How to Say "I Love You" in Russian

Variants & registers

• я люблю тебяya lyublyú tebyá

  I love you - same meaning, neutral word order

  informal
• я вас люблюya vas lyublyú

  I love you - formal or to more than one person

  formal / plural
• я тебя обожаюya tebyá obozháyu

  I adore you - stronger and playful

  affectionate
• ты мне нравишьсяty mne nrávishsya

  I like you - lighter, for early dating

  casual

Breakdown & pronunciation

Frasi di esempio

Usage & etiquette

Because Russian verbs and pronouns carry the meaning, you can move the words around: я тебя люблю and я люблю тебя are equally correct, with only a slight shift in emphasis.

Use тебя for one person you are close to (the ты relationship). Switch to я вас люблю only when you mean it formally or to several people - it is rare in a romantic context. For early dating, ты мне нравишься ("I like you") is the softer, lower-stakes choice.

Practice