“I Love You” in Spanish: 60+ Ways to Express Affection to Anyone

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Learning to say “I love you” in Spanish can help you express your love to any Spanish-speaking significant other, friends, or family members in your life. Plus, you can enjoy romantic Spanish-language shows, movies, and songs—of which there are many! While you may know the Spanish “I love you” basics—aka, Te quiero and Te amo—there are many more ways to romance or express your affection to someone in this lenguaje fabuloso. Read this complete guide to be speaking like a Don Juan (or Doña Juana) in no time!

Translation: “I Love You in Spanish”

How to Say “I Love You” in Spanish: Te Quiero vs. Te Amo

Use Te quiero or Te amo to say “I love you” in Spanish. The English “I love you” can be literally translated as Te quiero or Te amo in Spanish, but these two terms have varying uses. Te quiero (which literally translates as “I want you”) is the most common way to say “I love you” in Spanish. It can be used with friends, family, pets, or romantic partners. Te amo (which literally translates as “I love you”) is usually reserved for a serious romantic interest or partner (aka your media naranja/soulmate!). In some countries, like Mexico, however, it can also be used with close family members. To say “I love you a lot” or “I love you so much” in Spanish, add mucho (MOO-cho), tanto (TAHN-toh), or muchísimo (moo-CHEE-see-moh) to te quiero or te amo. To address a specific person, add their name or relationship to you at the end, e.g., Te quiero, mamá or Te amo, Sara. Te amo is pronounced tay AH-moh. Te quiero is pronounced tay kee-EHR-oh

Change the te in te quiero and te amo to address different types of people. There are several ways to translate “you” into Spanish, depending on the number of people you’re speaking to and the formality of your relationship with those people/that person. Choose the correct Spanish pronoun form based on the cheat sheet below, then replace the te in te quiero or te amo with that pronoun to tell any person or group of people that you love them! Use te (informal second person singular) for a singular person who is the same age as or younger than you. E.g., Te quiero, Te amo. Use lo (formal second person masculine singular) for a man who is older than you or to whom you want to show respect. E.g., Lo quiero, Lo amo. Use la (formal second person feminine singular) for a woman who is older than you or to whom you want to show respect. E.g., La quiero, La amo. Use los (second person masculine plural) for a group of men or a group of both men and women. E.g., Los quiero, Los amo. Use las (second person feminine plural) for a group of women. E.g., Las quiero, Las amo. Example phrases: ¡Usted sabe que la quiero, abuela! = “You know I love you, grandma!” Las quiero mucho, chicas. = “I love you so much, girls.”

Alternative Ways to Express Love in Spanish

Spice things up with another phrase like Te adoro or Me gustas. Although Te quiero and Te amo are the most literal ways to say “I love you” in Spanish, there are many other ways to express both platonic and romantic love in the Spanish language. From idioms like Me haces feliz como una lombriz to terms of yearning like Te echo de menos, check out these romantic Spanish phrases: Besos y abrazos (BAY-sohs ee ah-BRAH-sohs) = “Hugs and kisses.” Cada día te quiero más (KAH-dah DEE-ah tay kee-EHR-oh mahs) = “I like/love you more every day.” Estoy enamorado de ti (eh-STOY eh-nam-oh-RAH-do day tee) = “I’m in love with you.” (Spoken by a male) Estoy enamorada de ti (eh-STOY eh-nam-oh-RAH-dah day tee) = “I’m in love with you.” (Spoken by a female) Estoy enloquecido por ti (eh-STOY ehn-loh-kay-SEE-doh pohr tee) = “I’m crazy about you.” (Spoken by a male) Estoy enloquecida por ti (eh-STOY ehn-loh-kay-SEE-dah pohr tee) = “I’m crazy about you.” (Spoken by a female) Me caes bien (may KAH-ays bee-EHN) = “I like you / You seem cool.” Me gustas (may GOO-stahs) = “I like you / I find you attractive.” Me haces feliz como una lombriz (may AH-say-s fay-LEES KOH-moh OO-nah lohm-BREES) = “You make me happy as a worm.” Siempre estás en mi corazón (see-EHM-prey ehs-TAHS ehn mee kohr-ah-SOHN) = “You’re always in my heart.” Te adoro (tay ah-DOHR-oh) = “I adore you.” Te amo hasta la luna y más allá (tay AH-moh AH-stah la LOO-nah ee mahs ah-YAH) = “I love you to the moon and back.” Te amo más que a la vida en si (tay AH-moh mahs kay ah lah VEE-dah ehn see) = “I love you more than life itself.” Te amo más que a nada (tay AH-moh mahs kay ah NAH-dah) = “I love you more than anything.” Te amo más que nunca (tay AH-moh mahs kay NOON-kah) = “I love you more than ever.” Te echo de menos (tay AY-tchoh day MAY-nohs) = “I miss you.” (Spain) Te extraño (tay ehks-TRAH-nyoh) = “I miss you.” (Latin America) Tú me complementas (too may kohm-play-MEHN-tahs) = “You complete me.”

