Pick-up lines. “Rock-my-world-baby” lines. “Please-oh-please-look-my-way” lines. Flirty talk. Dirty talk. Tinder jokes.
Whatever you call them, chat-up lines in English, and all other languages, are often used by men – and sometimes women – to catch a potential love interest’s attention.
They’re kind of like ice breakers – things people used to shout across streets and whisper into ears (you know, when socialising outside households was actively encouraged!), and now typically swap on online dating apps like Tinder.
Though we can all agree they’re not the most romantic or charming things in the world. Funny to some, maybe, but as mind-blowing as saying I love you? Not so much.
So while we wouldn’t recommend walking up to someone you like and delivering a cheesy chat-up line as a conversation starter, they can be an entertaining read on paper.
So, as a Valentine’s Day special in 2022, we’ve asked a handful of our Busuu community to recall their silliest and best chat-up line war stories.*
* Small disclaimer alert: we’ve excluded all dirty, lewd chat-up lines. Laugh at the cheesy stuff, we can do, but forgive the unforgivable, we can’t!
Laugh, cry and ridicule away at the worst and most cringe-worthy pick-up lines in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish. We hope you enjoy them.
25 cheesy and cringy English pick-up lines
- Are you tired? You’ve been running through my mind.
- If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.
- Somebody call the cops. It’s got to be illegal to look that good.
- Are you ok? It must have hurt when you fell from heaven.
- If you were a Transformer, you’d be Optimus Fine.
- They call me the Periodic Table and I say there’s chemistry between us.
- Give me your Twitter? My father said that I must follow my dream.
- There’s something wrong with my phone. It doesn’t have your number in it.
- Is your name Google? Because you’ve got everything I’m searching for.
- Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk past you again?
- Are you my phone charger? Because without you, I’d die.
- Do you like raisins? How do you feel about a date?
- Sorry, you owe me a drink. (Why?) Because when I saw you, I dropped mine.
- Have you met me? Oh, that’s right – I’ve only met you in my dreams.
- Hello. Cupid called. He said he wants my heart back.
- Hi, I’m writing a phonebook. Can I have your number?
- Hey, tie your shoes. I don’t want you falling for anyone else.
- I’d say God bless you, but it looks like he already did.
- I seem to have lost my number… can I have yours?
- Hey, do you have a couple of minutes for me to hit on you?
- You’re so beautiful that you made me forget my chat-up line.
- Are you going to kiss me, or am I going to have to lie to my diary?
- There must be something wrong with my eyes. I can’t take them off you.
- You must be a hell of a thief, because you stole my heart from across the room.
- Do you know how much a polar bear weighs? Me neither, but it broke the ice.
4 G*d-awful French pick-up lines
- Ton père est un voleur, il a volé toutes les étoiles du ciel pour les mettre dans tes yeux. (Your dad is a thief – he stole all the stars and put them in your eyes.)
- Dans le royaume de mon cœur, c’est toi la princesse. (In the kingdom of my heart, you’re the princess.)
- Moi sans toi, c’est comme un océan sans eau. (Me without you is like an ocean without water.)
- Si tu veux savoir pourquoi je te suis, c’est parce que mon père m’a toujours dit de poursuivre mon rêve. (If you want to know why I’m following you, it’s because my dad always told me to follow my dream.)
4 even worse German chat-up lines
- Tat es eigentlich weh, als du vom Himmel gefallen bist? (Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?)
- Dein Vater muss ein Dieb sein, denn er hat die Sterne vom Himmel genommen und sie in deinen Augen versteckt. (Your dad must be a thief, because he took stars from the sky and hid them in your eyes.)
- Welche Sehenswürdigkeiten gibt es hier noch, außer dir? (What other sights are here/in the city, except for you?)
- Hast du einen Stift? Ich muss deine Nummer aufschreiben. (Do you have a pen? I have to write down your phone number.)
Oh, and there’s more: 3 bad Italian pick-up lines
- Hai una bussola? Mi sono perso nei tuoi occhi. (Do you have a compass? I got lost in your eyes.)
- Tuo padre deve essere un ladro. Perché ha rubato le stelle dal cielo e le ha messe al posto dei tuoi occhi. (Your father must have been a thief. Because he stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.)
- Ci credi all’amore a prima vista o devo ripassare più tardi? (Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I have to come back later?)
We’re still going: 3 woeful Polish chat-up lines
- Masz patent ratownika? Bo utonąłem w Twoim spojrzeniu. Are you a qualified lifeguard? Because I drowned in your gaze.
- Bolało gdy spadałaś z nieba, moja gwiazdko? (Did it hurt when you fell from the sky, my star?)
- Chyba zadzwonię na policję, bo ukradłaś moje serce. (I think I’ll call the police because you stole my heart.)
Nearly there: 2 even more cringy Russian pick-up lines
- Девушка, а вашей маме зять не нужен? (Hey babe, does your mother need a son-in-law?)
- Мне позвонили из рая и сказали, что от них сбежал самый красивый ангел, но я тебя не выдал. (They called me from heaven and told me that the most beautiful angel escaped, but I couldn’t tell where you were.)
Blessedly last, but not least: 4 Spanish pick-up lines
Psst: a small local government from a village in Grenada recently got involved in a campaign to stop severe verbal street harassment. The campaign went viral and it was a big, big deal.
As we’ve mentioned: these ‘funny’ pick-up lines are best enjoyed when they stay on paper!
- ¡Espero que te guste la fruta bonita, porque yo soy tu media naranja! (I hope you like fruit, because I’m your better half/half-orange.)
- Eso es carne y no lo que le echa mi madre al cocido. (That’s meat and not what my mom puts in the “cocido” – a typical Spanish stew.)
- Dime cómo te llamas y te pido para Reyes. (Tell me your name and I ask you as a “Reyes” – Three Wise Men-style – present.)
- ¡Qué poco azul llevas para lo cielo que eres! (You’re wearing so little blue considering how sky-like you are. Just so you know: in Spanish, calling someone the sky means they’re a very good person.)
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