Let’s face it, nobody thinks that German is a romantic language. I’m sure you’ve seen the cartoons and videos showing the phrase “I love you” in different languages, which suggests that everything sounds angry in German. It goes something like this:

English: I love you
French: Je t’aime
Italian: Ti amo
Spanish: Te quiero
German: ICH LIEBE DICH!!!!!

You have to have a sense of humour with this, so I’ll take it one step further. If we’re talking about German sounding ‘angry’, then I personally think it sounds even harsher with Bavarian in place of the German:

English: I love you
French: Je t’aime
Italian: Ti amo
Spanish: Te quiero
Bavarian: I LIAB DI!!!! (It’s pronounced as it is written, but with the ‘I’ sound pronounced ‘ee’)

As much as I love the language, Bavarian does not sound romantic. But that doesn’t matter – they have some of the loveliest phrases, words and nicknames for the people they love! So should you happen to fall in love with a Bavarian, I thought I’d sort you out with some vocabulary and phrases to woo them with (or, if a Bavarian should fall in love with you, then here are some phrases they might say to you!).

Without further ado, here are my Bavarian terms of endearment, with the Bavarian first, followed by the Hochdeutsch (standard German), followed by the English. Enjoy.

D’Liab – Die Liebe – Love

A Bussi/A Bussl – Ein Kuss – A kiss

Kammafensddaln – ‘ein Mädchen durchs Fenster besuchen’ – to visit a woman by climbing through her bedroom window.

Mei Oide – meine Frau (‚meine Alte‘) – My wife (Literally ‚my old woman ‘)

Mei Oida – mein Mann (‚mein Alter‘) – My husband (Literally ‚my old man’)

Schatzi – Schatz – There is no direct translation of this word. A Schatzi (Schatz in Hochdeutsch) is someone you love very much. The word comes from the German verb schätzen, which means to appreciate, value, or treasure something. I suppose you could translate it as ‘my treasure’, if anyone says that anymore…?

I hab di liab – Ich habe dich lieb – I care a lot about you

I gib di fei nimma her – Ich gebe dich nicht mehr her – I will never let you go

Bei dir hob I Schmetterlinge im Bauch – Bei dir habe ich Schmetterlinge im Bauch – I get butterflies in my stomach when I’m with you

Sie hat Hoiz vo da Hüttn! – Sie hat Holz vor der Hütte! – This literally translates to “She has wood in front of the hut“. In other words: She has big boobs.

I mog di – Ich mag dich – I like you

I mog di narrisch gern – Ich mag dich narrisch gern – I am crazy about you

I liab di – Ich liebe dich – I love you

ANIMAL NAMES AS TERMS OF ENDEARMENT

Bavarians often call each other animal-like names to express their love. Here are a handful of them:

Mausi – Maus – An affectionate name a guy gives a girl, similar to ‘sweetheart’ or ‘baby’. Literally means ‘mouse’, but has nothing to do with being mousy!

Spatz/Spatzerl/Spatzl/Spatzi – A Spatz is a sparrow. Like Mausi, Spatzerl (there are different spelling variations) is another way of saying ‘sweetheart’ or ‘baby’.
Spatzerl bleib wiast bist – Spatzerl, bleib wie du bist – Baby, stay as you are.

Hasi – Hase – Rabbit. Calling someone Hasi is similar to calling them a bunny. This word is often used with children.

Bärli – Bär – Bear. Affectionate term for a man.

One place you will see Bavarian expressions of love is on the Lebkuchen Herze (gingerbread hearts) in München. They look something like this:

Perhaps now, when you see one, you’ll be able to tell what it says on it!

Now, please feel free to leave me some of your own Bavarian love notes in the comments. 😉

Bussl! x