Q: What is the difference between Te quiero and Te amo in Spanish?

Te quiero and Te amo synonymously translate to ‘I love you’ in English. While both are often used interchangeably in many situations, each has a different level of emotional intensity and has specific contexts of use. Te quiero , literally means ‘I want you’, so its use is more in line with – more often than not – a feeling of affection and desire for someone or something. Te amo , on the other hand, expresses a loftier and more profound feeling of love. To love in the sense of amar in Spanish, signifies an evolved version of love, giving way more mature feelings, such as respect, trust, loyalty, acceptance, giving oneself in full to the other person, etc.

Q: Is saying Te quiero a big deal?

While saying Te quiero (I love you) or Te quiero mucho (I love you very much) in Spanish can have romantic connotations, it is just as often used to express affection and love between friends and family. Te quiero , literally means ‘I want you’, so in the romantic sense, its use is more in line with a feeling of affection and desire for someone or something. To express more depth and profound feelings of love, your go-to would be Te amo , now that’s a bigger deal, even if it would still just as well translate to the English ‘I love you’.

Question 1

What is the difference between Te quiero and Te amo in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

Te quiero and Te amo synonymously translate to ‘I love you’ in English. While both are often used interchangeably in many situations, each has a different level of emotional intensity and has specific contexts of use.

Te quiero, literally means ‘I want you’, so its use is more in line with – more often than not – a feeling of affection and desire for someone or something.

Te amo, on the other hand, expresses a loftier and more profound feeling of love.

To love in the sense of amar in Spanish, signifies an evolved version of love, giving way more mature feelings, such as respect, trust, loyalty, acceptance, giving oneself in full to the other person, etc.

Question 2

Is it amor or amar in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

When used as a verb (‘to love’), the correct term to use in Spanish is amar and as a verb, it is subject to conjugation, like in the example below:

Ella te ama (She loves you).

When used as a noun, the correct term to use in Spanish is amor, like in the example below:

El amor entre hermanos es un vínculo especial. (The love between siblings is a special bond.)

Question 3

Is saying Te quiero a big deal?

Accepted Answer

While saying Te quiero (I love you) or Te quiero mucho (I love you very much) in Spanish can have romantic connotations, it is just as often used to express affection and love between friends and family.

Te quiero, literally means ‘I want you’, so in the romantic sense, its use is more in line with a feeling of affection and desire for someone or something.

To express more depth and profound feelings of love, your go-to would be Te amo, now that’s a bigger deal, even if it would still just as well translate to the English ‘I love you’.

Question 4

How do you say ‘Love to do something’ in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

If you want to express your love for doing something in Spanish, like your love for eating chocolate cupcakes or for going to the beach, the correct term is encanta, from the verb encantar (literally ‘to delight’ and in this context, ‘to like’ or ‘to love’).

Some examples would be:

Me encanta comer magdalenas de chocolate. (I love to eat chocolate cupcakes.)

Nos encanta ir a la playa. (We love to go to the beach.)

Question 5

How to say I love you to a friend in Spanish?

Accepted Answer

When in the friend zone and even with friends and family in general, I love you in Spanish in a non-romantic way is generally expressed by using te quiero.

Te quiero allows for a more versatile use of the phrase ‘I love you’, as it can also have romantic connotations, although of a less profound level and depth than the Spanish phrase Te amo (which also translates to the English I love you).

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