Is this how you say 'I love you?'

[Kapurnicus]

The thing to remember with saying "I love you" is that there are different ways to say it depending on your relationship with the person. " Anata wo ai shite imasu" is generally used when talking to family members, your kids, wife/husband, etc. It has the sense of that love lasting forever. On the other hand there is also "Anata ni koi shite imasu" which is used exclusively for boyfriend/girlfriend. That expression is a bit more depressing though as it has the implied meaning that the love isn't for ever and will eventually end.

 

[aleku]

there is a rather girlish way of saying:

(XXXX_name_XXXX) no koto (dai)suki

 

[Golgo_13]

" Anata wo ai shite imasu" is generally used when talking to family members, your kids, wife/husband, etc. It has the sense of that love lasting forever.

Have you ever heard any Japanese parent say that to a child?

I haven't in 43 years

"Anata ni koi shite imasu" which is used exclusively for boyfriend/girlfriend. That expression is a bit more depressing though as it has the implied meaning that the love isn't for ever and will eventually end.

No body EVER says that.

 

[Elizabeth]

No body EVER says that.

'XXX ni Koishite iru' can best be thought of as a translation of the well-worn phrase 'I'm deeply in love with XXX' which of course even in English no one says, at least anymore, to their lover's face directly.

 

[Budderfly]

Can you also say "ai shiamasu"?

 

[Mike Cash]

Can you also say "ai shiamasu"?

Sure I could. I wouldn't know what the hell it meant, but I could say it.

 

[Elizabeth]

Can you also say "ai shiamasu"?

I think I've seen it in songs to mean I will (always) love you (from now on), as well as various other usages, but not to tell someone you love them right now.

 

[PaulTB]

I think I've seen it in songs to mean I will (always) love you (from now on), as well as various other usages, but not to tell someone you love them right now.

Sure that wasn't ai shiaimasu? 愛し合います.

 

[Mike Cash]

Sure that wasn't ai shiaimasu? 愛し合います.

Nah, I'd know what the hell that meant. But I couldn't say it, though.

I think I've seen it in songs to mean I will (always) love you (from now on), as well as various other usages, but not to tell someone you love them right now.

So Japanese has a separate future tense now?

 

[PaulTB]

Nah, I'd know what the hell that meant. But I couldn't say it, though.

Oi! Who waz talkin' ta you?

So Japanese has a separate future tense now?

First I heard. Good idea though.

 

[Mike Cash]

Oi! Who waz talkin' ta you?

First I heard. Good idea though.

You wouldn't know a good idea even if it walked up to you with one of those dopey blue and white convention name tags with "Hi! My name is: Good Idea" written on it.

 

[PaulTB]

You wouldn't know a good idea even if it walked up to you with one of those dopey blue and white convention name tags with "Hi! My name is: Good Idea" written on it.

I thought you had a better grip on my sense of humour than that.

Just for you I'll add back in the text I left in invisible ink last time "I'll let the Emperor know right away."

 

[Elizabeth]

Without actually doing the translation (do you love?) here is something resembling ai shimasu in the title of a book.

http://www.shc.co.jp/book/4-916199-25-1.htm

 

[PaulTB]

Without actually doing the translation (do you love?) here is something resembling ai shimasu in the title of a book.

Doesn't resemble "ai shiamasu" I would assume.

 

[Elizabeth]

Oh, sorry, yes that was the original question....although there's hope yet, it's still early in the day here afterall.

Oi! Who waz talkin' ta you?

First I heard. Good idea though.

Of course that is the breakdown for certain select verbs. If kekkon suru is will be married, shouldn't au suru logically also mean will love ?
Although in the book title example it looks more like "Loved by".....

 

[Golgo_13]

"I love you" does not translate very well literally into Japanese.

So can we put the matter to rest and go ahead and say it to a Japanese person in English? He/she will like it better in English.

 

[Mike Cash]

I thought you had a better grip on my sense of humour than that.

I thought you had a better grip on mine too. After all, we're not Junior Members.

 

[alyussium]

"I love you" does not translate very well literally into Japanese.

So can we put the matter to rest and go ahead and say it to a Japanese person in English? He/she will like it better in English.

Or in french ... Yep, tell it in your language ^o^.

 

[Mike Cash]

Oh, sorry, yes that was the original question....although there's hope yet, it's still early in the day here afterall.


Of course that is the breakdown for certain select verbs. If kekkon suru is will be married, shouldn't au suru logically also mean will love ?
Although in the book title example it looks more like "Loved by".....

The book title was something like "Will you love your subordinates? Or will you lose them?"

 

[Golgo_13]

Or in french ... Yep, tell it in your language ^o^.

But I doubt that a Japanese person would know that you're saying "I love you" if you said it in Urdu, Swahili, or Arabic.

They would only understand if you said it in English.

 

[alyussium]

Haha, that's right golgo ^o^. Anyway, maybe they could understand in some other languages than english just like us. I don't know a single german word, but I know how to say I love you in german (for example...).

 

[fixelbrumpf]

What would your interlocutor do if you just said "suki"? Punch you in the face?