Te quiero or te amo?
| Te quiero | Te amo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | teh KYEH-roh | teh AH-moh |
| Strength | Warm, everyday love | Deep, serious love |
| Partner | Yes, especially early on and in Spain | Yes, once the relationship is serious |
| Family | Yes, the usual choice | Often from parents to children; common with family in much of Latin America |
| Friends | Yes (often te quiero mucho) | Usually too strong |
Te quiero comes from querer, which also means "to want", but in te quiero it means love, not desire. Parents say it to children, friends say it to each other, and couples say it every day.
Te amo comes from amar, "to love". It carries more weight, like saying "I love you" for the first time in English. In Mexico and much of Latin America couples say it freely, and many people say it to their parents and children too.
In Spain, te amo sounds dramatic, like a line from a song or a soap opera. Spanish couples mostly say te quiero, even after years together.
More ways to say I love you
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Te quiero mucho | I love you a lot | Friends, family, partners |
| Te amo con todo mi corazón | I love you with all my heart | Romantic, heartfelt |
| Te adoro | I adore you | Affectionate; used with partners, kids, and close friends |
| Me gustas | I like you | Romantic interest, before "I love you" |
| Me encantas | I really like you | Stronger than me gustas |
| Estoy enamorado de ti | I’m in love with you | Said by a man; a woman says enamorada |
| Eres el amor de mi vida | You’re the love of my life | Romantic, serious |
| Te extraño | I miss you | Latin America |
| Te echo de menos | I miss you | Spain (te extraño is understood too) |
In texts you will see TQM or TKM, short for te quiero mucho.
Saying it to more than one person
To tell a group, like your family or your friends, that you love them:
- Los quiero (Latin America): I love you all.
- Os quiero (Spain): I love you all, using vosotros.
- Los quiero mucho a todos. I love you all very much.
Terms of endearment
Couples rarely use each other’s names. These nicknames go with or without a te quiero:
- Mi amor: my love. The most common, for partners and for children.
- Cariño: sweetheart, darling. Very common in Spain.
- Mi vida: my life.
- Corazón: heart, sweetheart.
- Mi cielo: my sky, my darling.
- Gordo, gorda: literally "fat", but a loving nickname between partners in many Latin American countries, with no insult meant.
To compliment the person too, see beautiful in Spanish.
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Te quiero, mamá. | I love you, Mom. |
| Te amo más que a nada. | I love you more than anything. |
| Nunca te lo he dicho, pero te quiero. | I’ve never told you, but I love you. |
| Buenas noches, mi amor. Te quiero. | Good night, my love. I love you. |
| Me gustas mucho. ¿Quieres salir conmigo? | I really like you. Do you want to go out with me? |
| Te quiero mucho, amiga. | I love you lots, friend. |
| ¡Te extraño! ¿Cuándo vuelves? | I miss you! When are you coming back? |
Sending love at bedtime? See good night in Spanish.
How to reply
- Yo también te quiero. I love you too. (Or Yo también te amo.)
- Y yo a ti. And I (love) you.
- Yo más. Me more. The playful "I love you more."
- Te quiero más. I love you more.
- Yo también. Me too. Short, and perfectly natural.
Common mistakes
- Saying te amo to a friend. It sounds romantic. Say te quiero or te quiero mucho.
- Reading te quiero as "I want you". In this phrase it means I love you. For desire, Spanish uses other words, such as te deseo.
- Me gusta tú. With gustar, the person you like is the subject: me gustas (I like you), not me gusta tú.
- Adding yo every time. Yo te quiero is correct but only needed for emphasis. Te quiero is the normal way.
- Te amo in Spain. It is not wrong, but Spaniards save it for very serious moments. Te quiero is what couples say day to day.