How to say “I love you” in Spanish

So, how do you say “I love you” in Spanish? You’ll learn it in this post. Your best Spanish school will teach you! Keep reading! Firstly, hi, how are you? Welcome to another post from Wanderlust Spanish. We are committed to teaching you the best way to learn Spanish.

To achieve this, you have to know how to express your feelings in the right way. Otherwise, you might look a little weird …

The funny thing about Spanish is that we have many ways to express affection.
Actually, if you want to translate “I love you”, you will have to think about what kind of “I love you” you mean. To a friend? To a couple? To your grandmother?

The two possible translations of “I love you”

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Surely you have heard or seen movies in Spanish at some time. So, you’ve probably heard the words “Te amo”. “Te amo, Ricardo”. “Te amo, Susana”.
This translation of “I love you” is the most used when we talk about romantic love, sentimental love, couple love.
But, this does not mean that you cannot use “I love you” with friends or with your family. On the contrary, precisely because in Latin America we are very affectionate, it is very normal to say “I love you” to different kinds of social ties.

Difference between “te quiero” & “te amo”

Since nothing in life is easy, you also have to know that there is another way to express “I love you”. This is “Te quiero”. “Te quiero” is the most used way to express affection with friends, family, and also with couples. So what is the difference between “Te quiero” and “Te amo”?
Socially, “Te amo” implies a greater commitment to this love. Whatever kind of bond it is. “Te quiero” is below “Te amo”.

Usually, it is very common to express “Te quiero” after a time of dating a person. But, “Te amo” is an expression that connotes more commitment. “She/He/They said ‘Te amo’” is a great topic of conversation between friends after a few months of dating someone.

Avoid this common mistake!

In conclusion: how do you say “I love you” in Spanish? never, never ever, say “Te amo” on the first date. Nor would it be the most common thing to say “Te quiero” on the first date, except in the case that you have known that person for a while.

If you are looking for a more in-depth information on learning Spanish click here to read more about the fast and efficient ways to master Spanish language.

How do you express your love in Spanish

we are going to learn how to express your love in different ways in Spanish. Not only how to say “I love you” (you can check this post to find out about this).

You know that we in Latinoamerica are very very very affectionated. Very touchy-feelys. That’s why we have plenty of ways to express love. And we want to show you how to express your love in Spanish.

Spanish names you can use for your lover

Ok, let’s start with the classic ones. “Amor, mi amor, amorcito”. This means “love”, “my love”, “little love”. “Bebé”. This means “baby”. “Cariño”. This literally means affection, but you can translate as “sweetie”. “Cielo/ mi cielo”, means “sky/ my sky”. “Corazón” (this one is very used in Argentina, and it’s used either with lovers, family, or friends). Corazón means “heart”. “Vida / mi vida”. Means “Life / my life”. And finally: “mi rey, mi reina, mi reine“. My king, my queen, my drag queen/king?

Did you pay attention to the possessive article “mi” (my)? Yes, that is romantic love applied to language. All these terms are used, generally, between couples or people with a lot of confidence. We are not talking about how to say “pretty, handsome” or how to tell someone that we like him/her/they. These words imply a certain degree of commitment.

Curious names that you can use with your lover

Ok, until here we saw the classic. Let’s start with the ridiculous ones. For example, in Argentina, many people use both the word “gordo (fat)” and the word “flaco (skinny)” and its derivatives (flaca, flaquita, flaquito, flaqui) to speak to their partners. Also “cosita” (little thing). And “negro, negra, negri, negrita, negrito” (black, blackie). One that I particularly love is “Churro, churra, churrita, churrite”. Do you know “churros”? The sweetest thing in the world! Especially in Argentina, where we eat them with dulce de leche inside.

How do you reply “Te amo” in Spanish

Te amo! Yo tambien?

how to reply to “Te Amo” in Spanish. As you learn Spanish, you realize there are so many ways to express your love. “Te Amo” is one of those ways. We want to show you how to express your love in Spanish. Let’s see how to reply to this profound show of affection.

Of course if you receive this show of affection, you have to answer with all your heart. Do you really love this person? If so, dive into the pool with a big “¡Yo también!” and tattoo his/her/their name on your finger.

If the amor is not mutual

But we know these feelings are not always reciprocal. So, what’s the best answer if you don’t feel like “Te Amo” at that point? This is not a romantic office, but we have a tip: always tell the truth. And if the truth is “no”, try to be nice and say something else besides “no”. Because, after all, we’ve all been there some time, haven’t we?

Te quiero to the rescue!

Luckily, as you know, in Spanish we have two big ways to express love. So, take a hand to this when you don’t feel like “Te Amo”. You can totally answer “Te Quiero Mucho” (ok, you have to at least have some love for this person, but maybe not so much love as he/she/they).

It would be strange to answer with a simple “Gracias”. Strange / you’ll break his / her / their heart into a million pieces. Don’t do that! Except, of course, that the one who is telling you “Te Amo” is a complete stranger. In that case, you can answer “Gracias” and step back quickly.

Need some time to process?

As another option, you can say something like “Es muy tierno / dulce de tu parte decir eso. Tengo que procesar esta información” (It’s very sweet of you to say that, I have to process all that information).

If you want to know more, contact us and try your free class!

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People love us!

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Wanderlust was my second home during my 5 months living in Buenos Aires. I got to know Argentina through this amazing school and experiences while studying with my professor, Vicky.

- Rich