"I love you" or "I'm in love with you." What's the difference?

[AviatorTom]

We can tell someone "I love you" or we can say "I'm in love with you."

Is there a difference? If so, what, and why say one instead of the other?

[Haha456]

I'm in love with you = I'm very entertained and happy in your presence. You make me laugh and give me a great time. This is why I miss you so much when I haven't seen you. My life feels boring, lackluster and has no purpose without you making me laugh.

I love you= I will wake up at 5 am in the morning to make you breakfast before you go to work because I care so much about you. I want to make sure you get a great breakfast because you deserve it. OR if someone wanted to shoot you, I would jump right in front of you to protect you. Your happiness matters more than mine.

You can definitely love someone without being "in love" with them.

You can also be "in love" without loving them.

[Jouth]

do you love me?

[ArtieWhitefox]

@Jouth I love all. Nothing offends me. Peace is in me. I will therefore keep God's laws. I call all to love all. Do not be equally yoked with people who act like they believe even as you beleive. Islamic people act one way secretly being another. Be careful.

[Jouth]

@ArtieWhitefox PoopButt

[Haha456]

@ArtieWhitefox

there's nothing good about islamic people. take a look at their women's ridiculous dress code. take a look at how they love violence and killing people. Stoning is a part of their culture. Including killing, selling and mistreating women.

how can anyone respect that sort of shit?

take a look at how no countries in the world wants to respect afghanistan as a country due to its immoral human rights violations.

[YollyM]

Personally "I love you" shows a more platonic kind of love,
Whereas "I'm in love with you" shows Eros love (sensual & passionate).

You may love your friends but you can only be in love with your partner.. at least the way I understand it

[PJH359]

Loving someone encompasses a much larger spectrum regarding its use. We can live our spouses, partners, parents, children. It’s easy to love someone for the most part. It seems as if it’s the next emotion that follows “liking a lot”.
In love is much different and much more specific. It is a state of being that nearly everyone hopes to have the good fortune of stumbling upon. Being in love is to love but adds the elements of intimacy, desire, a craving need to be close to this person and strong commitment. I love many people in my life…but I’ve only been in love a few times.

[OlderAndWiser]

It only makes a "dfference" when somone is trying to back out of a relationship, and then they say "I do LOVE you. . . I never lied when I said that, but that doesn't mean that I am IN love with you. I love you like a friend but I just don't feel that romantic connection."

[exitseven]

@OlderAndWiser That makes sense.

[Pinay_ako]

I love you is more of an action than a feeling… I am in love with you is more of a feeling towards that person.

[ArtieWhitefox]

Jesus loves us. He risked all to save us showing us what the Unseen Father is really like. Jesus did not use infinite power to destroy us. Jesus is perfect. We are fallen. People destroy people not having power to raise the dead. There is no love in a person who kills taking pleasure in it. Jesus is love. That love through us is real love. They that lay their life down for a stranger to save them will show love that is greater than any love that can ever be shown. They will not lose their reward.

[AmandaYVR]

"In love" is always romantic, and more intense.

"I love you" can apply to many scenarios and types of relationships.

[CrazyGirl2]

The difference is all in the context! Semantically, there is no palpable difference in normal common parlance, but definitionally the difference is HUGE! While it’s perfectly okay to love your dog, it’s illegal to be IN love with your dog! You love your father, and you love your husband, but you are definitely not IN love with your father, yet you ARE in love with your husband… Well, my god, at least I hope you’re not in love w/ your father!
Being In-love, is associated with romantic love. Where as just loving someone, has no romantic overtone! HOWEVER when you are dating someone long enough, and you know you absolutely LOVE him… you may say “I love you”, but contextually, you mean that you are IN-live with them

[ZS007]

I love this answer. are you studying Linguistics?😮

[CrazyGirl2]

@ZS007 Wow, thank you very much! 🙏🏼 as for my major, No, I’m studying clinical psychology! But I suppose regardless of what one takes at a quality university, vocabulary is bound to improve… quite substantially!

[ZS007]

oh that wow that's also interesting. I'm studying English Studies but I'm not really at a level where I can explain semantic differences. My uni doesn't go that deep into its courses. There is the master for that. What do you do in clinical psychology. I had an elective on psychology of happiness. The human mind really is complicated.

[CrazyGirl2]

@ZS007 I’m not IN clinical psychology, I’m in college studying to become a clinical psychologist.

