O Deus, ego amo te
“O God, I love you.”
Latin hymn attributed to St Francis Xavier
What does “O Deus, ego amo te” mean?
O Deus, ego amo te translates as “O God, I love you.”
A simple prayer of love for God, not for any reward.
“O Deus, ego amo te” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| O | O | an interjection used when addressing someone directly |
| Deus | God | vocative singular (the case of address) of deus, “god”. Deus is irregular: the vocative is the same as the nominative, Deus |
| ego | I | nominative singular of the pronoun ego, “I”; the subject of amo. Latin normally leaves it out, so here it adds emphasis |
| amo | love | first person singular present indicative active of amo, “to love” |
| te | you | accusative singular of the pronoun tu, “you”; the direct object of amo |
How to pronounce “O Deus, ego amo te”
Both pronunciations sound the same here, because the quote has no c, g before e or i, v or ae. Stress the first syllable of Deus, ego and amo, and say te as a short “teh”.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “O God, I love you”. It is the opening of a Latin hymn, “O Deus, ego amo te”, traditionally attributed to Saint Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Jesuit missionary.
The attribution is uncertain, and scholars have long debated who wrote the hymn. It is also found in other forms, including a well-known Spanish sonnet, and the Latin text is often printed under Xavier’s name.
The hymn’s central idea is that God is loved for himself, not out of fear of hell or hope of heaven. That is why the line has stayed popular as a short, personal prayer and a hymn text.
How to use “O Deus, ego amo te”
A fitting choice for a prayer card, a devotional print, a tattoo of faith or a quiet line for a religious occasion. It reads best as a personal declaration of love to God rather than a general motto.
- Latin
- O Deus, ego amo te
- English
- O God, I love you.
- Source
- Latin hymn attributed to St Francis Xavier
- Era
- Renaissance
- Theme
- Faith
Common mistakes
- Do not credit it to Saint Francis Xavier as a certainty. The attribution is traditional, not proven.
- The ego is not needed for grammar, since amo already means “I love”. Here it only adds emphasis, so do not drop or add it without changing the feel of the line.
- Deus has an irregular vocative. The form of address is Deus, not the regular-looking “Dee”.
- te is the object “you”. Do not swap it for tu, which is the subject form and would be wrong here.
Questions about “O Deus, ego amo te”
What does “O Deus, ego amo te” mean literally?
“O God, I love you.” The words run in this order: O (O), Deus (God), ego (I), amo (love), te (you).
Who wrote “O Deus, ego amo te”?
It is traditionally attributed to Saint Francis Xavier, a 16th-century Jesuit missionary. The attribution is uncertain, so it is safest to say “attributed to”.
How do you pronounce “O Deus, ego amo te”?
Say “oh DEH-oos EH-goh AH-moh teh”. The classical and Church pronunciations are the same for this line.
Is “O Deus, ego amo te” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, the grammar is correct as written. Deus is the vocative, amo is “I love” and te is the object “you”.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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