amo los gatos
/amo los ɡatos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I love cats" is translated into Spanish as amo los gatos.
The phrase is used to express a strong affection for cats in general. While amo los gatos is grammatically correct, native speakers more commonly use me encantan los gatos to express a strong liking for something.
Which one should you use?
The verb amar is very intense and is often reserved for deep romantic love or profound, serious devotion. In contrast, encantar is the standard way to say you "love" a hobby, an object or an animal.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing love for animals as if they were sentient beings or pets, it is common to include the personal a before the object, resulting in amo a los gatos.
How do you pronounce it?
/amo los ɡatos/
Did you know?
- The verb encantar actually functions like the verb 'to enchant', meaning that when you say me encantan los gatos, you are literally saying 'the cats enchant me'.
- While amo los gatos uses a direct object, adding the 'personal a' to create amo a los gatos treats the cats as individuals with personalities and souls rather than just a species.
- The word amo shares its root with the Latin 'amare', which is the same ancestor for the English word 'amorous'.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are looking at photos of pets.
- DanielMira mi mascota, amo los gatos.Look at my pet, I love cats.
- MaríaYo también, son muy lindos.Me too, they are very cute.
- DanielTengo tres gatos en mi casa.I have three cats in my house.
- María¡Qué suerte tienes, Daniel!How lucky you are, Daniel!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amo, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
