That little thing called love.

Is there anything better than falling in love?

It is well-known that everyone, through history and today, have done many extraordinary things because of love.

Saying ‘I love you’ to someone feels amazing.

This phrase is, without a doubt, the most beautiful phrase in every language.

The Spanish language is the language of passion, and Spanish people are known worldwide for their passion.

That is why students around the world fall in love so easily with Spanish.

Before learning how to say I love you in Spanish, what you must know is that there are tons of ways to express your affection and to say how much you care for someone.

You can express your crush, love, passion, and even enchantment using different words and phrases.

Let’s get started by explaining each and every one of them.

How to say I love you in Spanish

In the first place, those simple phrases ‘Te amo’ and ‘Te quiero.’

There are two ways of telling someone that you love them in Spanish:  ‘Te amo’ and ‘Te quiero.’

But, what is the difference between the two? When should you use the first one, and when the second one? Does the context matter in here, or something else? Let’s find out.

Te amo

In Spanish, love can be measured, indeed. As we already mentioned, the phrase ‘Te amo,’ means ‘I love you.’

However, this is a very serious type of love, a deep love, a grand declaration of true love.

It is mainly used between partners, that is, spouses, and very often used while proposing to someone.

So, take a look at the other phrase, and see for yourself that love can really be measured, then compare it to this one.

The infinitive form is the verb ‘amar,’ ‘to love.’ You can conjugate the verb amar like this:

Te amo - I love you

Os amo - I love you (telling more than one person)

Te amamos - We love you

Os amamos - We love you (telling more than one person).

Te quiero

Another way to say ‘I love you’ is ‘ Te quiero.’

Although it is translated like this, it literally means ‘I want you’ but not in a passionate, lust kind of way but in a romantic way.

This phrase is mainly used when you are in an uncommitted relationship and not necessarily married.

The infinitive form is the verb ‘querer,’ ‘to love.’ This verb’s conjugation is the following:

Te quiero - I love you

Os quiero - I love you (telling more than one person)

Te queremos - We love you

Os queremos - We love you (telling more than one person).

The difference between ‘Te amo’ and ‘Te quiero’

There is no doubt that the phrase ‘Te amo’ is recommended to express deep love.

The phrase ‘ Te quiero’ should be used in relationships in a less extensive way than ‘te amo’ because this phrase is for expressing the highest level of love.

However, both of the phrases are ideal for long-term relationships, so if this is the case with you, you can choose whichever you like.

Some examples

Te quiero/ amo tanto- I love you so much.

Te quiero/ amo con locura- I love you madly

Te querré/ amaré  siempre- I will love you forever

Nunca voy a parar de querer/ amar te- I will never stop loving you

Te quiero/ amo más que mi propia vida- I love you more than my own life

Te quiero/ amo cada día más: I love you more and more every day

No puedo expresar con palabras cuánto te quiero/ amo- Words cannot describe how much I love you.

How to say I love you in Spanish to a boyfriend or a girlfriend

When you want to express your feelings to your boyfriend (novio) or your girlfriend (novia) you should use the second-mentioned phrase, ‘Te quiero.’

It is also ideal to use when dating someone. This way, he or she will know that you have affection towards him/her, but still not planning to propose.

Saying ‘I love you’ to family members

The phrase ‘Te quiero’ is also used between family members. It is important to mention that Spanish people often express their emotions and love between family members whenever they feel the need.

Saying ‘I love you’ to friends

Just like with family members, Spanish also have no problem expressing love between friends, too.

The proper phrase to say ‘I love you’ to your friends is ‘Te quiero.’

Other romantic words in Spanish

There are many more ways to express your feelings and to say you love someone. That the phrase does not necessarily include ‘I love you.’

Espagnols can be proud of many exciting and romantic phrases that do miracles when said in the right moment.

In the following lines, we’ve listed some of them.

I adore you - Te adoro

This phrase is very similar to the one in English, so even if you don’t speak Spanish, you can recognize it quickly.

From the verb ‘adorar’ which means ‘to adore,’ this phrase can be used not only between partners or spouses but also between family members, friends, and everyone you really adore. Simplified, you can use this phrase literally in every situation, just like you use the English version.

‘I like you’ in a cool way

If you haven’t heard, perhaps it is the perfect time to learn this cool phrase – ‘Me caes bien.’

It is translated as “I like you’. It is a phrase that shows your affection to someone, and it clearly indicates that there can also be love somewhere in the near future, but, at the moment, it is too soon to tell something more serious, such as ‘Te quiero.’

