Today's words · 💕 Dating & love
Falling for German: 10 words about love
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Before you ever say „Ich liebe dich“, you'll need the words for everything that comes before it.
There's someone who always sits next to you at language school. Today they ask if you'd like a coffee after class. Is it just a friendly chat or a date? You want to ask a German friend, but the words won't come.
Today's ten words are all about dating and love. With them you can talk about falling for someone, going on dates and being in a relationship. Romantic films will suddenly make a lot more sense too! 💕
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Liebe
[LEE-buh]love((pl. rare))
📌 Liebe auf den ersten Blick.
→ Love at first sight.
💡 Same root as English love 💘 Say it softly: LEE-buh.
Bonus Liebe auf den ersten Blick = love at first sight
lieben
[LEE-ben]to love(liebt – hat geliebt)
📌 Ich liebe dich.
→ I love you.
💡 die Liebe plus -n gives you the verb ❤️ Ich liebe dich. Three little words.
⚠ Ich liebe dich is heavy. For family and friends, people usually say Ich hab dich lieb.
sich verlieben
[zikh fair-LEE-ben]to fall in love(verliebt sich – hat sich verliebt)
📌 Er hat sich in seine Kollegin verliebt.
→ He fell in love with his colleague.
💡 ver- + lieben, ‘to tumble into love’ 😍 Falling in love is reflexive in German!
⚠ Fall in love with someone = in + accusative: Ich habe mich in ihn verliebt.
verliebt
[fair-LEEPT]in love📌 Sie ist total in ihren Nachbarn verliebt.
→ She's totally in love with her neighbor.
💡 The past participle of sich verlieben — you've already fallen 🥰
Bonus verliebt sein = being in love; sich verlieben = the moment it happens.
flirten
[FLUR-ten]to flirt(flirtet – hat geflirtet)
📌 Er flirtet auf jeder Party mit der Kellnerin.
→ He flirts with the waitress at every party.
💡 Borrowed straight from English flirt 😉 Just a German ending.
Bonus mit jemandem flirten = to flirt with someone
die Verabredung
[fair-AP-ray-doong]appointment (to meet), date(Pl. die Verabredungen)
📌 Ich habe heute Abend eine Verabredung.
→ I have a date this evening.
💡 ver + ab + reden (talk) = something you've agreed on ☕ -ung means die!
⚠ Doctor or business appointment = der Termin. Meeting a friend or a date = Verabredung.
küssen
[KISS-en]to kiss(küsst – hat geküsst)
📌 Er küsst seine Frau zum Abschied.
→ He kisses his wife goodbye.
💡 English kiss with a pouty ü 💋 The noun is der Kuss.
Bonus Küsschen = a little peck (-chen, so das)
der Partner
[PART-ner]partner(Pl. die Partner (f: die Partnerin))
📌 Mein Partner kommt aus Österreich.
→ My partner is from Austria.
💡 Same as English partner 💑 Handy and neutral.
Bonus Female form: die Partnerin
die Beziehung
[buh-TSEE-oong]relationship; connection(Pl. die Beziehungen)
📌 Sie hat eine gute Beziehung zu ihren Kollegen.
→ She has a good relationship with her colleagues.
💡 be- + ziehen (pull) 🧲 A relationship is two people drawn together.
Bonus in einer Beziehung sein = to be in a relationship
romantisch
[ro-MAN-tish]romantic(romantisch – romantischer – am romantischsten)
📌 Das war ein romantischer Abend.
→ It was a romantic evening.
💡 Twin of English romantic 🌹 Just swap the ending for -isch.
Bonus The mood-killer? unromantisch!
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In Germany it's quite common to split the bill on a first date. When you pay, the server will often ask „Zusammen oder getrennt?“ — together or separately? Every couple is different, so read the room.
„Ich liebe dich“ is a serious declaration, and many people wait a long time into a relationship before saying it. Before that, „Ich mag dich“ or „Ich hab dich lieb“ do the job.
Couples love pet names like Schatz (treasure) or Maus (mouse). Yes, mouse — it's meant to be sweet! 🐭
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You've fallen for someone at language school. How do you tell your German friend?
- ① Ich habe mich verliebt.
- ② Ich habe heute einen Termin.
- ③ Er küsst seine Frau zum Abschied.
Show the answer
① Ich habe mich verliebt.
sich verlieben means to fall in love, so Ich habe mich verliebt. = I've fallen in love.
Picture a scene from your favourite romantic film and make one sentence for it with each of today's words, out loud. A little romance is great fuel for learning! 💌
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🤝 Friendship