How to Tell Someone You Like Them

Maybe you’ve found The One… maybe they’re just an awesome person with a good vibe who makes you feel good about yourself every time you’re around them. Either way, it’s a happy place to be in, threatened only by the idea of letting them in on the secret. But real happiness is the other side of that fence, my friend. Here’s how to let someone know you like them (without ruining your social life).

BEFORE TELLING SOMEONE YOU LIKE THEM, MAKE CONTACT

First of all, do you know this person? If not, try and get an intro via a mutual friend or app so you know a little bit about them before you make a move. If your crush already knows you, ensure you spend time alone with them by sliding into their DMs in a non-creepy way (give compliments that aren’t just about their body type, be relatable, share funny posts — but not from Dr Pimple Popper unless you know that’s their jam). Whatever you do, try to stay away from that friend zone, and ask them out.

HOW TO LET SOMEONE KNOW YOU LIKE THEM WITH THESE CLASSIC LINES

Now that they know you from Adam, and you’ve hopefully made a good impression, there are a few classic hit-and-miss options you could go with:

Letting a friend tell them for you. Short of not telling them at all, this is probably the easiest option in history, and it can take some pressure off if you’re feeling too nervous. And if you get the slip, at least it’s coming from your mate.

Telling them over text. Still not the boldest of moves, but if you tend to sweat and get tongue-tied in face-to-face situations, it may be a reasonable option.

Confessing your feelings in person. This is the full-on, romantic movie way to do it. It’s high risk, high reward. Your crush might be blown away by your confidence and fall into your arms. Or they might not know what to say in the moment and want to text you later. Either way – you’re putting yourself out there and that’s never a bad thing!

HOW TO TELL SOMEONE YOU LIKE THEM OVER TEXT / CHAT MESSAGE

If you go for the second option, you’ll want to learn how to tell someone you like them over text in a way that makes you sound cool rather than creepy. Probably don’t open with “I LOVE YOU, PLEASE BE MY SOULMATE” unless you want a hard no and five lines of laughing / crying emojis.

Warm things up by asking about their day, then inject something flirty into the convo (think angels or winking emojis, not aubergines and devils). If they respond positively to this, something like “You’re so [insert a quality you really like about them]”. A simple, “I’m into it x” to follow up should do the job.

HOW TO SAY YOU LIKE SOMEONE TO THEIR FACE

Cue scary music. Nah, not really. The answer to how to tell a person you like them to their face is to not make it a big deal. It’ll only be a big deal if you start writing things down or arranging a choir to burst into song once you’ve finished the speech you’ve been repeating to yourself in your sleep.

If you want to, you could by talking about a moment you’ve had together by saying “Hey, remember when we…”. But the main thing is to tell them you like them in a simple way. Keeping it simple is good because your crush will know you’re pretty into them if you’re braving it and telling them to their face instead of texting them.

Fingers crossed it goes well! And if it doesn’t – it’s good practice for when you meet someone else that you like. Oh, and remember to cancel that choir so you don’t waste their time.