How to Tell Your Crush You Like Him and Make All the Right Moves

Something that has scared us from childhood right into adulthood is learning how to tell your crush you like him. Unfortunately, it never gets easier.

Learning how to tell your crush you like him might sound juvenile, but no matter how old you get, you will always be interested in someone, and at some point, you have to tell him. OR, the alternative is avoiding social interaction altogether. But, as we discussed—this is not realistic, and I do not recommend this option *as much as some days I absolutely wish this was a feasible option*.

When we were 10 and needed to tell our crushes that we liked them, we got our friends to do it, while we cowered in the corner of the school yard. WHY CAN’T WE STILL DO THIS!? It worked out fine didn’t it? We don’t need social interaction, do we? Heck no. Okay, sorry, I got a little bit carried away there. [Read: 18 decoded body language signs that reveal if your crush likes you]

How to tell your crush you like him

As uncomfortable as social interaction can be, it’s an inevitable part of life. To put it bluntly, you need to know how to tell your crush you like him to mate and repopulate the earth. It’s the circle of life or something…

Turn on a power anthem, belt the words out, drink an energy drink, and LET’S GO. Find your inner Emma Watson. You are a powerful, independent woman who doesn’t need no man. But like, you wouldn’t say “no” if your crush happened to be interested too…

#1 SCREAM AT HIM AND ASK HIM TO HAVE YOUR BABIES. No? Don’t like that tactic? Okay, how about you do this: Get to know the boy. Sounds ridiculous, I know. But be his friend. Develop a relationship and a foundation for growth. After all, how are you supposed to know you have a crush on him if you don’t even know him? [Read: How to get any guy to notice you and fall for you]

#2 Hangout in group settings first. Don’t jump right into one-on-one hangouts/dates. That feels like a lot of pressure for a guy to handle, and honestly it sounds like a lot of pressure for anybody to handle. Lose the pressure, hangout in groups and see how things go from there. You can really get to know somebody by seeing how they interact with other people too, not just you. [Read: 15 signs to know for sure if your guy friend starts liking you]

#3 Move slowly – but not too slowly. I’m not saying take a year to tell him that you are interested. The man could be married to someone else by that time. Move slow, but don’t hide the fact that you are interested in him either… Be his friend, but drop subtle hints that you might be interested in him. Reminder: I did say subtle.

#4 Dropping hints is important. It’s important but also dangerous. You don’t want to come on too strong and freak him the heck out. Be his friend, but say something casual like “you look super nice today.” [Read: How to hit on a guy so he can read your hints and make a move]

#5 Noncommittal pick-up lines. Don’t be gross, just be downright hilarious. If you’re hanging out sometime, drop the cheesiest, most lame pick-up line you can find. Make sure it’s hilarious, and not just creepy. Remember, right now you guys are just friends, and you want to push boundaries, not break them.

#6 Test the waters. When you drop pick-up lines or compliments, does he bite? His reaction is super important because it determines whether or not you should proceed further. If interested, he might start to reciprocate those compliments or terrible pick-up lines.

It might even expand into some special inside joke between the two of you. Any connections like this are great to build on into a romantic relationship. [Read: 15 obvious signs of flirting between a guy and a girl]

#7 Hangout just the two of you. The sacred one-on-one time… This is a crucial point in telling your crush you like him. Don’t get weird with it, seriously. Just act cool and casual and say “I just got this new Mumford and Sons vinyl *I don’t know what you listen to, okay?*, you should come hangout and have a listen”. Whatever common link you share, use it here.

#8 After you’ve successfully hung out at least once, it’s time. If he agrees to hang out with you a second time, then he either thinks you’re a super cool friend or more. Both rock, but we’re really trying to achieve the latter here. You aren’t really going to know which one, until you tell your crush you like him *which will happen at this hang out*. [Read: How to show a guy you like him and still be a tease]

#9 Telling him you like him. Once again, I have to stress this: Just be cool. Near the end of this one-on-one time, when you are sitting in comfort with one another, you need to just say it. Grab the nerve to tell him how you feel about it.

Don’t take forever to get to the point either. If you’re trying to figure out how to tell your crush you like him, just say it: “I like you.” And if he really doesn’t understand and says “Yah, I like you too, you’re cool.” Correct yourself, and say “No… Like, I like you.” Don’t get shy. Be confident in your feelings and in yourself. You’re a cool person, and if he has hung out with you this much then he clearly thinks so too. [Read: 15 sweet ways to tell a guy you like him and win him over]

#10 Don’t brush off the conversation. This is a pretty important conversation, so if it gets awkward, don’t just try and forget about it. Make sure you leave the conversation with either closure or hope for the future. No open questions should be left at the end. Either he likes you as a friend, or he is interested in something more, but either way, you deserve a response.

#11 Accept the facts. Honestly, five times out of ten, your crush isn’t going to like you back. That’s just an awful, depressing fact, but it is nevertheless, a fact. Whether it is the timing, or the place they are currently in with their life, they may not like you back, and that’s okay.

If you go into this accepting that it might not work out in your favor, then chances are you will be okay if it ends that way. If it happens to end for the better, then hey, that’s just a bonus. [Read: 22 ways to move on when love isn’t reciprocated]

#12 Go find another crush… Listen, we live in a world full of Ashton Kutchers and Zac Efrons. I assure you, there is no shortage of attractive and kind men. You will find somebody new and repeat this cycle over and over and over again until you give up, because relationships are just exhausting. Am I right?

Now that you know how to tell your crush you like him, I hope you find the confidence to pursue them and seek out relationships!