feel really special.
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Classic ways to say “I love you”
I love you
Sweet, simple and easy to remember. The classic, “I love you”, “I love you too” is sometimes all we need to say and hear. Remember that we can also say “I love you” to family members and friends too – it’s not just for the lovers in our lives.
I’m in love with you
This phrase is a bit more intense than the simple, “I love you”. “I’m in love with you” can only be said in a romantic way – so don’t mistakenly say this to your great aunt Mildred.
You’re the love of my life
This is a serious declaration, so only say this if you’re really sure that it’s true. Telling someone, “You’re the love of my life” implies that you want to be with them forever and there’ll never be anyone else.
Different ways to say “I love you” in English
I love you to the moon and back
What’s more romantic than gazing at the moon? Maybe telling your partner, “I love you to the moon and back.” The phrase is quite famous for being in the children’s book “Guess how much I love you?” but it’s used for romantic as well as non-romantic love now.
I’m crazy about you
This is quite a modern and different way to say “I love you”. And it doesn’t always mean “I love you”, it could just be that you really, really like someone. So if you’re using this phrase, it’s a good idea to clarify with ‘I’m crazy about you, I love you so much,’ or something similar.
I’m head over heels for you
“I’m head over heels for you” means I’m totally and utterly in love with you and I can’t think about anything or anyone else.
You’re my other half.
This is a sweet way to tell someone you love them so much that they complete you. (Side note: “You complete me” is also a way to tell someone you love them.) Brits often use the phrase “my other half” when they’re referring to their husband or wife, e.g. “My other half’s at the bar, getting the beers in.”
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Songs to say “I love you” in English
There are also other ways to say “I love you”: Using a song or saying a line from a song can be a very romantic way. Here are some lines that you could use to declare your love. Bonus points if you sing the song yourself.
I will always love you
Is there a more overblown romantic song than this one? Whether you go for the original Dolly Parton or Whitney Houston’s Bodyguard version, your someone special will definitely feel your love.
I can’t help falling in love with you
Conjure up a little Las Vegas-style love with Elvis Presley’s “Can’t help falling in love with you“. The song is about falling in love with someone quickly, so this is a good line to use when you haven’t known someone long but you know you love them.
You are my sunshine
A very sweet way to say “I love you” is by telling that special someone, “You are my sunshine”. It’s been covered by a lot of different artists so you can pick your poison, so to speak. This song is also often sung by parents to their children as a nursery rhyme.
You’re amazing just the way you are
Bruno Mars’ “Just the way you are” is the perfect song to tell someone you love them for exactly who they are. It was written for a girl but that doesn’t stop you from telling your gentleman friend that you wouldn’t change a thing about them.
Now you have at least 10 different ways to tell someone “I love you”. So there’s no excuse; get out there and start declaring your love!
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Laura is a freelance writer and was an ESL teacher for eight years. She was born in the UK and has lived in Australia and Poland, where she writes blogs for Lingoda about everything from grammar to dating English speakers. She’s definitely better at the first one. She loves travelling and that’s the other major topic that she writes on. Laura likes pilates and cycling, but when she’s feeling lazy she can be found curled up watching Netflix. She’s currently learning Polish, and her battle with that mystifying language has given her huge empathy for anyone struggling to learn English. Find out more about her work in her portfolio.
In English, “I love you” can have the power of a magic spell or an atomic bomb: The words can help solidify a bond or threaten to destroy it if they’re spoken too soon. In the contemporary United States, courtship is increasingly casual, which makes heartfelt confessions of love more serious than ever before.
But what if they’re expressed in two words (“te amo”) or just one (“ahibbik”)? It isn’t just a question of language, of course. Dating culture differs by geography and affects the meaning of those words. I asked literary translators and dating experts what “I love you” means all over the world. Their answers show that although love is a universal value, the words we use to express it carry vastly different meanings.
Japanese does not have a direct analogue to “I love you.” The words that get defined as “love” in dictionaries and taught that way in language courses are closer to “like” (suki) and “affection” (ai). The phrase “ai shiteiru” means something close to “I love you,” but it doesn’t function as a relationship milestone in Japanese. Most people probably hear it more often in movies than in real life. Consider “I adore you” in English — a gorgeous sentiment, but who says that? Instead of saying “I love you,” a Japanese person would be more inclined to use any number of context-driven expressions of devotion and support, like “Work sounds tough” or “I can tell how hard you’re trying” or “I support you.”
