Perhaps you are interested in German because you fell in love, or maybe there is that "special someone" in German class you have a bit of a crush on. We all know the basic Ich liebe dich — the Beatles even did a version of “She Loves You” in German ("Sie liebt dich") — but how about some other ways to express your attraction for somebody?

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

It might not be a great idea to say you love somebody too soon, so to play it safe, let’s just say you like him or her, in which case the verb mögen is perfect:

Oh nein, niemand mag mich!

Oh no, no one likes me!

Caption 43, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Das hässliche Entlein

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Another way of expressing that you like someone is to say you “have them gladly” (gern haben) or care for them (lieb haben):

Wenn man jemanden richtig gern und lieb hat...

If you really are really fond of someone and love them...

Caption 42, Valentinstag - in Karlsruhe

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Another possibility is du gefällst mir, or if you want to make it even stronger, du gefällst mir sehr. Then the next step is falling in love, sich verlieben:

Der Prinz hatte sich verliebt.

The prince had fallen in love.

Caption 9, Märchenstunde - Das Aschenputtel

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When you are ready to make the leap, however, there is always the classic standby:

John, ich liebe dich. -Adrianne, ich liebe dich!

John, I love you. -Adrianne, I love you!

Captions 13-14, Alexander Hauff - Showreel

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Followed ideally by the grand finale:

Ich möchte dich heiraten.

I want to marry you.

Caption 86, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der Froschkönig

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning:

How do I love thee? Rather than getting into counting the ways and all the mathematics involved, why not try getting a taste of German love poems from the 16th to the 20th centuries, including an exclusive set from German women poets? Make a vocabulary list of words you are unfamiliar with, and then search on Yabla to find the ways the words are used in other contexts.