Mahal Kita: is there something more personal?

[OddVisions]

I know Mahal Kita means I love you. It's a beautiful phrase. However, is there something a little more personal than this to say to someone like a spouse? I like using 'mahal kita' but it often feels like it's used in every instance, both for family and close friends.

[calebmelvern]

I can't think of anything else, to be honest. "Iniibig kita" comes to mind, but this is rarely used nowadays as it sounds too formal.

[zabina12]

There are several ways/words in Tagalog or Filipino with the same meaning.

These include Iniibig kita, Iniirog kita and Sinisinta kita. You might want to try the other dialects as well.

[OddVisions]

Thank you both for the help. I will try to use these properly in a sentence as soon as I can. There is someone teaching me the little bit of Tagalog he knows but he doesn't know as much as others would and all he could teach me in this regard was 'mahal kita'.

[calebmelvern]

Thank you both for the help. I will try to use these properly in a sentence as soon as I can. There is someone teaching me the little bit of Tagalog he knows but he doesn't know as much as others would and all he could teach me in this regard was 'mahal kita'.

Mahal kita is almost always used in nearly all situations. So you really can't go wrong with that. The alternatives mentioned here are very rarely used.

[g2narat]

Mahal kita is almost always used in nearly all situations. So you really can't go wrong with that. The alternatives mentioned here are very rarely used.

I agree that "Mahal Kita" is the most commonly used. Used properly though, "Iniibig kita" can still sound romantic instead of stiff and outdated. I guess it would also depend on the context. Plus if Tagalog isn't your primary language, hearing "Iniibig kita" instead of "Mahal kita" will definitely earn you some points towards whoever you're saying it to. 

[Verba]

I know Mahal Kita means I love you. It's a beautiful phrase. However, is there something a little more personal than this to say to someone like a spouse? I like using 'mahal kita' but it often feels like it's used in every instance, both for family and close friends.

I have a friend who's married to an American. One time, on Facebook, her husband commented this on her status: "Mahal kita, asawa ko." A lot of us instantly liked it. :-) It means, "I love you, my wife."

So maybe you can use some Filipino words that can add a more personal touch to the words, "mahal kita."

[OddVisions]

I have a friend who's married to an American. One time, on Facebook, her husband commented this on her status: "Mahal kita, asawa ko." A lot of us instantly liked it. :-) It means, "I love you, my wife."

So maybe you can use some Filipino words that can add a more personal touch to the words, "mahal kita."

[Verba]

On 30.11.2014 at 0:38 AM, OddVisions said:

I have a friend who's married to an American. One time, on Facebook, her husband commented this on her status: "Mahal kita, asawa ko." A lot of us instantly liked it. :-) It means, "I love you, my wife."

So maybe you can use some Filipino words that can add a more personal touch to the words, "mahal kita."

Mahal Kita

Mahal kita asawa ko? That sounds like a beautiful thing to tell his wife! I don't know what it is but I like it when someone shares words like that in their native language with the people their close to. It's just another thing that makes language beautiful.

[lindbergh]

You could always use "mahal na mahal kita"  for more emphasis. I have never used iniibig kita (though I always hear it used in Tagalog songs). Iniirog kita is just so jurassic. Haha! But that's one deep Tagalog term. For some cheesy stuff, you could also use nahulog ang puso ko sayo or nabihag mo ang puso ko.

[OddVisions]

You could always use "mahal na mahal kita"  for more emphasis. I have never used iniibig kita (though I always hear it used in Tagalog songs). Iniirog kita is just so jurassic. Haha! But that's one deep Tagalog term. For some cheesy stuff, you could also use nahulog ang puso ko sayo or nabihag mo ang puso ko.

I will try the first one. The guy I want to say it to doesn't speak it as a first language and learns it from his grandparents. So he doesn't know some of the terms as well. However, he knows far more than I do. He often says not to bother learning but then he'll go on to say such sweet things to me in tagolog and I want to be able to recuperate in reply.

[kurdapia]

If you are talking to a true blue pinoy I think it would be better if you try to be casual about it. Use terms that they use every day like gusto or bet instead of the formal ones. Say gusto kita or bet kita. I think they would appreciate it more if you did not have to use textbook terms.

