Yes, yes, we are also obsessed with Heated Rivalry and trying to figure out how to correctly say I love you in Russian.

“Я тебя люблю, я тебя люблю. I love you” (I love you, I love you), we are ready to rewatch this Heated Rivalry scene on repeat. Some fans of the show are already getting tattoos with this phrase. Others are taking their time and first want to understand how you are actually supposed to confess love in Russian.

So which one is correct: “Я тебя люблю” or “Я люблю тебя”?

Russian has a direct word order, where words follow a fixed structure: subject first, then verb, modifiers before the modified word. This is the neutral option. At the same time, Russian very often uses indirect word order. It can sound neutral, or it can be used to shift emphasis and strengthen meaning.

In Ilya’s monologue, there are many examples of indirect word order.

Я здесь всё ненавижу.
Direct order: Я ненавижу здесь всё.
I hate everything here. And everyone hates me.
The emphasis is on here, “здесь” (here, at home, in Russia).

Я за всё плачу.
Direct order: Я плачу за всё.
I pay for everything.
The emphasis is on “всё” (for everything), on how much responsibility is on him.

So, from Russian grammar’s perspective, both “Я тебя люблю” and “Я люблю тебя” are correct.

What is the difference in meaning between “Я тебя люблю” and “Я люблю тебя”?

In this case, the direct, neutral word order is “Я люблю тебя” (I love you). Putting “тебя” first technically shifts emphasis to the object of love. But in this specific context, for a Russian ear, both options sound essentially equal.

If we return to the monologue, there is this fragment: “Это значит, что теперь у меня никого нет. Ну… ну не совсем никого, у меня есть Светлана. Она меня любит. И я её люблю”.
(This means that now I have no one. Well… not exactly no one, I have Svetlana. She loves me. And I love her.)

Although it would not be a mistake to write “Она любит меня. И я люблю её” (She loves me. And I love her), the emphasis in these sentences is clearly on “меня” and “её” (me and her), not on love itself.

So, in Russian, you can confess your love using either “Я тебя люблю” or “Я люблю тебя”.

What do native speakers say more often?

Classic literature uses all possible variants.

Anton Chekhov, in a letter to Olga Knipper, writes, «Чувствуешь ли ты, собака, что я тебя люблю?»
(Do you feel, the dog, that I love you?)

The renowned poet Igor Severyanin writes: “Я люблю тебя, люблю тебя, люблю я!”
(I love you, love you, love do I.)

An equally famous, or even more famous, poet, Mayakovsky, in his letters to Lili Brik, mostly writes “Люблю тебя” (Love you). And yes, in Russian, you can omit the pronoun.

Modern poets and musicians have not settled on one option either. Noize MC sings “Помни, я тебя люблю” (Remember, I love you). The singer Zemfira sings “Я так люблю тебя, мальчик” (I love you so much, boy).

If you look at love confessions written on asphalt in Russia, a surprisingly popular genre, you will also find both variants.

Conclusion: in Russian, you can confess your love using either “Я тебя люблю” or “Я люблю тебя”.

What to Watch if You Loved Heated Rivalry