# I love you feelings without using Love



## Brunwyne

I need to convey to my boyfriend how much I love him, unconditionally without using the actual LOVE word.

He's gone missing, and I want to send a text message that conveys my feelings, and how he is imprinted on my heart,.

I don;t know how to even say what I wnat to say in a text message in the vain hope he is able to receive them, when all other types of communication have failed.

Please help me, say just the right thing in Dutch to him.

I once sang a song "Zolang" to him, I realise its a boy band, and gay and ridiculous but he thought it was sweet that I tried.

Denk ye vel.

Just to clarify, I don't mean he's missing (no one knows where he is), I specifically don't know where he is.  He's been absent for 2.5 weeks, very suddenly, no warning, just absent.  Please help me.

Sorry again, He's Dutch and is in The Netherlands right now, I'm Canadian in Canada right now.  We're apart for this year.


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## HKK

Brunwyne, your story seems a little confused. If your boyfriend has gone missing, it is normal for you to be upset. But even then, we can only help you if you tell us exactly what you want us to translate. Also, why don't you want to use the word 'love'?

David (from TO, Canada)


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## Brunwyne

HI DAvid,

I want to avoid "love" because I haven't had a chance to say this to him in person, or he I.  I don't want to do it over text.  I would like convery that sort of intimate special sentiment.  But I am having trouble thinking of a good English word, adore isn't right, love is not appropriate.  It might be that I'm asking for something that I don't know how to ask for.  

The Greek would be agape. We don;t have a word like that in English.



If you wanted to express a Dutch terms of endearment that was intimate and loving and close, but you didn't want to tell your girlfriend you loved her....is there a specifically special Dutch terms of endearment???


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## deleie

Hi Brunwyne,

for example: 

"ik vind je tof"


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## Lieven

deleie said:


> Hi Brunwyne,
> 
> for example:
> 
> "ik vind je tof"



Sounds a bit off to me. Are you Belgian by any chance? I think in Belgium it's meaning can be much closer to love than it generally is in Dutch Dutch.

I think a good choice would be "Ik ben gek op je" Which translates to "I'm crazy about you"


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## Brunwyne

Hi!

These are good suggestions, I wasn;t able to find a Dutch translation of "tof" that I thought was endearing.

As an update, my Dutch bf re-connected to me on Saturday.

ARe there any colloquial phrases of endearment in Dutch?  In English we might say someone is a sweetpea for example.

I really appreciate these suggestions, please keep em coming as you think of sweet endearing things which you would say, or have had said to you in Dutch (He;s Dutch Dutch from the Netherlands Dutch) 

The first phrase he taught me was
Je bent erg lief.
=)

dank je vel.


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## Lisavk4

Hi,

I wouldn't use the phrase: je bent tof. That's more like: you're cool .
Perhaps: ''Ik geef erg veel om je'' is more usable. It means: ''I care for you a lot'' which has not necessarily to do with love.


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## firefly315

Hoi allemaal,

Ik heb voor 3.5 jaar het Nederlands geleerd.  Ik ben uit Boston, Massachusetts, en ik heb 26 jaar.

Well, I think that since the first Dutch phrase that he taught you was "Je bent erg lief," then maybe that would be a good thing to text to him.
(I'm still trying to figure out how to use the quote function on this forum.)

Veel succes met jouw text!

Groetjes,

Cathleen


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## MIGS

Although I don't know where you are, you still feel close, in my heart.

Ik weet niet waar je bent maar je voelt dichtbij, in mijn hart.

Migs


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## Aramiyyara

In Belgium there's also a frequently used expression "Ik zie je graag", literally it says "I like to see you", it's comparable to the Italian "Ti voglio bene". It means you love somebody, but without using the word "love" or another "serious" love expression.


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## Grytolle

Aramiyyara said:


> In Belgium there's also a frequently used expression "Ik zie je graag", literally it says "I like to see you", it's comparable to the Italian "Ti voglio bene". It means you love somebody, but without using the word "love" or another "serious" love expression.


Doesn't "Ik zie *je graag" mean "I love you"?


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## Aramiyyara

I said that! 



Aramiyyara said:


> It means you love somebody, but without using the word "love" or another "serious" love expression.


 
...and I still agree with myself. It means you love somebody, but not in a very "serious" way. You can say it to all your friends, family,... without any problem. I once had a friend who said this expression to his cat, "Ik zie je graag, Musti".

The expression "Ik heb je graag" has alsmost the same meaning (but can be used sexual as well).


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## Grytolle

Gebruiken mensen om jou heen die uitdrukking heel vaak in een verzwakte betekenis ofzo? Ik ben er echt van overtuigd dat de grondbetekenis van "ik zie u graag" heel sterk is, aangezien "ik hou van u" een vrij recente noordnederlandse leenuitdrukking is. Ik heb mijn vriendin nog eens geplaagd met vragen over "ik zie u graag", en ze zegt dat "ik zie u graag" een heel sterke betekenis heeft, hetgeen zijnde wat zelfs getrouwde mensen aan elkaar zeggen om hun liefde uit te drukken. Dit terwijl "ik hou van u" volgens haar vrij onnatuurlijk klinkt, en "ik hou van je" nog erger.


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## Joannes

Da is.. *Ik zie u graag* is de natuurlijke *ik hou van je* in Vlaanderen, maar dat wilt niet zeggen dat je het niet zou kunnen gebruiken voor andere mensen dan je partner - het zal zoals in elke taal ook wel van spreker tot spreker afhangen..

(En *ik heb u graag* is voor mij écht wel iets anders dan *ik zie u graag* - da's zoals *I like you* vs. *I love you*.)


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## Aramiyyara

Mja.... er is dus veel discussie over. Misschien hangt de betekenis gewoon voor een vrij groot deel samen met de context. Ik heb tot nu toe alleszins nog geen enkele liefdesverklaring mis begrepen.


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## Frank06

*Hoi allemaal

Ik hou niet van déjà vu's. Deze zaken zijn al in verschillende andere threads besproken, bijvoorbeeld hier en hier.

Ik denk dat we Brunwyne ondertussen wel genoeg mogelijkheden hebben aangeboden.

Groetjes,

Frank
Moderator DF*


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