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Tymur Levitin
Tymur Levitin
Teacher of the Department of Translation. Professional certified translator with experience in translating and teaching English and German. I teach people in 20 countries of the world. My principle in teaching and conducting lessons is to move away from memorizing rules from memory, and, instead, learn to understand the principles of the language and use them in the same way as talking and pronouncing sounds correctly by feeling, and not going over each one in your head all the rules, since there won’t be time for that in real speech. You always need to build on the situation and comfort.
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Why Not Everything You Love Is Liebe

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“I Love You” = “I Love Chocolate”? Really?

In English, we love everything.

We love our partners.
We love pizza.
We love rainy days, and dogs, and movies.
We even “love” Mondays… sometimes.

One word — love — is used for all of it.
But is it really the same feeling?

In this article, we’ll explore how different languages — German, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian — 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 don’t “love” chocolate.

You like it. You enjoy it. You prefer it. But you don’t lieben it — unless you’re joking or being ironic.

VerbExampleMeaning
liebenIch liebe dichDeep, personal, emotional love — romantic or family-based
mögenIch mag SchokoladeI like chocolate — neutral and honest
gern habenIch habe dich gernSoft affection; caring deeply, often among friends or family
gern essen / gern machenIch esse das gernI enjoy eating this — pleasure without emotional weight

This linguistic boundary teaches emotional precision.
It shows that Germans don’t overuse deep words. And perhaps we shouldn’t either.

Spanish: Passion in Layers

Spanish offers more texture than English — and more caution than you might expect.

PhraseTranslationUsage
Te amoI love youDeep, romantic, serious; not for casual use
Te quieroI care for you / I love youSofter, affectionate, used with family and partners
Me gustasI like youFlirtatious, initial attraction
Me encanta el chocolateI love chocolateLiterally: “It enchants me” — stronger than “me gusta”, but still safe for chocolate

You’ll rarely hear a Spanish speaker say “te amo” 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 “to love” exists — but the rules around it are subtle.

LanguagePhraseNuance
UkrainianЯ тебе люблю / Я тебе кохаюКохати = romantic; любити = family, friendship, general fondness
RussianЯ тебя люблюCan mean romantic love, but also used more broadly
UkrainianМені подобається шоколадI like chocolate — no emotional confusion
RussianМне нравится шоколадSame — clear separation between person and thing

In both languages, the emotional weight of love can be heavy. That’s why people often avoid saying it unless they mean it — really.

Why It Matters When Learning a Language

You may think it’s harmless to say “I love this!” about everything.
But over time, it weakens your emotional vocabulary.

If you “love” chocolate, your dog, your job, and your partner — how do we know which one matters?

Other languages teach us a valuable lesson:

Don’t say “love” when you mean “like”.
And don’t say “like” when you mean “need”.
Words matter. Emotion matters more.

That’s why language learning is emotional training. Not just vocabulary.

What We Really Teach at Our School

At Levitin Language School, we don’t just teach grammar.
We help you develop emotional fluency.

You’ll learn to:

  • Distinguish love from habit.
  • Say what you feel — and mean it.
  • Understand how native speakers express affection, preference, and intimacy.

Because real communication isn’t about how many words you know.
It’s about how honestly you use them.

Coming Next in This Series

“From Boy to Man: How Men Say ‘I Love You’ at Every Age — or Don’t.”

We’ll explore how boys, teenagers, and adult men express (or suppress) feelings — and how language evolves with identity.


© Tymur Levitin — Founder, Teacher & Translator
Start Language School by Tymur Levitin / Levitin Language School

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