Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| amo-te | /ˈɐ̃.mu.t͡ʃi/ (Brazil) /ˈɐ.mu.tɨ/ (Portugal) |
|
| (eu) te amo | /ˈew t͡ʃi ˈɐ̃.mu/ (Brazil, word by word) | |
| (eu) amo você | /ˈew ˈɐ̃.mu voˈse/ (Brazil, word by word) | Brazil |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. While amo-te can sound poetic and charming, (eu) te amo is a very common way to express this feeling and (eu) amo você serves as a straightforward and direct translation.
Which one should you use?
amo-te is the standard form in Portugal, whereas (eu) te amo is the most common way to say it in spoken Brazilian Portuguese. The form (eu) amo você is also used in Brazil and can sound slightly more direct or formal than (eu) te amo depending on the specific region.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Portugal, European Portuguese speakers generally prefer using amo-te in informal settings. In Brazil, the informal phrase (eu) te amo is more commonly used and (eu) amo você is also a Brazilian Portuguese form.
How does it change in a sentence?
In these phrases, the pronoun eu (I) is often omitted because the verb conjugation amo already indicates the first-person singular. In the phrase (eu) te amo, te is an object pronoun representing "you" in an informal, singular sense. In the phrase (eu) amo você, você acts as the direct object representing "you".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of amo-te is /ˈɐ̃.mu.tʃi/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
When do people say it?
To express intense love in a playful way in Brazil, you might say Te amo pra caramba!, which translates to "I love you so much!"
Did you know?
- The word você used in amo você evolved from the phrase vossa mercee, which literally meant 'your mercy'.
- In Brazilian Portuguese, te amo is grammatically inconsistent because te is an informal pronoun while the verb is used with você, yet this mix is the standard way to say 'i love you'.
- In Brazil, te amo is often used for friends and family, whereas in Portugal amo-te is more strictly reserved for romantic partners.
Examples in context
- Amo-te de todo o coração.I love you with all my heart.Tatoeba #7101021 by iart61, translation #68788 by CK
- Amo-te mais que ontem e menos que amanhã.I love you more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.Tatoeba #2614247 by alexmarcelo, translation #2963419 by marcelostockle
- Amo-te.I love you.Tatoeba #1382784 by tulio, translation #1434 by awael58
- Você é o amor da minha vida.You are the love of my life.
- Eu te amo, meu amor.I love you, my love.
- Filho, eu amo você incondicionalmente.Child, I love you unconditionally.
- Também te amo, mamãe/papai.I love you too, mom/dad.
- Amo você mais do que tudo.I love you more than anything.
- Amo-te para sempre.I love you forever.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Juliana and Gabriel are saying goodbye for the night.
- JulianaBoa noite, Gabriel. Amo-te muito.Good night, Gabriel. I love you very much.
- GabrielEu também te amo, Juliana.I love you too, Juliana.
- JulianaDorme bem, meu amor.Sleep well, my love.
- GabrielTu também. Até amanhã.You too. Until tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i love you” translations and entries amo-te, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (eu, te, amo, você) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amo, te, você, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
