I love you in Norwegian: “jeg elsker deg” or “jeg er glad i deg”

You say Jeg elsker deg, and in everyday life just as often Jeg er glad i deg. Jeg and deg sound roughly like “yai” and “dai”, and the d in glad is silent (“glah”).

• Jeg elsker deg

  I love you

  Strong and romantic; nearly always to a partner.

• Jeg er glad i deg

  I love you / I’m fond of you

  For partners, family and close friends.

• Jeg er så glad i deg

  I love you so much

• Glad i deg! / Elsker deg!

  Love you!

  Without “jeg er”, typical in texts.

• Jeg er glad i deg også

  I love you too

• Jeg elsker deg også

  I love you too

Jeg elsker deg is intense romantic love and is said at big moments; jeg er glad i deg expresses deep affection and is used every day, including between partners. English uses one phrase, “I love you”, for both, so to Norwegians English speakers can seem to say it very readily.

Watch out for glad on its own: Jeg er glad means “I’m happy”. Only with i does it mean “love / be fond of”: Jeg er glad i deg (I love you), Jeg er glad i pizza (I love pizza). Elske can also be used loosely with things: Jeg elsker sommeren! (“I love summer!”).

“I like you” is Jeg liker deg and “I’m in love with you” is Jeg er forelsket i deg. Note the preposition: in Norwegian you are in love i (“in”) someone, not “with” them.

• Jeg liker deg.

  I like you.

• Jeg liker deg veldig godt.

  I really like you.

• Jeg er forelsket i deg.

  I’m in love with you.

• Jeg har falt for deg.

  I’ve fallen for you.

• Jeg er betatt av deg.

  I’m smitten with you.

The most common are kjære (“dear”), vennen min (“sweetheart”, literally “my friend”) and skatten min (“my treasure”). Many are used in the same way with partners and with children.

• kjære

  dear, darling

  Also to open a letter: “Kjære Ola”.

• kjæresten min

  my boyfriend / my girlfriend

• vennen min

  sweetheart, love

  With partners and with children.

• skatten min

  my treasure, honey

• elskling

  darling

• søtnos

  sweetie, cutie

  Informal and affectionate.

And to talk about your partner: kjæreste (boyfriend/girlfriend), samboer (a partner you live with without being married, very common in Norway), forlovede (fiancé/fiancée), kone (wife) and mann (husband).

The most common are Jeg savner deg (“I miss you”) and Jeg tenker på deg (“I’m thinking of you”). In messages Norwegians often sign off with klem (“hug”), even between friends, much as English speakers add “x”.

• Jeg savner deg.

  I miss you.

• Jeg tenker på deg.

  I’m thinking of you.

• Du er så fin.

  You look lovely.

• Du betyr alt for meg.

  You mean everything to me.

• Gleder meg til å se deg!

  Can’t wait to see you!

• Vil du gå ut med meg?

  Would you like to go out with me?

• Vil du gifte deg med meg?

  Will you marry me?

• God natt, sov godt. Klem!

  Good night, sleep well. Hugs!

To know when to use deg, meg and du, see Norwegian pronouns, and for other polite phrases, how to say thank you in Norwegian.