# How do you say "I Love You" in Elvish?



## Mirkwood (May 26, 2002)

I'm just wondering. I really want to know badly!


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## tasar (May 27, 2002)

I think in quenya, 'I love you' could be 'ni méla tye, _insert name here_'
or perhaps 'melinyet' (I'm not sure about that one)


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## Lantarion (May 27, 2002)

Seeing as the ('word') suffix for 'I' is _-nye_, think your second is more correct. I don't know the verb for 'to love', but if it is _mel-_ then wouldn't I love be _melnye_? 
CIAN?!?!?!


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## Arwen_evenstar (May 27, 2002)

try this site, it is an elvich dictonary. I couldn't find it, but maybe you could!!!!


http://hem.passagen.se/benninge/quenya-english.html


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## Cian (May 27, 2002)

Hullo! There are several theoried ways to say "I love you" in Quenya, but for "answer" I usually point to a JRRT example as found in The Lost Road (the LR text being considered somewhat 'early').



> " ... they smote Elendil's heart._ A yonya inye tye-méla:_ and I too, my son, I love thee,' he said, ..." JRRT The Lost Road



This includes the (believed to be) emphatic independent pronoun _inyë._ 

Using a pronoun suffix is very likely OK too, as seen in expert David Salo's "update" of another _Lost Road_ example: _Atarinya tye-meláne_ "my father, I love thee" --> David's update: _mélan_ or longer form _mélanyë_ for "I love". Cheers


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## Persephone (Jun 3, 2002)

Queenya I find a bit intimidating, but beautiful. I however study Sindarin and Adunaic.

In Sindarin I is _*Ni*_

Love is _*Meleth*_

and You is _*le*_

So it can be said *Ni meleth le* which is constructed using the english sentence construction or _*Le ni meleth*_ which is as far as I can see is the way Sindarin is usually constructed.

To say that properly in Sindarin, to someone I want to say it to in the forum but don't have th courage to say so I will say it in Sindarin and hope he doesn't find out is

*Ni Meleth le, Belethcristion! *


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## Cian (Jun 3, 2002)

For the saying in Sindarin, expert David Salo once suggested:

***
_Melon le_ (more reverential)

or *very hypothetically (and less reverential)

_Melon ce_
***

_Meleth_ is the noun for "love"; compare the difference between Quenya Mélan "I love" as a verbal expression with pronoun, and noun _melmë_ "love".

Also note David's use of independent pronoun _im_ in the film dialog: _Im Arwen_ "I [am] Arwen."


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## Persephone (Jun 4, 2002)

Well, with the fact there is no easy-access university here that teaches Sindarin nor Queenya, I cannot agree nor disagree with your post. However, to the term in the film Im I think that was supposed to denote to say I am, however in Sindarin grammar, I is usually translatted as Ni which is also translatted as My, Nin is me. Meleth is the noun for Love. Melon is an adverb I think.


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## tasar (Jun 4, 2002)

this _im_ reminds me of the Russian _ja_ which can mean both _I_ and _I am_


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## Cian (Jun 4, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Narya _
> However, to the term in the film Im I think that was supposed to denote to say I am, however in Sindarin grammar, I is usually translatted as Ni which is also translatted as My, Nin is me. Meleth is the noun for Love. Melon is an adverb I think.



Note Tolkien's: _Im Narvi ..._ "I, Narvi made them". As far as David's _Im Arwen_ and the verb to be [am], I note expert Helge Fauskangers statement to nominal sentences:




> "While no relevant example has so far turned up in the tiny published _Sindarin_ corpus, it should be noted that such constructions are indeed attested in the conceptual ancestors of Sindarin. Cf. the Gnomish sentence _weg i muint_ "man [is] the best thing" in Parma 13 (p. 124). There are later examples as well.
> 
> So when David has Liv Tyler saying _im Arwen_ "I [am] Arwen" and _rochon ellint im_ "the fastest rider I [am]", I think this is quite plausible, not some kind of desperate solution with no support whatsoever in Tolkien's own material.
> 
> I also use nominal sentences in my little sketch of the possible beginnings of a Sindarin tutorial." HF Fauskanger



All based on info to date, of course. A Quenya example _ni mixa_ "I [am] wet".

Anyway, that _meleth_ is a noun is why I mentioned it. As I say, note the Quenya for comparison -- to write "I love you" we do not see the experts choosing the noun _melmë_ to work with, rather the verb for a verbal expression ~ I have seen the sentence (by Quenyaist Ales Bican) denoting " ... fell _in_ love" using the noun, but that of course is not the same expression. 

¤


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## Lantarion (Jun 4, 2002)

That's pretty ironic actually: in Chinese _Ni_ means 'you'!


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## Persephone (Jun 5, 2002)

Boy Cian, you really seriously studied their construction. I'm impressed.

But you still haven't answered the question, with all that information I suppose you have a definite answer to the inquiry stated. What is I love you in Elvish (Both sindarin and queenya)? I am, more so now, curious and eager to learn it. Since what I thought was the right sentence turns out to be wrong.


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## tasar (Jun 5, 2002)

Narya - stop spelling quenya with two _e_-s


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## Cian (Jun 5, 2002)

As I say, I don't think there is only one way to say it Narya -- pehaps one might like to use various pronouns in Quenya for "I" for example, or inflect the verb in the "aorist" tense maybe, as opposed to present continuative tense.

But I've already given a Tolkien example in Quenya (from the Lost Road), and a David Salo example (hired for his expertise regarding the film, as we know) in Sindarin. 

I can't do much better than that  unless more corpus becomes available that sheds light on the particular subject. Or David changes his mind or something :grin: David is especially noted for his Sindarin skills in the Tolklang "community".


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## Lantarion (Jun 5, 2002)

Um.. I think he did already.


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## Persephone (Jun 8, 2002)

Sorry Tasar, didn't know you were that sensitive about it's spelling...

anyway, Cian, in case you do find out how it is really said in both dialects in the Elvish language (If you like you can include Telerin too), could you pm me about it??? I will be truly greatful.


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## I Nauro (Jun 20, 2017)

I'll have to pick up Sindarin if you would want to know it in that language but in Quenya the sentence "I love you" translates to: *Melinyel (src: https://www.elfdict.com/w/i love you)*
In Sindarin it should be "Gi melin" if you are speaking to a lover or less formal a.k.a. someone you're familiar with (if I'm not mistaken) if you are speaking to someone you revere it should be "Le melin" (src: http://www.arwen-undomiel.com/elvish/phrases.html)



Narya said:


> Sorry Tasar, didn't know you were that sensitive about it's spelling...
> 
> anyway, Cian, in case you do find out how it is really said in both dialects in the Elvish language (If you like you can include Telerin too), could you pm me about it??? I will be truly greatful.



Also www.elfdict.com is a site I oftenly use for translations of saying small sentences and words.


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