Я люблю тебе.

I love you.

Breakdown of Я люблю тебе.

• я: I
• любити: to love
• тебе: you

Questions & Answers about Я люблю тебе.

What does Я люблю тебе mean word by word?

Я = I
люблю = (I) love
тебе = you (accusative case)

Why is тебе used instead of ти?

• ти is the nominative form (you as a subject)
• Here you is the object of любити, so it takes the accusative form тебе

Why isn’t there a preposition like to before тебе?

Transitive verbs in Ukrainian (like любити) take a direct object in the accusative case without any preposition.

How is люблю formed from the infinitive любити?

1. Start with любити (to love)
2. Remove -ти → люб-
3. Add the first-person singular ending -лю → люблю

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Тебе я люблю?

Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible:
• Neutral: Я люблю тебе (Subject–Verb–Object)
• Emphatic: Тебе я люблю (focus on you)