15 Things He Does That Mean I Love You

For some, the three magic words are everything. Some people are so powerless before “I love you” that they ignore all the horrible things their partner does, that don't back up that claim at all. And worse, some people forget about all the parts of their relationship that scream love, just because those three words have not been uttered.

We can all agree that these words are a big deal, but are they the be all and end all? The most important thing about this phrase is that it's supposed to convey love, and really, there are so many things a person can do to show you how much they love you. After all, not everybody is good with words!

What kind of things can your partner do that could possibly mean that this is true love, at least in their eyes? Read on to find out!

15 He Encourages You

They say that the best kinds of friends and family members are those who support your dreams and are behind you every step on the journey to success. It's the same with relationships: the best kinds of partners (i.e. the ones who love you!) will want the very best for you, and will be emotionally invested in your success as if it were their own. It's definitely a good sign if your partner stands by you while you chase what you want in life, whether it's going well or kind of crappy. If he loves you, he'll be there to celebrate every minor success with you, and he'll also inspire you to keep going through the setbacks. Not only will he be there at the important times, but he'll regularly check in to make sure that you're still on track with your goals. This kind of behavior is pretty special and could mean you've got a keeper!

14 He Makes Sacrifices for You

Anybody who loves anybody else will be willing to make sacrifices for them. We're not saying he has to cut off limbs and embark on a quest across the wilderness to prove his love for you, but in his own 2017 way, yes, he'll sacrifice other things for you. It all comes down to how high you are on his priorities list, and if he loves you, you're essentially at the top! Watch out for little things that you wouldn't have noticed before, like when he gives you the best side of the bed, the last seat on the bus, and the clichéd last meatball. Part of that seems like just regular old politeness, but continuously sharing things that you could have all to yourself transcends to the next level. It doesn't have to be all about you, but as we said, if he loves you, you're very near the top of his list.

13 He Challenges You

Somebody who loves you will encourage you to pursue the things you want, but at the same time, they'll challenge you on things that they can see aren't good for you in the long run. For example, if you're half way through college and decide you want to drop out because this semester is tough, a loving partner won't stand by and let you do it without questioning you. You are your own person, and nobody can force you to do anything, but if he loves you, he will tell you when he doesn't think something is a good idea. He will be honest with you, even when it's a little uncomfortable. At the end of the day, he wants the best for you and will try to remove all the obstacles that are getting in your way, including your own BS. We all make mistakes, so beware of the partner who thinks everything you do is a good idea!

12 He Always Puts Your Feelings First

When somebody is in love with you, they care about your feelings. Some people are more sensitive than others, and you can never really change somebody's personality, so we don't mean that your partner should become a poetry-writing, teddy-bear-yielding couple's therapist to prove he loves you. But regardless of what kind of person you're dating, he'll do everything he can to make sure your feelings are taken care of. Meaning? He won't purposefully do things that will make you jealous, insecure or question how much he loves you. He'll take care not to embarrass you, and make sure your happiness is one of his top priorities. The mere thought of you in any kind of emotional pain will make him uncomfortable. It doesn't matter how rough he is around the edges-if he loves you, your feelings will be important to him, and he'll do what he can to look after them.

11 He Cares About People In Your Life

Being in love with someone means caring about them as much or even more than you care about yourself, so naturally, you'll take an interest in all the elements of their life. One way your partner can say “I love you” is by caring about the people you care about. If he knows you're tight with your girlfriends, he should treat them with respect. The same goes with your family-somebody who loves you would want you to be surrounded by the best possible people, and would never isolate you from other loving relationships. Nor would they make you feel awkward by neglecting all your friends and family. By the same token, it could mean he loves you if he takes an interest in the things you're passionate about. You don't have to morph into one person just because you're in love, but he will probably want to at least understand and get to know the things you love.

10 He Talks To You Everyday

Love isn't just a sometimes thing; it's an everyday thing. It's a sign that he is in love with you if he makes the effort to communicate with you every single day, not because he has to or you'll yell at him, but because he genuinely wants to. It might be a good morning text, or a quick call during the day to check how things are going-anything that will satisfy his urge to contact you. Think about the things and people you love-your mom, your cat, a TV series, chocolate… you probably want to see and be near them at least once a day, right? We know that romantic love is not quite the same as the one you've got for a block of caramel chocolate, but the principle is the same-when you love something, it's kind of like an obsession. You want it all the time, not just at 3 am.

9 He Solicits Your Opinion

One way he can tell you he loves you is by often asking for your advice. When you love someone, you admire them for a number of things, and value their input in your own life. Now, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, so don't expect him to start coming to you for financial advice if you hate numbers or anything else that would make no sense, but he will notice what you are good at and want to have as much of your own magic and touch in his life as he can. A partner who doesn't love you might not respect your opinion on certain matters and try to stop you from having it, but when it comes to real love, you'll be encouraged to give your honest opinion, even if it differs from what he wants to hear. What you think matters to him, plain and simple.

