# Valentine's Day



## curiousmatilda

Hello! I'm wondering how I might say Happy Valentine's Day to someone in Dutch? Also wondering...is there any other expression appropriate to the day such as perhaps "I'm thinking of you" or something along those lines? Thank you!!


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## gingerlilly

Hi,

Actually Dutch don't really say "Happy Valentine's Day". There is an expression - "Fijne Valentijn", which would be the Dutch version. However, I don't think it's very usual to say it, I just consulted with 3 of my Dutch colleagues about this and they all had difficulties answering me  Dutch are very English-orientated so saying Happy Valentine's Day in English would sound much more natural than the Dutch version. (You even see that the most Valentine cards they sell over here contain the English text). You could always add something further in Dutch, like "Ik hou van jou" (I love you) or "Ik denk aan jou" (I'm thinking of you) which are pretty standard. If you have something more specific in mind, just ask away, I would be happy to help you out with a more personal message. 

Lilly,


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## curiousmatilda

Lilly, thank you for your reply! Very interesting...So here is my trouble. There is a new man in my life who is a Belgian Dutch-speaking person whom I want to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to...would I really be better off saying so in English? "I love you" would be a bit much, "I'm thinking of you" would work...but is there any other romantic yet not too strong an expression that you might recommend? Thank you for the advice! And if there are any Belgian Dutch people out there...please let me know what you think! Gratefully yours.


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## Salmantina

Hi. 

So what´s the deal really? Does he already know how you feel about him?
If he does, you can say what has been mentioned before. If he doesn´t, you could say: Ik moet je wat vertellen (I have to tell you something): ik vind je erg leuk (I like you very much). Voel jij hetzelfde voor mij?(Do you feel the same way about me).

To all the Belgians out there: I´ve heard in several Belgian series the phrase "Ik zie u/je graag" (literally: I like seeing you). Is it just the Belgian  way (understatement) to express the idea I like/ love you? If it is, it could be applied here.

Greetings


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## curiousmatilda

Thank you for your response! So the deal is...we have exchanged a series of thoughtful, sweet messages over a long distance but I don't want to come on too strong. 

I really like your suggestion of "Ik zie u/je graag"...for a man, would I say u or je? And do you think it would be appropriate? I don't want to freak him out...

Alternately...what is the translation of "look forward to seeing you soon"?

Very best wishes...


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## Salmantina

curiousmatilda said:


> Thank you for your response! So the deal is...we have exchanged a series of thoughtful, sweet messages over a long distance but I don't want to come on too strong as we have not known eachother very long...
> 
> I really like your suggestion of "Ik zie u/je graag"...for a man, would I say u or je? And do you think it would be appropriate? I don't want to freak him out...
> 
> Alternately...what is the translation of "look forward to seeing you soon"?
> 
> Very best wishes...


 
I'd say 'je', but I've send an e-mail with this thread in it to a member whom I know to be Belgian. I think he could answer it better than I could. 

To answer your second question, I'd say "Ik verheug me erop je snel te zien" (in case you have a set date to meet him) or "Ik hoop je snel weer te zien" (in case you hope you will see him soon).

Regards and good luck


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## Joannes

*Ik zie je graag* is quite the same as saying *ik hou van jou* ('I love you') in Belgian Dutch. The occurence of *u* in *ik zie u graag* is just the objective form of *gij* (Belgian Dutch 'you'), so it's not too formal. You're always safe with *je* though, certainly in writing.

And if he gets freaked out by you saying "ik zie je graag", you can always add "van de trap vallen" ('I like to see you ... fall off the stairs').


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## Salmantina

Joannes said:


> *Ik zie je graag* is quite the same as saying *ik hou van jou* ('I love you') in Belgian Dutch. The occurence of *u* in *ik zie u graag* is just the objective form of *gij* (Belgian Dutch 'you'), so it's not too formal. You're always safe with *je* though, certainly in writing.
> 
> And if he gets freaked out by you saying "ik zie je graag", you can always add "van de trap vallen" ('I like to see you ... fall off the stairs').


 
This is interesting. We (I´m from North Brabant, the Netherlands) use the ´gij´too. And I like the solution on the "getting freaked out"-part. Nice to know I wasn´t that far off after all. Hope all this has helped


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