Choose the phrase for both people
To say “I love you” in Hebrew, choose ohev or ohevet for the speaker, then otakh or otkha for the person being addressed.
| Speaker → listener | Hebrew | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| Man → woman | אני אוהב אוֹתָךְ | Ani ohev otakh |
| Man → man | אני אוהב אוֹתְךָ | Ani ohev otkha |
| Woman → man | אני אוהבת אוֹתְךָ | Ani ohevet otkha |
| Woman → woman | אני אוהבת אוֹתָךְ | Ani ohevet otakh |
These are singular forms, addressed to one person. The table spells out each combination so you can copy a complete sentence without interpreting slashes such as ohev/et.
Which part changes, and why?
Ani means “I” in all four sentences. The speaker uses the masculine ohev or feminine ohevet for “love.”
The final word means “you” as the object: otkha addresses a man, and otakh addresses a woman. Choosing ohevet because you are speaking to a woman mixes up the two decisions. First select the speaker’s form, then the listener’s.
Why אותך can have two pronunciations
Without vowel marks, both listener forms are written אותך. An ordinary message can therefore read אני אוהב אותך or אני אוהבת אותך, with the listener’s form understood from context.
The table and cards add vowel marks to that word to make the reading explicit: אוֹתְךָ is otkha; אוֹתָךְ is otakh. The marks help a learner distinguish forms that otherwise look identical.
Hebrew runs from right to left. Copy the phrase in its normal order; do not reverse the letters to make it resemble the left-to-right romanization.
Reading the romanization
Notice the order of the last sounds: ot-kha versus ot-akh. They are different forms, not interchangeable spellings. Use the matching audio card to practise the complete sentence.
You may encounter otcha and otach in other learning materials. Transliteration conventions vary; compare the intended listener and the Hebrew text instead of assuming a different Latin spelling means a different declaration.
Is ahava the same as I love you?
אהבה — ahava is the noun “love.” It does not include “I” or “you.” For a direct message to someone, use the full sentence from the table.