[aira]

"Mahal kita" is usually the common way of expressing love between lovers, and between married couples. This is both used in songs and in prose. I agree with the others suggesting "Iniibig kita," or "Sinisinta kita," but these aren't used on a daily basis. The two latter expressions are mostly used in literature or ballads.

So, if you say "Mahal kita" to a very beloved person, it's okay. It's still personal. The most important thing that comes with it is your feelings towards the other person.

[zurcminister]

There are several ways/words in Tagalog or Filipino with the same meaning.

These include Iniibig kita, Iniirog kita and Sinisinta kita. You might want to try the other dialects as well.

Yes for instance in Visayan you may say it as "Gihigugma tika." In Ilonggo, "Ginahigugma taka" and of course you can always say it in Tagalog as "Minamahal Kita o Iniibig Kita." Then you can sing Original Pilipino Music that tells mostly about love and how to love the Filipino way, it is so romantic indeed. Some songs that you can perhaps consider are, "Ngayon at Kilanman," Mahal Kita, Walang Iba," "Dadalhin" and a whole lot more. What do you think guys? There are a million ways to say I Love You and saying it in Tagalog is just one way to do it. So let us be creative shall we?

[esennyhc]

I find that "Mahal kita" is already a very personal way of expressing love! Sir Jim Paredes was discussing this phrase with us a few few weeks back, and he mentioned that what makes it so deep and personal is how the 'I' and the 'you' aren't separated like they are in "I love you." 'Kita' is slightly possessive, and already uses both 'I' and 'you' in the sense that the word can be understood to mean "you are mine." So when you say "Mahal kita," it's less of an "I love you" and more of a "You are my love," which I think is so much more sweet and romantic.

[blikkael]

I find that "Mahal kita" is already a very personal way of expressing love! Sir Jim Paredes was discussing this phrase with us a few few weeks back, and he mentioned that what makes it so deep and personal is how the 'I' and the 'you' aren't separated like they are in "I love you." 'Kita' is slightly possessive, and already uses both 'I' and 'you' in the sense that the word can be understood to mean "you are mine." So when you say "Mahal kita," it's less of an "I love you" and more of a "You are my love," which I think is so much more sweet and romantic.

Wow, very well put. I like how he emphasized those things. Indeed, I agree with you. That makes it more sweet and romantic, yet very personal. For me, it's already personal when you say mahal kita because of the idea that comes with it, the idea of possession of that someone. Maybe to make it more personal is say it to the one you love along with your pet-names. Like the one mentioned above, 'mahal kita, asawa ko.' Also, maybe add some personal sweet touches in its superlative form like, 'mahal kita pinakamamahal kong asawa.'

Edited October 21, 2015 by blikkael

[foolsgold]

Mahal kita is straightforward and really brings home the emotions you want to convey. It's the main reason why there aren't a lot of alternatives (the ones mentioned above are too formal). What I can suggest is instead of saying I love you, say why you love that person or mention a specific thing. So instead of "Mahal kita", you can say that you appreciate this person's X (Sobrang pinapahalagahan ko ang X or lubos akong natutuwa or Talagang na-aappreciate ko kapag..")

[innovativecat]

On 19/11/2014, 9:30:56, zabina12 said:

There are several ways/words in Tagalog or Filipino with the same meaning.

These include Iniibig kita, Iniirog kita and Sinisinta kita. You might want to try the other dialects as well.

But it's weird to say it in a conversation. Usually we just say, mahal kita or I love you. I guess it will turned off a lot of girls if a suitor will say it to them because it sounds "Old fashioned" or makaluma.

[takibari]

I'm late in the game here, but I'm just going to add in one little point. The Filipino language in most cases doesn't have something similar to what Koreans or Japanese have. That is, we basically use the same phrase/expression regardless of whether the phrase is directed to a friend, lover, family member.

[BWL]

Sinisinta kita sounds very poetic to me, like something a hero in a romantic novel would write on a piece of paper and tie to the leg of a homing pigeon and then send it flying his beloved's house  

Incidentally "sinta" (the root of "sinisinta") is cognate with Malay and Indonesian "cinta". We use the word "cinta" in a rather poetic way too, I don't think it's a coincidence.

[linguaholic]

[linguaholic]

Who knows the song Mahal Kita by Renz Verano? In case you you don't, check it out: