Why Not Everything You Love Is Liebe
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āI Love Youā = āI Love Chocolateā? Really?
In English, we love everything.
We love our partners.
We love pizza.
We love rainy days, and dogs, and movies.
We even āloveā Mondays⦠sometimes.
One word ā love ā is used for all of it.
But is it really the same feeling?
In this article, weāll explore how different languages ā German, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian ā help us separate real love from emotional habits.
And why this matters for anyone learning to communicate deeply, not just fluently.
German: Where Words Respect Meaning
In German, you donāt āloveā chocolate.
You like it. You enjoy it. You prefer it. But you donāt lieben it ā unless youāre joking or being ironic.
| Verb | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lieben | Ich liebe dich | Deep, personal, emotional love ā romantic or family-based |
| mƶgen | Ich mag Schokolade | I like chocolate ā neutral and honest |
| gern haben | Ich habe dich gern | Soft affection; caring deeply, often among friends or family |
| gern essen / gern machen | Ich esse das gern | I enjoy eating this ā pleasure without emotional weight |
This linguistic boundary teaches emotional precision.
It shows that Germans donāt overuse deep words. And perhaps we shouldnāt either.
Spanish: Passion in Layers
Spanish offers more texture than English ā and more caution than you might expect.
| Phrase | Translation | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Te amo | I love you | Deep, romantic, serious; not for casual use |
| Te quiero | I care for you / I love you | Softer, affectionate, used with family and partners |
| Me gustas | I like you | Flirtatious, initial attraction |
| Me encanta el chocolate | I love chocolate | Literally: āIt enchants meā ā stronger than āme gustaā, but still safe for chocolate |
Youāll rarely hear a Spanish speaker say āte amoā to a dessert.
They save that phrase for something real. And permanent.
Ukrainian and Russian: One Verb, Many Worlds
In both Ukrainian and Russian, the verb āto loveā exists ā but the rules around it are subtle.
| Language | Phrase | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | ŠÆ ŃŠµŠ±Šµ Š»ŃŠ±Š»Ń / ŠÆ ŃŠµŠ±Šµ ŠŗŠ¾Ń Š°Ń | ŠŠ¾Ń Š°ŃŠø = romantic; Š»ŃŠ±ŠøŃŠø = family, friendship, general fondness |
| Russian | ŠÆ ŃŠµŠ±Ń Š»ŃŠ±Š»Ń | Can mean romantic love, but also used more broadly |
| Ukrainian | ŠŠµŠ½Ń поГобаŃŃŃŃŃ ŃŠ¾ŠŗŠ¾Š»Š°Š“ | I like chocolate ā no emotional confusion |
| Russian | ŠŠ½Šµ Š½ŃŠ°Š²ŠøŃŃŃ ŃŠ¾ŠŗŠ¾Š»Š°Š“ | Same ā clear separation between person and thing |
In both languages, the emotional weight of love can be heavy. Thatās why people often avoid saying it unless they mean it ā really.
Why It Matters When Learning a Language
You may think itās harmless to say āI love this!ā about everything.
But over time, it weakens your emotional vocabulary.
If you āloveā chocolate, your dog, your job, and your partner ā how do we know which one matters?
Other languages teach us a valuable lesson:
Donāt say āloveā when you mean ālikeā.
And donāt say ālikeā when you mean āneedā.
Words matter. Emotion matters more.
Thatās why language learning is emotional training. Not just vocabulary.
What We Really Teach at Our School
At Levitin Language School, we donāt just teach grammar.
We help you develop emotional fluency.
Youāll learn to:
- Distinguish love from habit.
- Say what you feel ā and mean it.
- Understand how native speakers express affection, preference, and intimacy.
Because real communication isnāt about how many words you know.
Itās about how honestly you use them.
Coming Next in This Series
āFrom Boy to Man: How Men Say āI Love Youā at Every Age ā or Donāt.ā
Weāll explore how boys, teenagers, and adult men express (or suppress) feelings ā and how language evolves with identity.
Ā© Tymur Levitin ā Founder, Teacher & Translator
Start Language School by Tymur Levitin / Levitin Language School
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