How to use "I love you"?
In Italy, you have two options to say "I love you", I'll try to translate them the best I can:
- I love you (Ti amo.)
- I want you to be ok (Ti voglio bene.)
The fact is that in English, both ti amo and ti voglio bene are translated as I love you. But in Italian, there are lot of differences:
I love you is used to express love for another person which is, or you want her/him to be, your girlfriend/boyfriend.
I want you to be ok is used to express still something love-related but just a little bit less love-related (It's hard to say it). I want you to be OK is used by parents to their sons/daughters or vice versa or by a friend to another friend.
I do watch some TV shows in English and I find that sometimes two friends tell each other I love you and they just go back to their jobs (= I want you to be ok) and sometimes one of them says I love you and the other understands that he/she wants her/him to be his/her girlfriend/boyfriend and that it's love-related (= I love you). Why?
In English there are two expressions that partly overlap:
I love you
and
I'm in love with you
The second one means romantic love, while the first one can be used for any kind of affection, including romantic.
The first is usually used for both, the second is mostly used when you want to clarify what kind of love you are talking about. Often that is not necessary as it's evident from the situation.
So, it's correct that I love you can be used for both Italian expressions. The expression I'm in love with you translates into Ti amo.
I think this is related to the context between the two people. If a friend says "I love you" it is understood to mean that they care for you and want the best for you, but not in a romantic way. I don't think people say "I love you" to someone as a way to start a romantic relationship. Typically, those words are said much later when one is already in a relationship. Also, the way in which the words are said ("tone") and the speaker's facial expression when speaking will also allow the hearer to determine what it meant. That's not to say that there are never misunderstandings of course. If friends are not comfortable saying "I love you", they may say "All the best", "I'm thinking of you", "Take care" or "Keep well". These phrases may, however, also be used by people who are not necessarily close friends.