te quiero or te amo?

Question

What is the difference between te quiero or te amo? Do they both mean I love you, or are there different meanings?

Answer 1

Te quiero, unlike te amo, has a few different connotations, where as te amo only has 2. Te quiero can mean come here, or I want you (to be my girl), depending on context. Te amo can be either I love you or I hate you. Just as in english I love you can be I love you or I hate you. My wife is quite fond of saying "oh, that's nice"...but that is certainly not what she means when she say's it. Sometimes when I'm making her crazy she'll say, "I love you", but I can assure you, at that particular moment, she's not loving me very much! Same in spanish!

so te quiero mucho would mean I want you a lot? And if you're saying to a friend I love you, which form would you use? - shan3newt, Sep 12, 2009

Te quiero mucho is more lusty. That's more like "tengo ganas 'pa tenerte." To a good friend, platonic, you can say Te amo, but and everyday thing would be eres mi corazon. - ChamacoMalo, Sep 12, 2009

Answer 2

Have a look at previous threads, thanks.

TE quiero mucho: I love you a lot

Te amo used in American countries.

what-is-the-romantic-way-to-say-that-you-love-someone

Answer 3

That question pops up here about once a week. Search previous topics using keywords querer and amar and you should find adequate explanations.