Romance in Spanish
Spanish is a much more romantic language than English. You can say many more sweet things in Spanish and express more feelings, than in English.
For example, in Spanish we have different “levels of love”:
- ME GUSTAS
- TE QUIERO
- TE AMO
ME GUSTAS
When you like someone, you would tell them: Me gustas
Now, you need to be careful using the verb gustar when you are talking about people.
Usually in English when you think someone is cool, you would use “I like them”. For example, your neighbor called Juana is cool, you like her as your friend; you would say: “I like Juana, she’s fun” (in a friendly way). This wouldn’t mean that you are attracted to Juana, only that you think she is cool. You would say the same about other people that you find cool: the school bus driver, the teacher, the baker, your friends etc.
Problem is, if you are attracted to Juana, you would probably also say “I like Juana” (in a romantic way).
BUT
If you attempt to say these in Spanish be careful not to use the verb gustar in both occasions.
If you are attracted to someone, then yes, use -gustar:
- A mi me gusta Juana (I like Juana, I am attracted to her)
- Me gustas (I like you, in a romantic way)
If you just think that someone is cool use instead –caer bien:
- A mi me cae bien Juana (I like Juana, in a non-romantic way)
- Me caes bien (I like you, as a friend)
The conjugation of this verb is like any other verb with an indirect object: a mí me cae bien Juana, a ti te cae bien Juana, a él le cae bien Juana, a nosotros nos cae bien Juana, a ustedes les cae bien Juana, a ellos les cae bien Juana.
EXCEPTIONS
If you like someone because of their perfomance, or they way they do things, then use gustar for that
For example:
- Me gusta el presidente (I like the president, as in: I think he is good)
- No me gusta el alcalde (I don’t like the mayor)
- A mi mama le gusta su nuevo peluquero (My mom likes her new hairdresser)
TE QUIERO
In Spanish we don’t go from “I like you” to “I love you”
When we start having feelings for a person, but we are not quite ready for the “I love you” stage, we say: “Te quiero”, or “Te quiero mucho”
Now, “te quiero” can be tricky to understand, because you would think of it as “I want you” But it is not quite like that. It is more like, I have feelings for you, it’s a small “I love you” but not as strong.
Between friends that are very close and care about each other a lot, we would also use “Te quiero”
TE AMO
I love you. The “Te amo” moment is very important in relationships; it is a whole new stage. It indicates a very strong feeling and shouldn’t be used vaguely.
NOTE: When you want to say that you love something, like chocolate: I love chocolate! -use the verb encantar:
For example:
- Me encanta el chocolate
- Me encantan las flores
RELATIONSHIPS
When you have a amiga/o con derechos (friend with benefits), one way to call it is: amigovio or amigovia (although it is a bit cheesy)
When you’re dating someone and make it official, it means that: Ustedes son novios (You guys are boyfriend and girlfriend)
Ser novios means to be a couple
For example:
- Nosotros somos novios hace dos años (we have been boyfriend and girlfriend for 2 years)
It may sound strange in English, but it is very common in Spanish.
Cuando te casas (When you get married), we say that we are married WITH someone, not TO someone:
- Carolina está casada con Juan (Carolina is married to Juan)
- Yo me voy casar con Lucas (I´m going to marry Lucas)
PHRASES TO USE WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER
Te pienso mucho (I think about you a lot)
Te extraño (I miss you)
Me haces falta (I miss you)
They both mean the same and are equally used.
Eres muy especial (You are very special)
Eres lo mejor que me ha pasado (You are the best thing that ever happened to me)
Soy muy feliz contigo (I am very happy with you)
Estoy loca/o por ti (I’m crazy about you)
Estoy enamorada/o de ti (I am in love with you)
Questions? Leave a comment