liebt

Liebt is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb lieben, meaning "to love." It is used with he, she, or it as the subject, for example in statements like "Er liebt Musik" (He loves music).

Conjugation notes: The present tense of lieben is ich liebe, du liebst, er/sie/es liebt, wir lieben, ihr liebt, Sie lieben. Therefore liebt appears only with third-person singular subjects. The second-person singular informal form is liebst, not liebt, and the formal you uses Sie lieben.

Usage: Liebt is common in everyday German for expressing affection, preference, or strong liking. It occurs in both factual statements and narrative sentences. In combination with objects, it forms phrases such as "Sie liebt ihren Hund" (She loves her dog) or "Er liebt das Meer" (He loves the sea). In poetry or lyric prose, the form may appear in stylistically varied word order.

Etymology and related forms: Lieben derives from the Germanic root related to the noun Liebe (love). The adjective lieb means "dear" or "loving," and these forms share a common semantic origin. The present tense form liebt is confined to the third-person singular; other persons use different endings (liebst, liebe, lieben, liebt, etc.).

See also: Liebe (the noun for love), lieb (adjective meaning dear or beloved), and other German verb forms related to expressing affection.