qué es el amor
/ke es el amoɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase "what is love" is translated as qué es el amor.
This phrase is used to ask a question regarding the definition or the essential nature of the feeling of love.
What does it mean word for word?
The literal translation is "what is the love". This is because Spanish typically uses the definite article el when discussing abstract concepts like love.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you may use ¿Cómo se define el amor? to mean "How is love defined?" In Spain, one might use ¿En qué consiste el amor? to mean "What does love consist of?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, a question must begin with an inverted question mark (¿) and end with a standard question mark (?).
How do you pronounce it?
/ke es el amoɾ/
Did you know?
- While amor refers to the abstract concept in qué es el amor, Spanish speakers often use the verb querer to express love for friends and family, which literally means 'to want'.
- Although the word el sounds identical to the Arabic definite article al, it actually comes from the Latin word ille, meaning 'that one'.
- In Spanish literature and music, the concept of el amor is frequently personified, treated as if it were a living, breathing character that can be both cruel and fickle.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué es el amor? A decir verdad, yo aún no sé lo que es.What is love? To tell the truth, I still don't know what it is.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal lack of understanding of the nature of love using qué es el amor.Tatoeba #1812777 by marcelostockle, translation #1812739 by Amastan
- ¿Qué es el amor?What is love?This is a simple example of the question qué es el amor.Tatoeba #502366 by claudirvz, translation #515085 by tamsanh
- ¿Qué es el amor según los poetas?What is love according to the poets?
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are discussing a romantic novel in a cafe.
- MateoSofía, ¿qué es el amor para ti?Sofía, what is love to you?
- SofíaEs un sentimiento muy profundo, Mateo.It is a very deep feeling, Mateo.
- MateoPero, ¿qué es el amor en realidad?But, what is love in reality?
- SofíaEs cuidar de la otra persona.It is taking care of the other person.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amor, el, es, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