Text Slang for “I Love You” in Spanish

Declare your love at any time (or any length) with a Spanish “I love you” text. Just like an English “IMY” or “XOXO,” the Spanish language has plenty of (abbreviated) ways to express love over text. To express your love to someone wherever they might be, try one of these Spanish ILY texts: amr (Amor) = “Love” bb (Bebé) = “Baby” bs (Besos) = “Kisses” b7s (Besitos) = “Little kisses” ccpt (Cuenta conmigo para todo) = “You can count on me for anything” ta:* (Te amo *cara de beso*) = “I love you *kissy face* ta+ (Te amo más) = “I love you more” TKM (Te kiero mucho) = “I love you a lot” tq (Te quiero) = “I love you” TQM (Te quiero mucho) = “I love you a lot” wpo / wpa (Guapo / Guapa) = “Handsome / Beautiful”

Terms of Endearment in Spanish

Add a Spanish term of endearment to show some extra affection. Terms of endearment can be used with friends, family members, pets, and significant others—just choose the one that best fits your relationship and add it to any phrase! Spanish (aka one of the most romantic languages on the planet) has tons of terms of endearment to select from, including these sweet-talking phrase: Amorcito (ah-more-SEE-toh) = “sweetie” or “darling.” Bizcochito (bee-s-koh-CHEE-toh) = “little cake” or “baby cakes.” Bonit-o/a (boh-NEE-toh/tah) = “pretty” or “handsome.” Cariño (kah-REE-nyoh) = “darling” or “dear.” Chiquis triquis (CHEE-kees TREE-kees) = “honey bunny.” Corazón de melón (kohr-ah-SOHN day may-LOHN) = “sweetie pie” (literally “melon heart.”) Guap-o/a (goo-AH-poh/pah) = “handsome” or “beautiful.” Hermos-o/a (ehr-MOH-soh/sah) = “handsome” or “gorgeous.” Lind-o/a (LEEN-doh/dah) = “cute” or “pretty.” Mi alma (mee AHL-mah) = “my soul” or “sweetheart.” Mi amor (mee ah-MOHR) = “my love.” Mi cielo (mee see-AY-loh) = “my sweet” or “my darling” (literally “my sky” or “my heaven”). Mi corazón (mee kohr-ah-SOHN) = “my heart” or “my love.” Mi media naranja (mee MAY-dee-ah nah-RAHN-ha) = “my soulmate” (literally “my half orange”). Mi tesoro (mee tay-SOHR-oh) = “my treasure” or “my darling.” Mi rey / reina (mee ray / ray-EE-nah) = “my king / queen.” Nen-e/a (NAY-nay/nah) = “baby.” Precios-o/a (pray-see-OH-soh/sah) = “precious” or “honey.” Example phrases: Te amo muchísimo, nena = “I love you so much, baby.” ¡Te quiero más que nunca, cariño! = “I love you more than ever, darling!”

Responding to “I Love You” in Spanish

Say Te amo, también or Te amo más if you reciprocate the feelings. If a long-term S.O. or new potential partner tells you that they love you, you can respond in one of the two most common ways: “I love you, too” or “I love you more.” To say “I love you, too” in Spanish, say Te amo, también (tay AH-moh tahm-bee-EHN). To say “I love you more” in Spanish, say Te amo más (tay AH-moh mahs). To extra-emphasize your love, try Te amo más que nadie (Tay AH-moh mahs kay NAH-dee-ay), which translates to “I love you more than anybody / I love you most.”

Say Te quiero como amigo/a if you love this person as a friend. If someone in your life that you care about has expressed their romantic feelings for you but you don’t feel the same, use a kind but firm phrase like Te quiero como amigo/a. This Spanish statement, which is pronounced as tay kee-EHR-oh KOH-moh ah-MEE-goh/gah, means “I love you as a friend.” If the person who expressed their love to you is not someone that you consider a friend or have platonic affection for, you can say something more neutral like Gracias, pero no estoy interesada en ti. (GRAH-see-ahs PEHR-oh no eh-STOY een-tay-ray-SAH-dah en tee). This phrase means “Thanks, but I’m not interested in you.”

Take things to the next level by proposing a date (or marriage!). Depending on the status of your relationship with this person, you can respond to their Spanish “I love you” by asking them to go out with you—or even by asking them to marry you! To ask someone to go out with you in Spanish, say ¿Te gustaría salir conmigo? (tay goos-tah-REE-ah sah-LEER kohn-MEE-goh), which means “Would you like to go out with me?” To ask someone to marry you in Spanish, say ¿Quieres casarte conmigo? (kee-EHR-ace kah-SAHR-tay kohn-MEE-goh), which means “Do you want to marry me?”

Romantic Quotes in Spanish

Put some oomph into your love confession with a romantic Spanish quote. From Pablo Neruda to Rubén Darío, the Spanish language has seen its fair share of ~lovelorn poets~. So, why not borrow some of the poetic lines penned by these Spanish-speaking romantics? Whether you’re writing a letter or preparing a declaration of love for your significant other, include one of these Spanish romance quotes to really blow them away: El amor no tiene edad = “Love has no age.” El amor no se mira, se siente = “Love isn’t seen, it’s felt.” Me enamoro mil veces al día, y siempre de ti = “I fall in love 1000 times a day, and always with you.” Enamórate de ti, de la vida y luego de quien tú quieras = “Fall in love with yourself, then with life, and then with whomever you want.” Te amo más hoy que ayer, pero menos que mañana = “I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.” Si nada nos salva de la muerte, al menos que el amor nos salve de la vida = “If nothing can save us from death, then at least love can save us from life.”