Terms of endearment for Valentine's Day
Er liebt mich (he loves me), er liebt mich nicht (he loves me not.) One can only guess how many millions of petals have been plucked from flowers through the ages in this simple, yet timeless, game of love. The sum, no doubt, is as great as the multitude of expressions of love and romance found in the world’s languages, and German boasts plenty of examples. Let’s start with terms of endearment. There’s Liebling (love), Süsse/r (sweety), Schatz (treasure) or Schätzchen (little treasure) or even Goldschatz (gold treasure) and Herzblatt (heart leaf). Germans are also fond of giving their significant others a pet name such as Mausi or Mäuschen (little mouse), Spatz or Spätzchen (sparrow or little sparrow) and Bärli (little bear). Many English love expressions are also common in German. Liebe macht blind (love makes blind) is what we know as “love is blind,” when you love someone so much that you don’t see their mistakes and weaknesses. The well-known saying Liebe geht durch den Magen (love goes through the stomach) refers to those who can win the affections of others by means of their culinary prowess. If someone has a heart of gold, he or she is described as having ein goldenes Herz, meaning the person is generous, sincere and amicable, whereas the phrase ein gutes Herz haben is used to describe a person who is good-hearted. If you’ve succeeded in stealing someone’s heart, it’s called jemanden das Herz stehlen. But if you’ve broken their heart, you may be referred to as a Herzensbrecher (heartbreaker). The saying es nicht übers Herz bringen (not to bring it over the heart), means someone doesn’t have the heart to do something, while the phrase jemanden von Herzen gern haben (to like someone with all one’s heart) means to love someone dearly. An affection that has stood the test of time or is not forgotten is summed up in the idiom alte Liebe rostet nichts (old love rusts nothing). Many a Liebesbrief (love letter), Liebesgedicht (love poem) and Liebeslied (love song) have been written about the age-old tales of love, both lost and found. When a place, or even a person, offers everything one’s heart desires, it’s the same as saying alles, was das Herz begehrt in German. Don’t confuse this with das Herz auf dem rechten Fleck haben (to have the heart on the right spot.) This means to have one’s heart in the right place. The expression ein Herz und eine Seele sein (to be a heart and a soul) describes those individuals who are the best of friends. One who is joyous about something — a new boyfriend or girlfriend, perhaps — is jemandem lachts das Herz im Leibe (someone whose heart laughs in their belly). But when a person feels strongly emotional about someone or something, Mir schlug das Herz bis zum Hals (my heart beat in my throat) is used. It is romantic to think that a couple could live from air and love — von Luft und Liebe leben — alone, but this saying is actually used to refer to a person or persons who don’t eat very much. And finally, when you love someone aus tiefstem Herzen (from deepest in the heart), it means with all your heart. So, if you have a special someone this Valentine’s Day, you’ll want to be sure to tell him or her, mein Herz gehört dir — my heart belongs to you. <<<