Help with a small translation, please

[Dove in Texas]

Hello! I have a small Goebel figurine of a sweet girl holding a
basket on one arm, and also holding a big heart (like a Valentine)
between her two hands, and the German writing on the heart says: "i
hab di gern"

Will someone please tell me what those four words mean? I am just
guessing (knowing no German at all, even though I am 1/4 German) that
it might mean: "I have your heart..." ??? Am I close? THANKS! Dove

[t***@gmail.com]

Hello!  I have a small Goebel figurine of a sweet girl holding a
basket on one arm, and also holding a big heart (like a Valentine)
between her two hands, and the German writing on the heart says: "i
hab di gern"
Will someone please tell me what those four words mean?  I am just
guessing (knowing no German at all, even though I am 1/4 German) that
it might mean:  "I have your heart..." ??? Am I close?  THANKS! Dove

I am a native American English speaker, but I'm going to go out on a
limb and say that:

"i hab di gern"

Should more correctly be:

"Ich hab dich gern."

If this is correct, a literal translation would be, "I have liked
you." A more appropriate translation may be, "I like you". I beleive
"i hab di gern" would be either slang or a regional dialect, possibly
Schwabisch or Bayrisch(sp)/Bavarian. Can anyone agree bzw. disagree?

Grüße,
Tom

[Helmut Richter]

Post by t***@gmail.com
I am a native American English speaker, but I'm going to go out on a
"i hab di gern"
"Ich hab dich gern."

Standard: "habe".

Post by t***@gmail.com
If this is correct, a literal translation would be, "I have liked
you."

No, it is present tense. The "hab(e)" is not an auxiliary here.

Post by t***@gmail.com
A more appropriate translation may be, "I like you".

Indeed.

Post by t***@gmail.com
I beleive
"i hab di gern" would be either slang or a regional dialect, possibly
Schwabisch or Bayrisch(sp)/Bavarian. Can anyone agree bzw. disagree?

Correct.

[Michael Pachta]

Post by t***@gmail.com
"Ich hab dich gern."

Or "Ich habe dich gern". "hab" is a short form mainly used in colloquial
speech.

Post by t***@gmail.com
If this is correct, a literal translation would be, "I have liked
you."

No. "I have liked you" translates to "Ich habe dich gern gehabt", which
is Present Perfect, meaning that I don't like you anymore but I did before.

Post by t***@gmail.com
A more appropriate translation may be, "I like you".

That is right.

Post by t***@gmail.com
I beleive
"i hab di gern" would be either slang or a regional dialect, possibly
Schwabisch or Bayrisch(sp)/Bavarian. Can anyone agree bzw. disagree?

Although I am not from Southern Germany I consider this as right.

[Ekkehard Dengler]

Post by Dove in Texas
Hello! I have a small Goebel figurine of a sweet girl holding a
basket on one arm, and also holding a big heart (like a Valentine)
between her two hands, and the German writing on the heart says: "i
hab di gern"
Will someone please tell me what those four words mean?

Bavarian for "I love you".

Regards,
Ekkehard

[Dove in Texas]

Post by Ekkehard Dengler

Hello!  I have a small Goebel figurine of a sweet girl holding a
basket on one arm, and also holding a big heart (like a Valentine)
between her two hands, and the German writing on the heart says: "i
hab di gern"
Will someone please tell me what those four words mean?

Bavarian for "I love you".
Regards,
Ekkehard

Thank all of you so much... I will enjoy my little "girl" even more
now! Dove

[Ekkehard Dengler]

Post by Dove in Texas

Post by Ekkehard Dengler

Hello! I have a small Goebel figurine of a sweet girl holding a
basket on one arm, and also holding a big heart (like a Valentine)
between her two hands, and the German writing on the heart says: "i
hab di gern"
Will someone please tell me what those four words mean?

Bavarian for "I love you".

Thank all of you so much... I will enjoy my little "girl" even more
now!

My pleasure, Dove (and I'm sure everybody else's).

Regards,
Ekkehard

[g***@ankerstein.org]

Hello!  I have a small Goebel figurine of a sweet girl holding a
basket on one arm, and also holding a big heart (like a Valentine)
between her two hands, and the German writing on the heart says: "i
hab di gern"
Will someone please tell me what those four words mean?  I am just
guessing (knowing no German at all, even though I am 1/4 German) that
it might mean:  "I have your heart..." ??? Am I close?  THANKS! Dove

Speaking German is not genetic, sad to say.

GFH

[Christian Weisgerber]

Post by g***@ankerstein.org
Speaking German is not genetic, sad to say.

And contrary to the original meaning of the word, "native" speakers
aren't born with their language.

[p***@gmail.com]

"I like you" is as close as I can translate that. "Heart" is not mentioned ; as you probably know translation is subjective , it's not an exact science.

[Helmut Richter]

Post by p***@gmail.com
"I like you" is as close as I can translate that. "Heart" is not
mentioned ; as you probably know translation is subjective , it's not an
exact science.

This is an answer, but we do not know the question.
Depends on what has been translated from which language into which.