te amo
/te ˈamo/
In Spanish, 'I love you' is said 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/ |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic or affectionate feelings toward someone.
Which one should you use?
While both phrases express affection, te amo is used for deep, intense or romantic love. In contrast, te quiero is a more casual or affectionate way to say 'I love you' or 'I like you a lot', often used for friends, family or in the earlier stages of a romantic relationship.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form te amo uses the informal 'tú' object pronoun. If you want to change the meaning to 'I love him' or 'I love her', you change the object pronoun te to lo (masculine) or la (feminine).
How do you pronounce it?
/te ˈamo/
Did you know?
- Spanish has a distinct way of expressing 'I love you' for objects or hobbies using the verb encantar, which differs entirely from the verbs used for people.
- The word amo is also the Spanish word for 'master' or 'owner', though it is used here as a first-person verb form.
- The verb querer in te quiero literally means 'to want' or 'to desire', making the phrase closer to 'I want you' in a literal sense.
Examples in context
- Sé que te amo.I know I love you.The first sentence is useful for practicing the use of te amo in a statement.Tatoeba #2412405 by marcelostockle, translation #2375989 by CK
- Te amo, tesoro mío.I love you, sweetheart.The second sentence is useful for seeing how te amo is used with an endearment.Tatoeba #1277931 by marcelostockle, translation #139171 by fengrim
- Te amo tal como sos.I love you just as you are.The third sentence is useful for expressing unconditional love using te amo.Tatoeba #998944 by hayastan, translation #386518 by Dorenda
- ¡Hola Ana! ¡Te quiero mucho!Hi Ana! I love you a lot!
- Abuela, te amo con todo mi corazónGrandma, I love you with all my heart
- Eres mi vidaYou are my life
- Eres el amor de mi vidaYou are the love of my life
- Estoy enamorado(a) de tiI'm in love with you
- 132 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is having a quiet dinner at home.
- MaríaJavier, te amo mucho.Javier, I love you very much.
- JavierY yo también te amo, María.And I love you too, María.
- MaríaEres el hombre de mi vida.You are the man of my life.
- JavierGracias por decirme eso.Thank you for telling me that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries te amo, te quiero, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