[ZS007]

I meant your in your lessons 🤣 if it's fun and all...

[CrazyGirl2]

@ZS007 Well other than my intro to human sexuality class, my psychology classes are still at the mostly academic stage, I'm not even close to any clinical practice type classes. So we learn about Freud, Jung, Erickson, Skinner, Maslow etc.. We’ve touched on very basic abnormal psych, like Atypical Paraphilia’s, but nothing TOO in-depth. I’m just starting my sophomore year, I’m only 19.

[ZS007]

That still sounds nice. Hope you'll have a productive year 😁

[CrazyGirl2]

@ZS007 Thanks! I appreciate that! 😘

[Emiliamazing]

If you say I love you, it can generally mean anybody within your family or your significant other or close friends. “I am in love”with you for me points towards a romantic relationship in it’s early stages, you have moved from being romantically interested in someone to falling in love with them

[Blackcosmo]

"I love you" is usually non romantic and it's said to family and friends or just an expression of being fond of someone or something.

To be "in love" is romantic and it's more like a passionate version. This is directed towards a romantic interest.

[DizzyDesii]

I can love anyone easily and usually within a month or three. I’m not in love until 3-6 months. When im in love, I dont function right and do stupid shit to please the person. Being in love is almost like being willing to die for someone but not quite. I’d have to love unconditionally to die for a mf and I ain't dyin for anyone outside of offspring. Fck dese folks

[Chazmatazz269]

I’ve never said, “I’m in love with you.”
It’s kind of redundant. “I love you.” says everything you need to say to someone you are in love with. It can be unrequited. “In love with,” suggests a mutual connection. You might say to a third party, “I’m in love with ‘her’,” which would suggest the same as, “We are in love.”
But i’m a word nerd and i doubt my thoughts on this are shared at all, let alone widely shared. Ell oh ell!

[dustybiker]

I would say to love someone is to learn to love them on some level.

To be in love is the true and elaborate kind that one has no control over, spikes the heartbeat, agony at thought of it’s loss.. makes you blind to imperfections.

[Autember]

I love you is reserved for friends and family. Saying it to my SO can also more casual. Inflection matters.

I guess saying you are IN love with someone just means you're being extra serious about your feelings haha

[Anonymous]

It depends.. sometimes I say “I love you” to anyone who gives me what I want; it means nothing, and if I was in love, “I love you” means just that.

“I’m in love with you” is not something I would use freely. I don’t even like hugs from people..

[Opinion Owner]

I’d have to feel as if the other person was my soul mate if ever I said that.

[Opinion Owner]

Platonic love, romance love, then there’s head over heels, can’t live my life without you live. Xx

[MelvinGeek]

"I'm in love with you" sounds fleeting and temporary.

"I love you" sounds more constant.

[petitedollbabee]

“I love you” is the general love that I feel towards family and friends. “I’m in love with you” is exclusively for a romantic interest, like a partner.

[MCheetah]

I Love You is referring to the person. I'm In Love is referring to the feelings or temporary affliction of romance and not the actual person, thus, isn't genuine.

[IveGotNoName]

You can love family and friends aswell as a partner. Love can be platonic/non-romantic and isn't necessarily connected with any kind of passion. However, you can't be platonically in love. To be in love means that there is passion.

[PoppyBug92]

If it’s in a dating relationship, generally, I assume it’s the same. I feel like “I love you” is the earlier part of being “in love.”
Otherwise, love is a strong feeling of care and “in love” is a stronger love with the romantic aspect included.

[Yomamakshsis]

You can say “I love you” to any friend or family member you want, but when you tell someone “I’m in love with you” it means you truly love them, as more than a friend.

[BlueScorpio]

When you're in a romantic relationship, they can both mean the same even you don't include the "in".

[ArtieWhitefox]

Does I love you or I am in love even exist, when a condemning legal system exists? A person says I love you and then finds out that the person is associated with a spesific name. That person goes from a friendly environment to an unfriendly environment in a blink of an eye. Love was not shown in the first place. The church taught people to be like the adversary who loves with dissimulation. People are loving a thing that cannot love them back. It is money and cloth.

[faithgrace4u]

I love you could be friend love or sibling love but i'm in love with you is romanticlly

[Dawty]

It is the difference between infatuation and actual love.

[Jouth]

not there's not. It's the same thing, Dawty

[Dawty]

@Jouth Linguistics tells you otherwise of course the person may be ignorant, but Linguistically that's the difference.