How to say "I love you" in Esperanto

"I love you" in Esperanto is Mi amas vin – pronounced mi A-mas vin. Mi is "I", amas is "love" in the present tense, and vin is "you" with the object ending -n. The same phrase works for a partner, a child, a parent or a friend, and for one person or several, because vi means both singular and plural "you".

#Ways to say "I love you"

Pronunciation guides split words into syllables; the stressed syllable is in capitals.

Word building does much of the work. From the root am- "love" come amo "love (noun)", ami "to love", amato / amatino "beloved (man / woman)", amiko "friend", enamiĝi "to fall in love" and amindumi "to court, to flirt". The suffix -eg- makes a word stronger, and -et- makes it smaller or gentler. See suffixes.

#Pet names and terms of endearment

The suffix -in- marks a woman, and -et- adds affection: kara "dear" → karulo "dear one" → karuleto "little darling". Speakers freely invent more names in the same way.

#Compliments

Notice the endings: adjectives agree with their noun, so belajn okulojn has -j (plural) and -n (object) on both words. More on nouns and adjectives.

#Dates, proposals and wishes

Marriage verbs show how Esperanto handles gender. Edziĝi means "to become a husband", edziniĝi "to become a wife", and geedziĝi "to marry each other" – the prefix ge- means "of both sexes". The dictionary ReVo gives examples with both kun and al after these verbs.

#Esperanto and love: "Edzperanto"

Esperantists joke that their language is Edzperanto – a blend of edzo "husband" and peranto "go-between". The pun appeared in 1923 in a poem by Raymond Schwartz, about two friends looking for husbands. It caught on because many couples did meet through Esperanto: as early as the 1930s, Esperantists collected reports of dozens of international marriages that began through letters or congresses.

Some of these couples raised their children in Esperanto. Researchers estimate about 1,000 families with around 2,000 native-speaking children (2004). In most such families, though, the parents share a native language; in many others Esperanto is the only language the parents have in common. More on native speakers of Esperanto.

#Common questions

#How do you say "I love you" in Esperanto?

Mi amas vin (mi A-mas vin). To say "I love you too", add ankaŭ: Mi ankaŭ amas vin.

#What is the difference between "Mi amas vin" and "Mi ŝatas vin"?

Ami is "to love" and ŝati is "to like". Use Mi ŝatas vin for a friend or a new crush, and Mi amas vin for deep affection.

#How do you say "my love" in Esperanto?

Mia amo – "my love" – or mia kara, "my dear". For a sweetheart, karulo (man) and karulino (woman) are common.

#How do you say "I miss you" in Esperanto?

Vi mankas al mi – literally "you are missing to me". Mi sopiras al vi – "I long for you" – is stronger.

#Is "Mi amas vin" the same for a man and a woman?

Yes. Esperanto pronouns and verbs do not change for gender, so Mi amas vin is the same whoever says it and to whomever.

#Sources

• Wiktionary: mi amas vin
• Wiktionary: karulo, koramiko, enamiĝi, sopiri, edziĝi
• ReVo: edzo, edziĝi, edziniĝi, geedziĝi
• Vikipedio: Edzperanto
• Vikipedio: Internaciaj geedziĝoj esperantistaj
• Wikipedia: Native Esperanto speakers
• PMEG: Personaj pronomoj