Learn Hardcore Czech: Miluji tě.

However, English “I love you” is used very broadly (romantic partner, close friends, family, even “I love pizza”).
In Czech, Miluji tě is typically:

romantic love (partner, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend), or
very strong emotional love (sometimes parent–child, but even there many people would still choose something slightly softer).

For things, hobbies, etc., Czechs much more often use mám rád / mám ráda (I like / I’m fond of) instead of miluji.

What is the difference between miluji and miluju?

Both mean “I love” and are grammatically correct.

miluji – more formal, careful, “textbook” form; often seen in writing, songs, poetry, and careful speech.
miluju – more colloquial, used very often in everyday spoken Czech.

So you might hear:

Miluji tě. – sounds a bit more serious, solemn, or poetic.
Miluju tě. – sounds more relaxed and natural in conversation.

If you’re speaking, miluju will probably feel more natural around most native speakers.

Why is it tě and not ty? What form of “you” is this?

Ty is the basic (nominative) form of the informal singular “you”.
In Miluji tě, tě is the accusative (object) form of ty.

ty – you (subject)
- Ty jsi krásná. = You are beautiful.
tě – you (direct object, informal singular)
- Miluji tě. = I love you.

So tě is used because “you” is the object of the verb miluji, not the subject.

Is Miluji tě formal or informal? Can I say this to anyone?

Miluji tě uses ty / tě, which is informal singular “you” (the T-form).

Appropriate for: romantic partners, close friends (if meant jokingly or platonically), close family.
Not appropriate for: people you address formally (using vy), strangers in serious contexts, teachers/bosses if you normally use vy with them.

There is no natural formal equivalent like “Miluji vás” for a romantic “I love you” – lovers almost always transition to ty fairly quickly in Czech.

Can Miluji tě also mean “I love you” to a friend or family member, or is it only romantic?

It can be used for close family or very close friends, but:

It most strongly suggests romantic love in modern usage.
To sound more neutral or less intense, especially with friends or family, you’ll often hear:
- Mám tě rád. (said by a man)
- Mám tě ráda. (said by a woman)

These are still very affectionate, but correspond more to “I’m very fond of you / I really care about you”, and are much more common in family situations.

Why is there no word for “I” in Miluji tě?

In Czech, the verb ending usually shows who the subject is, so the personal pronoun is often dropped.

miluji already contains the information “I” (1st person singular).
If you add já (“I”), it’s for emphasis:
- Já tě miluji. = I love you (as opposed to someone else).

So:

Miluji tě. – neutral “I love you.”
Já tě miluji. – emphasizes that it’s me who loves you, or contrasts with someone else.

What is the normal word order? Could it be Tě miluji or Miluji já tebe?

Basic, neutral order is: Miluji tě.

Because Czech word order is more flexible, you sometimes see variants, but they usually carry emphasis or poetic style:

Já tě miluji. – emphasizes já (I).
Tebe miluji. – emphasizes tebe (you), like “You I love.”
Miluji tebe. – also emphasizes tebe, more poetic or dramatic.
Tě miluji. – possible in poetry/song lyrics, but unusual in everyday speech.

For everyday use, Miluji tě or Miluju tě is the natural choice.

How do you pronounce Miluji tě?

Rough guide with English approximations:

mi – like “mee”, short, not “my”.
lu – like “loo”, short.
ji – like “yee” (one syllable “-yee”).
tě – like “tyeh”, with a soft ť.

Full phrase: [MI-loo-yee tyeh], with all vowels clearly pronounced and fairly even stress on the first syllables of each word.

The ť in tě is a soft t (tongue slightly further forward, a bit like “t” in “tune” in British English when pronounced carefully).

What is the grammatical aspect and tense of miluji?

Verb: milovat
Aspect: imperfective (ongoing, repeated, state)
Tense: present

So miluji means “I love (right now / in general)”, not a single completed act.
There is a perfective partner zamilovat se = “to fall in love (with someone)” describing the start of loving.

Examples:

Miluji tě. – I love you.
Zamiloval jsem se do tebe. – I fell in love with you. (said by a man)

Is there a difference between Miluji tě and Mám tě rád / ráda?

Yes, both in intensity and typical usage:

Miluji tě.
- Stronger, more intense.
- Usually romantic or extremely deep love.
Mám tě rád. / Mám tě ráda.
- Still affectionate, but softer.
- Used a lot with family, close friends, even sometimes with children.
- Literally “I have you liked / I like you (a lot).”

Gender note:

A man says: Mám tě rád.
A woman says: Mám tě ráda.
Miluji tě does not change with the speaker’s gender.

Is the period at the end necessary? Would Miluji tě! be different?

Punctuation changes the tone, not the grammar.

Miluji tě. – neutral statement of fact.
Miluji tě! – more emotional, enthusiastic, passionate.

In texts, messages, or notes between partners, Miluju tě! with an exclamation mark is extremely common.

Would it be strange if I used Miluji tě with my Czech partner, or is it natural even if I’m a foreigner?

It’s perfectly natural and very welcome.

If you want to sound closer to everyday speech, you might use Miluju tě.
If you like a more serious or poetic feel, Miluji tě is also fine.

Your accent or imperfect Czech won’t make it strange; most Czechs will find it very sweet that you say it in Czech at all.

Is Miluji tě only present tense? How do I say “I loved you” or “I have always loved you”?

Miluji tě is present tense. For the past, use the past tense of milovat:

Měl jsem tě rád. / Miloval jsem tě. – I loved you. (said by a man, nuance: “I liked you a lot” vs deep love)
Měla jsem tě ráda. / Milovala jsem tě. – I loved you. (said by a woman)

For “I have always loved you,” Czechs typically use simple past + time expression (there’s no direct equivalent of English present perfect here):

Vždycky jsem tě miloval. – I have always loved you. (man)
Vždycky jsem tě milovala. – I have always loved you. (woman)