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What is "I love you" in ancient Greek?

Asked by Anonymous Oct 03, 2026 10 views 1 answers
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Answered Oct 06, 2026
In ancient Greek, I love you can be expressed in several different ways depending on what type of love you mean, because ancient Greek had multiple distinct words for love, unlike English which uses one word. The most common and direct translation for romantic love is Philo se, written in Greek as φιλῶ σε, which means I love you in the sense of deep affection or friendship love, from philia. For more passionate, romantic, or erotic love, the verb eran was used. S' agapo in modern Greek comes from agapao. In ancient Greek, Agapo se, written ἀγαπῶ σε, means I love you with unconditional, selfless, or divine love, from agape, which was the highest form of love in Christian texts. Eros was romantic and sexual love, so Erō sou, ἐρῶ σου, could mean I desire you or I love you erotically. If you wanted to say I love you to a friend, you would use Philo se. If you wanted to express deep, sacrificial love, you would use Agapo se. The pronunciation in ancient Attic Greek was different from modern Greek. Philo se would be pronounced phee-LOH seh, and Agapo se as ah-gah-POH seh. In the New Testament, which was written in Koine Greek, agape is the most used word for love. So there is no single translation, you choose based on the type of love you intend to express.
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