Expressing love is universal, but the way people say it can differ significantly across cultures and languages. “I love you” in Vietnamese involves not just words but also cultural nuances and personal connections. Whether you’re learning Vietnamese or planning to confess your feelings to a special someone, here’s a comprehensive guide to expressing love in Vietnamese.
1. Some ways to say “I love you” in Vietnamese
In Vietnamese, the phrase “I love you” means “Tôi yêu bạn”. However, unlike English, pronouns used in Vietnamese sentences will depend on the relationship and role between the speaker and the listener. You can refer to the following way:
1.1. How to say “I love you” in Vietnamese to your lover
In Vietnam, when two people have or are about to start a love relationship, the man is often called “anh”, while the word “em” is often used to refer to the woman.
So, when you want to say “I love you” in Vietnamese:
- If you were a man, you would say “Anh yêu em” with the female.
- If you were female, you would say“Em yêu anh” with the male.
To make the sentence more romantic, you can add “Partner’s name + à” before the sentence.
Example:
- Trang, I love you (Trang, I love you).
- Hung, I love you (Hung, I love you).
1.2. How to say “I love you” in Vietnamese to family members
In Vietnamese, when you talk to family members such as grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, you will always have to address them as “Con”.
To address family members like “You” in English, you use the following words:
- Used for dad: bố, ba
- Use for mother: mẹ, má
- Used for grandpa and grandma: ông, bà
So to say “I love you” in Vietnamese to a family member, you would say:
- Con yêu mẹ (I love you mom)
- Con yêu bố (I love you dad)
- Con yêu ông (I love you grandfather)
- Con yêu bà (I love you grandmother)
1.3. How to say “I love you” in Vietnamese to friends
In Vietnam, you should only say “I love you” to close friends of the same age as you.
You can also say “tao” and call close friends “mày” when you want the conversation to become closer.
So to say “I love you” in Vietnamese to your friends, you would say:“Tao yêu mày”
1.4. How to say “I love you so much” in Vietnamese
To emphasize your love for someone, you just need to add the phrase “nhiều lắm” after the sentence “I love you” in Vietnamese that you learned above.
“Nhiều” means “much” or “a lot” in Vietnamese, while the word “lắm” is equivalent to “very” or “so”.
Thus, “nhiều lắm” can be translated as “so much” or “very much”.
Example:
- Anh yêu em nhiều lắm (I love you so much)
- Con yêu mẹ nhiều lắm (I love you so much mom)
- Con yêu bà nhiều lắm (I love you so much grandmother)
See more:
2. Cultural nuances in Vietnamese love expressions
In Vietnamese culture, the way people express love often depends on their relationship dynamics, age, and level of formality. Unlike in Western cultures, Vietnamese expressions of love may not always be direct. Actions often speak louder than words.
Non-verbal expressions of Love
- Giving meaningful gifts, like handmade items or flowers.
- Small acts of care, such as preparing meals or helping with daily tasks.
- Spending quality time together to show commitment and affection.
3. Ways to respond to “I love you” sentence in Vietnamese
Here are a few useful ways that you can use to respond when someone says “I love you” to you in Vietnamese.
3.1. How to say “I love you too” in Vietnamese
The simplest way to say this is to add the word “cũng” before the word “yêu”.
Here, the word “cũng” is equivalent to “also” or “too” in English.
Example:
- Em cũng yêu anh (I love you too)
- Con cũng yêu mẹ (I love you too mom)
3.2. How to say “I love you more” in Vietnamese
Here’s another way to answer “I love you” in Vietnamese. You simply need to add the phrase “nhiều hơn” after the sentence.
The phrase “nhiều hơn” is equivalent to “much more” in English.
Example:
- Anh yêu em nhiều hơn (I love you more)
- Con yêu bố nhiều hơn (I love you more dad)
When you learn Vietnamese or come into contact with Vietnamese culture, you will easily come across the phrase “I love you” in Vietnamese in a book, story or a TV series. The application of Jellyfish is very easy to understand, isn’t it? Practice regularly from now on, what if you have a chance to confess to a Vietnamese girl/boy?
If you are looking for a comprehensive Vietnamese course that will help you communicate with native speakers naturally and better understand Vietnamese culture. Please refer to some special courses at Jellyfish:
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