English Dating Vocabulary: Other Ways to Say I Love You
Learning a new language can serve many purposes, including communicating with someone for whom your heart beats faster. If an English-speaking person has caught your eye, you probably want to tell them how you feel about them. Taking a Conversation English course at LAL is a good start to improve your speaking skills!
There are many ways to say “I love you” in English as well as to talk about your other warm feelings towards someone before you’re ready for the big L. Let’s benefit from the upcoming celebration of love on the 14th February and use this St Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to learn some phrases of love and affection.
I L…ike You
Before we’re ready for a declaration of love we often just want to tell someone that we like them. There are numerous ways to say “I like you quite a bit” in English without saying exactly that:
I Fancy You
“I fancy you” means you like someone romantically so be careful who you use it with. It originally only existed in British English but it’s gaining popularity in other variations of the language too. To learn more regional expressions, read our post on British slang.
I’m Into You
This is a phrase you can use to tell someone you’re interested in them in an affectionate way. You can also use this expression in a slightly different context to talk about your hobbies and interests, for example, “I’m into gaming” = “I really like gaming”.
I’m Fond of You
By saying “I’m fond of you” you’re expressing your warm feelings towards someone without necessarily letting them know the extent of these feelings. Some people would consider this phrase a bit old-fashioned.
We Have Good Chemistry
Partially a statement, partially a suggestion, “we have good chemistry” expresses how you feel about being around someone.
I Have a Crush on You
This is a super cute way of saying that someone gives you butterflies.
We Get On Well
This is a similar expression to the previous one but is more ambiguous as it can easily refer to someone you’re just friendly with. If you’d like to test the waters, say “we get on well” and see how the person reacts.
Let’s Take it to the Next Level
If you’re confident of what you want and you don’t like beating around the bush, you can skip the expressions given to you in the previous section and simply tell someone you’d like to be more than friends… Maybe you’re more shy and would like to leave things ambiguous until you know how the other side feels about you? Here are some useful expressions for every situation:
Would you like to go out with me?
You can have no doubts when someone asks you that question. They’re definitely romantically interested in you. Don’t say “yes”, if you don’t see any potential there.
Want to grab a dinner / a drink sometime?
By saying that, you’re not necessarily implying a romantic interest in someone. It’s a safe way to spend more time with a person but may also complicate things. If you don’t play open cards, others will behave in the same way. One solution to this problem is to look out for verbal and non-verbal cues during the meeting to decide how the person feels about you.
I’d like to spend more time with you
and
I’d like to hang out with you more
Both expressions can be romantically tainted… but don’t have to be! A person who says that, may just mean that they want to know you better.
We should catch up!
The most ambiguous of all the expressions enumerated here. You can use it when you bump into someone you fancy. Be careful, if you’re the one hearing it, though. Some people use it without meaning anything at all so treat it with a pinch of salt until they follow up.
What Now?
Imagine you’ve been hanging out with someone for a while and you’ve had a few dates. You don’t really know where you’re at but you’re not keen on playing games either.
There are quite a few expression that can come in handy in this situation:
Let’s go steady!
It’s a great expression to set the record straight. If you ask someone whether they want to go steady with you, it means that you don’t want them to be seeing anyone else and you’re not interested in doing it yourself.
Can I call you my girlfriend/my boyfriend?
If you want to be sure that the other person is as serious about you as you’re about them, simply ask them whether you can call them your boyfriend or girlfriend and see what they reply.
Other Ways to Say I Love You
Saying “I love you” is a big thing and once you say it for the first time to your partner you won’t want to stop. If you don’t like repeating the same thing over and over again but you’d like to keep assuring your partner about your feelings you can do it in other ways. Here are some options to consider:
I adore you.
I can’t live without you.
You make my life so much better.
Everything makes sense with you.
You’re my world.
And many, many others. Be creative! What other ways of saying “I love you” do you know? Let us know how to say these beautiful words in your native language in the comments’ section. Happy Valentine’s Day!