lieb haben

• liebhaben

From lieb +‎ haben, thus literally “to have [someone] dear”. Compare Dutch liefhebben, Afrikaans liefhê.

• IPA^(key): /ˈliːpˌhaːbən/, [ˈliːpˌhaːbm̩]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lieb ha‧ben

lieb haben (irregular, third-person singular present hat lieb, past tense hatte lieb, past participle lieb gehabt, past subjunctive hätte lieb, auxiliary haben)

1. (somewhat informal) to love

   Synonym: lieben

   Ich hab dich lieb.

   I love you.

• The verb lieben (“to love”) does not exist in many traditional German dialects and may retain a slightly solemn sound in the contemporary language. Therefore, lieb haben is the most normal and “down-to-earth” way of expressing love in German, particularly among friends and family, but usually also between lovers.
• It is difficult to conceptualize the different sentimental values of both verbs. In some contexts, lieb haben may imply a weaker kind of love than lieben, whereas in others it may sound particularly affectionate. For instance, a formal declaration of love (“saying the L-word”) calls for the verb lieben, but a kiss good night will be accompanied by „Hab dich lieb!“.

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

• “lieb haben” in Duden online
• “lieb haben” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache