10 Ways to Profess Your Love in Spanish

Are you feeling fireworks with a special Spanish-speaking someone and ready to confess your love? We are here to help with ten different ways (and songs) to say “I Love You” to your amor in Spanish.

Anyone who has been to a Spanish-speaking country will surely agree upon one thing-it’s just the right mix of spicy and sweet (and we’re not just talking about the food). 

Latin culture is warm and welcoming (hint: mi casa es tu casa is definitely a thing) and people are affectionate, passionate and always up for a little fiesta. It’s a seductive mix sure to woo you and leave you in love – with the culture or maybe even a special Spanish-speaking someone. If you have a fuego growing in your heart and are ready to say it, we are here to help with ten ways to say “I love you” in Spanish.   

Te amo

This is the literal way to say “I love you” in Spanish, but it should be used with a little bit of caution. Te amo implies a deep, tried-and-true feeling of love and is a serious proclamation not to be thrown around town. It is a phrase used mostly between couples to confess an undying and everlasting love (think marriage proposal or anniversary). 

🎵Yo te amo, Chayanne

Te quiero

Even though te quiero literally translates to “I want you”, it is actually a more casual way to say “I love you”. In English, the translation has a bit of a lusty sound, but rest assured that isn’t the case in Spanish. Te quiero can be used with everyone-from friends and family to lovers and significant others. 

🎵Te quiero, Ricardo Arjona

Te quiero tanto/mucho

If you are really feeling the love, but aren’t ready to say te amo, you can simply add a mucho or tanto to the end of te quiero. The addition of the adverbs changes the phrase to “I love you so much” and it is perfect for expressing a feeling of sweet and tender love with family, a partner or close friends. 

🎵Te quiero tanto, tanto, OV7

Te adoro

Te adoro literally translates to “I adore you” in English, but it’s more in line with te quiero mucho than a serious te amo. Te adoro is a cute way to emphasize how much you love someone without entering into deep love declaration territory. It’s used mostly between couples, but it can also be showered upon family members. 

🎵Yo más te adoro, Morat

Me gustas

If you just started seeing someone and you want them to know that you like them, but maybe don’t love them (just yet…), then this is the phrase for you! It means “I like you” and is a low-key way of expressing your affection in the early days of dating. It’s also a great way to let someone (that friend who gives you butterflies) know that you are catching feelings. 

🎵Me gustas tú, Manu Chao

Me vuelves loco/loca

Falling in love can feel passionate, intense…and maybe sometimes a little bit crazy. Me vuelves loco/loca, which means “you make me crazy”, embodies that feeling of crazy love. If you hear those three little words, it’s usually a good thing, unless you are in the middle of a heated argument. In that case, it means “you drive me crazy”, albeit not in a good way.  

🎵Dueño de ti, Sergio Vega

Estoy loco/loca por ti

Sometimes cupid hits hard with his arrow oozing with amor, but even so, it might be best to hold off using this phrase too early in the dating game. Estoy loco/loca por ti means “I’m crazy about you” and it’s definitely overkill for a first date. Once you’ve gotten to know one another, it’s fair game. If you play your cards right, it will most likely earn you a kiss! 

🎵X ti lo digo, Juan Duque 

Soy tuyo/tuya

This phrase, which means “I’m yours”, is a sweet way of telling someone they have captured your heart. It would be the perfect end to a romantic dinner or a Valentine’s Day note. 

🎵Soy tuyo, Andrés Calamaro

Eres el amor de mi vida

This expression translates to “You are the love of my life” and sits up near te amo. It’s a strong declaration of love used between romantic partners and reserved for that special someone. If you are unsure whether you are ready to call someone the amor de tu vida, give Maluma’s love ballad ADMV (amor de mi vida) a good listen.

🎵ADMV, Maluma

Te tengo mucho cariño

It’s been a couple of dates and you aren’t really catching the love vibes…but the person across the table from you is feeling the love vibes mucho. You want to let them down gently and this phrase is the perfect way to do so. Cariño means “tenderness” or “affection” and so the entire phrase translates to “I care about you”. It’s affection in a platonic sense and is rarely used in romantic situations. It’s a great gentle let-down if you are in need of one.

Spanish terms of endearment

Who doesn’t love a good nickname? Here are a few common terms of endearment that can be used with anyone-well, romantic partners, family and close friends that is. We wouldn’t recommend using any of these terms in a business meeting or in the boardroom…

Mi amor: my love

Mi corazón: my sweetheart

Mi querido/querida: my darling

Mi vida: my life

Mi cielo: my heaven (to make it even cuter you say cielito)

Cariño: my dear (you can also say cari for short)

Mi alma: my soul

Mi rey/reina: my king/queen

Mi tesoro: my treasure

Bebé: baby

Now that you are fluent in the language of love, check out our online Spanish courses so you can keep the conversation (and that hot fuego) going strong.

Related articles:

• A beginner’s guide to learning Spanish
• 10 valuable reasons to learn Spanish