amante
/aˈmante/feminine, masculine
The Spanish word for lover is amante.
In a romantic context, amante refers to a sexual partner. When you want to express that you are a lover of a specific thing, such as a hobby or food, use the construction amante de [something].
Meaning: sexual partner (noun)
Which one should you use?
While amante can be used to mean a lover of an interest or object, using the word to describe a person in a romantic context almost always implies a sexual partner, often specifically one involved in an extramarital affair.
How does it change in a sentence?
amante is an epicene noun, which means it maintains the same form for both masculine and feminine genders.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈmante/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use amante to describe a romantic partner in a non-sexual sense. In Spanish, the word carries a strong connotation of an affair or an illicit relationship.
Did you know?
- In classical Spanish literature, amante was often used to describe the 'suffering lover' in courtly love traditions, regardless of whether the relationship was illicit.
- If you want to say you 'love' a hobby without using amante, you can use the verb encantar, which literally means 'to enchant', suggesting the hobby has a magical hold on you.
- The word amante is grammatically related to the English word 'amatory', which pertains to sexual love or desire.
Examples in context
- Mi amante no me ama.My lover doesn't love me.This sentence demonstrates a romantic context using amante.Tatoeba #1115768 by marcelostockle, translation #759678 by Martha
- Él es un amante del pan.He's a bread lover.This sentence shows how to express being a lover of a food using amante.Tatoeba #1241315 by marcelostockle, translation #1241224 by Scott
- Soy el amante de las lenguas.I am the language lover.This sentence illustrates being a lover of a subject using amante.Tatoeba #8775468 by User87977, translation #8775467 by User87977
- Ella es mi compañera sentimental desde hace cinco años.She has been my romantic partner for five years.
- Ella tiene un amante que la visita los fines de semana.She has a lover who visits her on weekends.
- Mi enamorado me llevó a cenar en nuestro aniversario.My boyfriend took me out for dinner on our anniversary.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are discussing a dramatic secret in a movie.
- SofíaElla tiene un amante en secreto.She has a secret lover.
- DanielNo puede ser, ella está casada.That can't be, she is married.
- SofíaSí, pero él es su amante.Yes, but he is her lover.
- DanielQué historia tan complicada.What a complicated story.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lover” translations and entries amante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