8 He's Concerned For Your Well-being

For the record, we don't think women need men looking after them to feel safe. Let's leave that sort of thinking to the past! But regardless of your gender, if someone loves you, they'll worry about your safety. Basically, you mean so much to them that they wouldn't cope if anything happened to you! It's a sign he's thinking that he loves you, even subconsciously, if he does whatever he can to make sure you are physically safe. Look out for things like walking on the road-side part of the sidewalk, so that he would get hit instead of you if a car were to swerve, or walking you to your car at night if you're leaving separately. Or standing up for you in arguments, and keeping you out of harmful situations. These things might not be necessary, but just a sign that he's got your best interest at heart and he's totally loved up.

7 He Wants To Talk About The Future

Love is an everyday thing, and it's also a forever thing. Of course, it's possible to fall out of love with somebody, but while you're still in love, you wouldn't for one minute think about not having them in your life. If he's always trying to talk about your future together, it could totally be a sign that he loves you, even if he hasn't said it. Obviously, somebody who loves you wants you in their future. They want to know what your plans are so they can incorporate them into their own. And they also want to know what page you're on, so they can know as soon as possible if they're going to get hurt. Talking about the future might also mean that he's keen to settle down because he's that type, or he's just a planner. But more often than not, he's doing it because he is in love.

6 He Remembers The Little Things

When you love someone, you're much more attentive than normal. You are captivated by them, and you don't want to miss out on a single thing they're doing or saying. So naturally, you tend to remember little comments they make, and small details like what they were wearing. That's why it's thought to be so romantic when people remember stuff like that-it shows they were paying attention because they were, for lack of a better word, enchanted. It's a clear-cut sign that it's love if your partner can recall even the smallest details. This might be when he buys you a really meaningful birthday present, based on something you said six months ago, or tells you that he still thinks about a dress you wore on one of the early dates. If it's love, he'll remember because he can't help doing so, not because you've told him he has to!

5 He Goes Out Of His Way For You

When you're in a low-key relationship with someone you're not crazy about, you might place convenience above them on your list of priorities. You'll text them when it's convenient and see them when you can. But that isn't the case when true love is involved! He's basically saying he loves you if time and time again, he goes totally out of his way just for you. This could be anything from staying up late to wait for you to finish your shift so he can just talk to you, or driving miles to see you after he's had a long day at work. As humans, we're not likely to put in effort for things that we don't really care about, but think about how much trouble you go to for things that matter. When he inconveniences himself for you, know that you're a big deal to him. A very big deal.

4 He Listens To You

Real love always comes back to wanting happiness for your partner. If something is bothering you, the person who loves you will want to solve it as soon as possible. And if you are drowning in stress and problems and need to vent, the person who loves you will shut up and listen, no questions asked. It doesn't matter if he's not a naturally good listener-he will be interested in your problems because he wants them to disappear so you can be happy. If they're the kind of problems that can't be fixed overnight, he will still understand your need to get them off your chest and be happy to listen anyway. Not only does he listen when you have a problem, but he listens whenever you have something to say. He pays attention to you and doesn't take you for granted, the way he might if you were just a fling.

3 He Treats You Like A Bestie

People often talk about how great it is to fall in love with your best friend. Going from friends to lovers is one thing, but you might find yourselves going from lovers to friends (and still staying lovers, if you know what we mean!). If it's love, the relationship has to be sustainable, so it can't be all wining and dining and magic. There will also be arguments, and huge decisions to make and challenges to overcome. Friendships deal with this stuff all the time! It's a good sign if he's treating you like a best friend, in addition to a lover-it means that he wants to build something with you that is long-term and sustainable, not just fantastical. This means he won't be afraid to tell you when you're annoying him, and he'll probably tease you like he does his friends. Not nasty teasing, but teasing that makes you laugh and marvel at how lucky you are!

2 He Can't Contain His Light When He Sees You

Though it might sound like something penned by a Hollywood screenwriter, love really is one of the strongest forces in the world. No matter how bad things are going elsewhere in your life, true love has the ability to raise you up into happiness. Honestly, it lights you up. One of the ways he could be telling you he loves you without actually saying it is by simply being filled with happiness whenever he sees you. This is because your presence alone makes his day better, and makes his problems seem insignificant. He might try to play it cool, but you can't hide these sorts of feelings for long. Even the smoothest guy in the world won't be able to control himself. Eventually, you'll catch him with a beaming smile and eyes that are filled with passion when they look at you. Yes, this sounds clichéd, but it's the truth!

1 He Acts The Same Around His Friends

One problem faced by many relationships is the influence of friends. We naturally want to impress our friendship groups, so we might act differently around them compared with how we normally act in front of our partners. If he doesn't love you, there's a good chance he cares about what his buddies think more than he cares about how you feel, so he could avoid holding your hand or showing any signs that he's “whipped” when they're there. But if he does love you, you're the most important thing on his radar, and he doesn't care. In his essence, he'll be the same person he always is with you, regardless of who's around. Remember in Grease when Danny tried to act cool in front of his friends, but then changed his mind and was prepared to turn into a jock for Sandy, even though the T-Birds were judging him? Yeah. True love right there.