What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I love you all," where los is the direct object pronoun for "you (plural)" and a todos emphasizes "everyone".
Which one should you use?
While Los quiero a todos is the standard way to express affection for friends and family, using the verb amar in the phrase Los amo a todos conveys a much deeper, more intense or even romantic level of love.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, when speaking to a group of people informally, you should use the pronoun os instead of los. Therefore, you would say Os quiero a todos or Os quiero mucho. Other regional variations used in Spain include Os amo a todos and Os quiero mucho.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the group you are addressing consists entirely of women, you must change the masculine Los to the feminine Las and change todos to todas, resulting in Las quiero a todas.
How do you pronounce it?
/los kjeɾo a todos/
Did you know?
- While querer means 'to want' in most contexts, in the phrase Los quiero a todos it specifically expresses affection. In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying te quiero is the standard way to tell a partner 'I love you' without the heavy weight of te amo.
- If you address a group of a hundred women and just one man, you must switch from Las quiero a todas back to Los quiero a todos.
- The pronoun los used to point out 'you all' actually descends from the Latin 'illōs', a word used to point out 'those' people.
Examples in context
- Gracias por venir, los quiero a todos.Thanks for coming, I love y'all.
- Son una gran familia, los quiero a todos.You are a great family, I love y'all.
Example conversation
Mateo is saying goodbye to Lucía and their friends at a party.
- MateoYa me voy, los quiero a todos.I'm leaving now, I love y'all.
- LucíaNosotros también te queremos, Mateo.We love you too, Mateo.
- Mateo¡Nos vemos la próxima semana!See you next week!
- Lucía¡Cuídate mucho, adiós!Take care, bye!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