I love you with all my heart

In Spanish, this phrase is ‘Te quiero con todo mi corazon.’ One sincere declaration of love that should be used in serious relationships. In Spain, this phrase can be heard on Valentine’s Day a lot.

‘You look wonderful tonight’ in Spanish

Saying ‘Te ves hermoso/ hermosa esta noche’ or ‘You look wonderful tonight’ in English can be listed among romantic phrases even though it can be also a compliment.

Feel free to use this phrase on a first date. It doesn’t sound as committed as the previous one, and it shows you are into that person for sure.

I’m crazy about you. Are you crazy about me?

The phrase ‘I’m crazy about you’ in Spanish can be translated as ‘Estoy loco/loca por ti.’

With this phrase, you can express your feelings in a way that shows that you really care for that person. But, do not say it on the first date.

Spanish or not, it could scare off your date.

What do oranges have to do with love?

Have you heard the phrase ‘Tu eres mi media naranja’?

Do you know what it means?

Do you know that the phrase has a connection to expressing love?

This phrase literally means ‘You are my half orange.’

Of course, this sweet phrase actually means ‘ You are my soul mate,’ or ‘You are my other half.’

Do we need to mention that it could be used if you are in a long-term and serious relationship?

Saying my love, my darling in Spanish

If you want to say ‘My love,’ in Spanish, you should say ‘Mi amor.’ For the phrase ‘My darling,’ there is an equivalent ‘Mi cariño.’

If you want to say something more than usual, these are most commonly used between partners in Spanish speaking countries.

‘My sky’ expressing love in Spanish

Perhaps in English, it can be a little odd, but in Spanish, the phrase ‘ Mi cielo,’ or literally translated ‘My sky,’ refers to expressing all the love you have for your partner.

As the previous phrases, this one is also very often used. So, if you want to use this phrase, just say ‘ Tu eres mi cielo’ which means ‘ You are my sky,’ or ‘ You mean the world to me.’

The question: Do you want to marry me?

In order to get to the point when you tell your partner ‘Te amo,’ you should first think if they are really your ‘media naranja.’

After all those steps, and your decision to spend the life with that person, you should learn the following phrase: ‘¿Quieres casarte conmigo?’

After this one, every other phrase will be easy to use.

More romantic phrases in Spanish

As you already know, a language with such a passion for expressing love and affection will surely have tons of other ways to say I love you. Here are more romantic phrases worth learning and using:

Estoy completamente enamorado/a de ti - I am totally in love with you

Eres el amor de mi vida - You are the love of my life

Eres el hombre/ la mujer de mis sueños - You are the man/ woman of my dreams

Quiero estar contigo para siempre - I want to be with you forever

Pienso en ti siempre - I always think of you

Siempre pienso en ti -  I am always thinking of you

Me haces feliz - You make me happy

Me gustas mucho - I like you a lot

Me encantas - You fascinate me

¿Me quieres/amas? - Do you love me?

Te necesito. - I need you.

Yo también te amo. - I love you, too.

Some heart-broken phrases

Broken heart is something most of us go through.

After that horrible feeling of a broken heart, we all come out as winners, and with a little more experience.

We hope we won’t have to go through it again.

But, just in case you do, we’ve prepared some not so romantic, but love-related phrases in Spanish:

¿Qué nos ha pasado? - What has happened to us?

Me haces sentir tan celoso/a - You make me so jealous.

¿Cómo pudiste dejar de quererme/amarme? - How could you stop loving me?

¿Por qué ya no me quieres/amas? - Why don’t you love me anymore?

Te echo de menos - I miss you.

Tengo el corazón roto - I have a broken heart.

Me has roto el corazón - You have broken my heart.

Sin ti no soy nada - Without you I am nothing.

Final thoughts

We hope these phrases will help you with your crush, or perhaps your ‘media naranja.’

They are quite handy so make sure you memorize them. 

 If you're interested in learning more Spanish, or just expanding your "Love vocabulary" a bit more, I would recommend to do a Online Spanish video course or take Online Spanish lessons.

If you're looking for a more "on the go" method to learn Spanish, the language learning app Babbel is a fun and less time consuming way to improve your vocabulary.

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Is I love you in Spanish te amo or te quiero?

I love you in Spanish is Te amo and Te quero.

Is Te Quiero serious?

Te quero is usually used to express love for your family, while Te amo is more romantic love.

What is the meaning of te amo mucho?

Te amo mucho means I love you so much.

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