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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?
- Start with любити (to love)
- Remove -ти → люб-
- 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)
How do you pronounce Я люблю тебе?
IPA: [ja lʲuˈblʲu tɛˈbɛ]
• Stress on the second syllable of люблю́
• Stress on the second syllable of тебе́
Are there other ways to say “I love you” in Ukrainian?
• Я кохаю тебе – more poetic or intense
• Я дуже люблю тебе – I love you very much
• Кохаю тебе – shortened, colloquial