— Sam Bett, literary translator
There’s definitely less pressure around saying “I love you” in France than there is in the United States, and it usually happens much earlier. Every person and every relationship is different, but I would say that most people in France say it after about two months. Dating in France is very different from the United States. We don’t have this casual dating period when it’s okay to date several people at the same time and keep your options open. Things end up going faster because we’re all in; it’s pretty common to go on three or four dates per week with someone you just met. In France, meeting friends usually happens after a few dates and meeting the parents usually happens within one to three months.
— Adeline Bréon, dating coach
“Like” and “love” are translated into the same word in Arabic. It’s not unusual, say, for a man to court a woman with “ahibbik” during a first encounter. Here in the United States, relationships evolve from liking to loving (culminating, potentially, in commitment), but in Iraq, the progress from courtship to commitment is marked with a family visit. The man’s family meets the woman’s family to ask for her hand in marriage. The visit is a declaration of commitment by the family and the suitor. In this sense, it might be equivalent to the commitment signaled by “I love you” in America. That said, there are other ways to express deep and sincere feelings — a’shaqich (“I’m deeply in love with you”), amoot alaych (“I’m dead in love with you”). There are exceptions, of course. Since 2003, Iraqi society has been going through an identity crisis, and almost all traditional social norms are being challenged, including courtship and marriage.
— Qussay Al-Attabi, scholar of Arabic literature
As with most anything in Argentina, opinions are split as to whether “te quiero” (“I want you” or “I desire you”) or “te amo” (”I love you”) reflect a stronger commitment. “Querer” packs a punch, in tangos and in the work of Jorge Luis Borges and other poets. Both phrases could lead to wedding bells or moving in together. Getting there, however, may take as long as explaining what Peronism is, or come as quickly as a flash flood. Along the way lovers might express their emotions by saying: “Me re copás,” which loosely translates to “you absolutely fill me / take me over”; “Me va [or] me re cabe tu forma de ser,” meaning: “the way you are is my way.” More action-oriented phrases include: “Me movió la estantería” (“s/he shook my rack/bookshelf”); “Me flechó” (“her/his arrow hit the mark”); “Cada vez que la/o veo me mata” (“every time I see her/him s/he kills me”). For a soft landing, try “Me encantás” (“you enchant / charm me”). Though boring, “Estamos en sintonía” ("we are in sync”), may still work. A word of caution: If you get to “Alta onda pegamos,” meaning “we’ve hit a high vibe or wave,” chocolate and flowers may be in order.
— Saúl Sosnowski, professor of Latin American literature at the University of Maryland at College Park
In 20th-century Iran, men were generally the first to say “I love you,” and this almost always had to be followed by a promise of marriage and a formal visit to the woman’s parents to ask for her hand. In 1979, the Islamic revolution set back the clock for women. Morality police roamed the streets, punishing any public mingling of men and women who weren’t related to one another. Unless they were married or close relatives, men and women could not even stroll together. By 2009, 60 percent of Iran’s population was younger than 30, and the expression and execution of love transformed. Virginity was mocked, and “I love you” lost its holy luster. Now, saying “I love you” can also mean “I am ready to move to the next step of our relationship and sleep with you.” Among educated city dwellers, it is as commonly expressed by women as by men.
— Sholeh Wolpé, Iranian-American writer and literary translator
When dating, “wo ai ni” is the man’s signal: He wants an exclusive relationship. Before that, a woman might hold hands with him, kiss, go to the movies, go hiking, but she will generally wait for this important phrase before having sex or appearing in public as boyfriend and girlfriend. After this first “wo ai ni,” both members of a couple will probably say it to each other every day. It’s just the first time the man says it that is also his way of saying he wants to be exclusive. This relates to young people only, ages 20 to 35. Older people don’t say “wo ai ni” much at all.
— Joy Chen, dating coach and author of “Do Not Marry Before Age 30”
There’s a lot of variation, and South Korea is in a constant and rapid state of social change. But typically people don’t say “I love you” so much among husband and wife, or between parents and kids. My partner is Korean, and I rarely hear her say that to her mom or vice versa. The understanding is that the love is there; it just doesn’t need to be declared verbally the way Americans might. However over the past few decades, film and media portraying Western conventions of saying “I love you” have played a role in influencing young people’s relationships. Couples have become a lot more demonstrative about their affection. You wouldn’t have seen much hand-holding until the 1980s or 1990s, but now it’s a lot more common. It’s still relatively rare for couples of over 40 to say “I love you,” to each other, but it becomes more common below that age.
— Stephen Epstein, professor of Asian languages at Victoria University of Wellington