te amo
/te ˈamo/
In Spanish, "I love you" is expressed as te amo. Wiktionary also lists te quiero.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| te amo | /te ˈamo/ |
| te quiero | /te ˈkjeɾo/ |
The phrase is an affirmation of romantic feeling. While te amo is used for deep, romantic or intense love, using it with a casual acquaintance or a new acquaintance can be perceived as overly intense or heavy.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the two main forms based on the intensity of the emotion. Te amo is used for deep, romantic or intense love. In contrast, te quiero is used for friends, family or in the earlier stages of a romantic relationship.
How does it change in a sentence?
In both phrases, te is the informal object pronoun meaning "you". In te amo, amo is the first-person singular present tense of the verb amar. In te quiero, quiero is the first-person singular present tense of the verb querer.
How do you pronounce it?
/te ˈamo/
Did you know?
- While te quiero means 'I love you' to many, its literal translation is 'I want you', which can sound more demanding or sexual in English than it does in Spanish.
- The word te comes from the Latin tē, which evolved from the Proto-Indo-European root *twé.
- Because te amo is so heavy, a Spanish speaker might use the phrase te adoro instead to express intense devotion without the overwhelming weight of 'eternal' romantic love.
Examples in context
- Sé que te amo.I know I love you.Tatoeba #2412405 by marcelostockle, translation #2375989 by CK
- Te amo, tesoro mío.I love you, sweetheart.Tatoeba #1277931 by marcelostockle, translation #139171 by fengrim
- Te amo tal como sos.I love you just as you are.Tatoeba #998944 by hayastan, translation #386518 by Dorenda
- Hola María, quería decirte que te quiero mucho. Eres una amiga increíble y siempre estás ahí para mí.Hi María, I wanted to tell you that I love you a lot. You're an incredible friend and always there for me.
- Buenos días, señor Martínez. Le tengo mucho cariño como amigo y quiero agradecerle por su apoyo constante.Good morning, Mr. Martínez. I hold a lot of affection for you as a friend and want to thank you for your constant support.
- 132 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are having a romantic dinner.
- MateoMaría, te amo mucho.María, I love you very much.
- MaríaYo también te amo, Mateo.I love you too, Mateo.
- MateoEres lo más importante para mí.You are the most important thing to me.
- MaríaSiempre estaremos juntos.We will always be together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries te amo, te quiero, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amo, te, te amo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
