I love you in Dutch (Emotions and feelings)
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Sign up for freeThis chapter will explain you how to express 'gevoelens' (feelings) and 'emoties' (emotions) in Dutch. This chapter consists of some examples of the verb 'houden van' in Dutch, questions you can ask to know how someone is feeling, a list of emotions, and personality traits.
In the Dutch language 'houden van' (to love) and 'leuk vinden' (to like) can be used for both people and objects. However, when you say 'Ik hou van jou.' (I love you.) is different than 'Ik vind je leuk.' (I like you.).
The table below will show example sentences that can be used to express loving and liking someone or something and words related to love.
Expressing loving/liking in Dutch | English |
---|---|
Ik hou van jou. | I love you. |
Jij houdt van appels. | You love apples. |
Ik vind je leuk. | I like you. |
Je vindt voetballen leuk. | You like to play soccer. |
Zij is verliefd op hem. | She is in love with him. |
schat | darling |
lieverd | sweetheart |
liefde | love |
'Houden van' (to love) can be used to express how much you like something, or how much you love someone.
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The table below shows some examples of how to ask how someone is feeling.
Dutch | English |
---|---|
Hoe gaat het? | How are you? |
Hoe voel je je? | How do you feel? (informal) |
Hoe voelt u zich? | How do you feel? (formal) |
Gaat het? | Are you ok? |
Wat is er? | What's wrong? (informal) |
The list below shows you possible answers for the question 'Hoe voel je je?' (How do you feel?). In Dutch the verb 'zijn' (to be) is used when talking about emotions, unless the emotion can be used as a verb. Also the verb 'voelen' (to feel) can be used to answer the question.
Dutch | English |
---|---|
verdrietig | sad |
walgen | disgusted |
boos | angry |
verrast | surprised |
bang | scared |
blij | happy |
blij | joyful |
verliefd | in love |
zich schamen | ashamed |
enthousiast | excited |
gelukkig | happy, content |
bang | afraid |
moe | tired |
uitgeput | exhausted |
chagrijnig | grumpy |
teleurgesteld | disappointed |
zielig | pathetic |
trots | proud |
A Dutch verb always ends in '-en', so 'walgen' and 'zich schamen' are verbs in this list.
When the question 'Wat voor persoon is ...?' (What kind of person is ...?) is asked, the Dutch may use the following words to describe someone's personality traits. The verb 'zijn' (to be) is applied when talking about personality traits.
Dutch | English |
---|---|
rustig | calm |
saai | boring |
serieus | serious |
lui | lazy |
intelligent | intelligent |
mooi / knap | beautiful, handsome |
interessant | interesting |
aardig | nice, kind |
sympathiek | sympathetic, nice |
dom | stupid |
gek | crazy |
verlegen | shy |
vriendelijk | kind, friendly |
grappig | funny |
lief | sweet |
Train your skills by doing the exercises below!