A friend of mine texted me one day back in school.
She was… perplexed. Frustrated, even.
Some guy was texting her every day. Helped her with homework. Laughed at her dumb jokes…
And yet she was STILL texting me asking:
“Do you think he likes me, or is he just being nice?”
And I replied with something along the lines of:
“If you have to ask, then you’re obviously not reading the obvious signs.”
Because here’s the thing…
Guys are WAY simpler to read than you make them out to be.
When a boy likes you, it will show.
Granted, not always in big obvious ways that stare you in the face… but you’ll see it if you pay attention to his ACTIONS.
The problem is, you might be overanalyzing things or reading into meaningless behaviors.
So let’s make this easy for you.
12 Clear Signs a Boy Likes You
1. He Looks for Opportunities to Talk to You
When a boy likes you, he doesn’t wait for the “perfect moment” to talk to you. He makes his own perfect moment.
You’ll find that he regularly messages you at random times, starts conversations that lead nowhere, or asks you questions that Google could’ve answered for him.
Why? Because he wants to talk to YOU, damnit.
Examples he might say:
- “Hey, what’s up?”
- “Did you see that today?”
- “Hey, random question…”
See how pointless these conversations are? He doesn’t care. He just wants a reason to interact with you.
If he goes out of his way to text you for no reason, that’s all the sign you need that he likes you.
Read also: 15 Ways to Respect Your Boyfriend
2. He Remembers the Little Things
No one remembers the little things about you if they don’t care about you.
But your crush? He notices EVERYTHING.
Later on, he’ll casually mention:
- What your favorite food is
- Something you said a week ago
- How you were feeling that one day
He remembers because he wants to. He cares enough about you that he listens when you talk.
Read also: 35 Easter Messages for Boyfriend
3. He Gets Nervous
We all know how confident men love to pretend they are.
But when a guy likes a girl, that confidence can go out the window pretty quickly.
You’ll notice him:
- Tripping over his words
- Laughing too hard at his own jokes
- Clamming up and not saying much at all
Again, it all comes down to him caring about what YOU think about him.
Read also: How to Get a Boyfriend (10 Practical Steps)
4. He Goes Out of His Way to Impress You
Remember how he likes to talk to you about random stuff?
It’s his way of impressing you and showing you that he’s worthy of your time.
You’ll notice him:
- Bragging about the things he’s done
- Dressing nice when he’s around you
- Showing you off his cool skills
Some people call it ego, but I like to think of it as validation.
Guys like to be looked at and appreciated, and the best way to get that is by pursuing you.
This ties into male attraction quite well, actually.
5. He Makes Time for You
If a guy really likes you, you become a priority.
Plain and simple.
He’ll reply to your messages right away. He’ll make time for you when he’s busy with other things. He’ll choose hanging out with you over other plans.
If he keeps finding time for you, THAT is enough of a sign.
You don’t need to analyze his words. You don’t need to guess his intentions.
His actions will SHOW you that he cares about you.
6. He Playfully Teases You
Guys LOVE to tease girls they’re attracted to.
All the time.
If he teases you (and only you) about something you said/think/did, he likes you.
Why?
Because playful teasing is a great way for two people to build sexual tension.
As long as he’s not tearing you down with his jokes, fun banter like this is a very strong indicator that he wants to be with you.
7. He Makes Eye Contact with You… Then Looks Away
Boy cheats on girl eye contact is real.
Look into his eyes. Literally.
Dudes look at girls they like when they think they’re not looking, and then immediately look away when they do.
— tinychat (@tinychat) December 23, 2018
If a guy likes you, he’ll look at you when he doesn’t think you’re looking. And when you do catch him looking, he’ll immediately look away.
This is his way of flirting with you without being too forward.
8. He Supports Your Goals and Encourages You to Become a Better You
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
If a guy likes you, he’ll want you to be the best version of yourself.
Not only because he wants you to be happy, but because he wants to be around someone he can admire.
He’ll encourage you to chase your dreams, support your opinions, and celebrate your accomplishments.
9. He Seems (Slightly) Jealous When You Mention Other Guys
Got a new boyfriend and told your friends about him?
If he’s glued to his phone making sure you don’t talk to other guys, he doesn’t like you that much.
If he supports you when you fail, he LIKES YOU.
Pay attention to how he acts when other guys enter the conversation.
Does he suddenly go quiet? Try to change the subject? Ask you questions about what your other crush is like?
It won’t always be obvious. But you’ll feel the tension.
Guys are only slightly jealous of other guys when you have a genuine interest in them.
Caution: don’t mistake healthy interest with trying to control you.
10. He Initiates VERY Subtle Physical Contact
All guys like to touch girls they’re attracted to.
It may start off very subtle at first.
Does he:
- Tap you on the shoulder when talking to you?
- Give you small, playful nudges?
- Sit super close to you when hanging out?
Giving someone you like physical attention is a surefire sign he wants to be around you.
Physical contact is a huge part of building attraction with someone.
11. He Makes “Future Plans” That Include You
This may seem trivial, but it’s pretty important.
If a guy is into you, he’s going to try and fit you into his future.
He will say things like:
- “We should hit that place up sometime”
- “You’d love this”
- “We can do that later”
He doesn’t know WHEN you’ll hang out, but he knows that you two WILL hang out.
See how subconscious that is?
12. He Continues to Make an Effort to Be in Your Life
Relationships are a two-way street.
He likes you, he’ll try to talk to you.
You like him, you’ll try to talk to him.
If a guy really likes you, he won’t just disappear for days on end.
He won’t make the conversation one-sided.
He will make an effort to stay in your life.
If he does all of the above things and consistently shows up for you, then he likes you.
Conclusion
Chasing signs and reading into every single little thing he does will drive you insane.
If you want to know if he likes you, start paying attention to the things he DOES instead of what he says.
When a boy likes you, it will SHOW.
He’ll be there for you.
He’ll pay attention to what you say.
And he’ll make a conscious effort to be a part of your life.
If he does all of these things and you’re still confused on where you stand…
Then let me ask you this:
Why are you still talking to him?
FAQ
How can you tell if he likes you but is hiding it?
He will give off nervous energy. He will make silly excuses not to see you. He’ll show interest in your conversations through subtle actions.
Do boys ignore you if they like you?
Some do. If he’s shy or nervous around you, he might pull away. But if he ignores you for weeks on end, he’s probably not that into you.
How long does it take to know if someone likes you?
Within a couple of weeks of spending time with them, you should know for sure.
Will a boy who likes you just show it?
No—guys like you and act like they don’t exist? Impossible. It doesn’t matter if he’s your friend or not, he will show SOME signs of interest.
What if he shows some of these signs but not others?
He either likes you and has mixed feelings about it, or he doesn’t like you at all.
Don’t try and read into his actions. You’ll drive yourself crazy.
If he likes you, it’ll be clear as day.
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