te quiero
/te ˈkjeɾo/
The English phrase "I love you" can be translated into Spanish as te quiero or te amo.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| te quiero | /te ˈkjeɾo/ |
| te amo | /te ˈamo/ |
In Spanish, both phrases are used to express an affirmation of romantic feeling. For instance, you can say Te quiero mucho, mamá to mean "I love you very much, mom" or use Te amo, mami as an expression of affection.
What does it mean word for word?
The literal meaning of te quiero is "I want you", though in a romantic context it is the standard way to say "I love you".
Which one should you use?
te quiero is used for more casual affection, such as with friends, family or in the early stages of a relationship.
How does it change in a sentence?
In both phrases, te is the singular informal object pronoun for "you". If you wish to say "I love you" to a group of people, you must change the pronoun to los (or las for a group of females) to say los amo or los quiero.
How do you pronounce it?
/te ˈkjeɾo/
Did you know?
- In some dialects, people use te adoro as a middle ground between te quiero and te amo to express a deep devotion that is not yet 'eternal' love.
- The pronoun te in these phrases descends from the Latin 'tē', which was the accusative form of 'tū'.
- In some Spanish speaking cultures, te quiero is the primary way to express romantic love, while te amo is reserved for intensely deep, soulmate level connections or poetic writing.
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
- 132 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are having a romantic dinner.
- JavierTe quiero mucho, Sofía.I love you very much, Sofía.
- SofíaY yo te quiero a ti, Javier.And I love you, Javier.
- JavierEres la mujer de mi vida.You are the woman of my life.
- SofíaGracias por decirme eso.Thank you for telling me that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries te quiero, te amo, 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.
