What does 'te' mean

Question

I have only seen it in 'te amo' and 'te quiero' and I have no idea what it means

I want tea! I love tea! Quero te. (té) - epicfail, Jul 15, 2010

Answer 1

It is a personal pronoun, and in both of the sentences you used, it is a direct object pronoun. Answer to your question: The word "te" always refers to "you" informal, or in a friendly manner or situation.

So for your examples,

te amo: the "amo" means "I love" and the "te" means "you". So you get "I love you"

Same generally concept with "te quiero" this is just more of a friendly type of love. (I think, natives please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Spanish just puts the object pronouns in front of the verb (most of the time, but there are exceptions) instead of behind the verb, like we do in English.

Here is a "Spanish 1 understanding" of the basic layout of a Spanish sentence...

Subject + no (if necessary) + Reflexive, Direct object, and Indirect object pronouns (in that order) + verb + everything else.

Sorry, that is probably more info that you wanted. It just seemed like it would clear up any confusion that would later arise. Hope this helps

This is the answer I was looking for :) - Ashliex33, Jul 15, 2010

Glad I could help Ash! And, not to be mean to anyone, but could you please un-accept the answer you picked earlier? Just so that new Spanish learners don't come here and think that the answer is correct when it isn't. - megan5, Jul 16, 2010

Answer 2

Te can be a direct, indirect, or reflexive pronoun for 'you'. In this case, te amo means 'I love you', with te being a direct object pronoun. For more information on these pronouns check out these reference articles by clicking on the links below.

direct object pronouns

indirect object pronouns

reflexive verbs

These are great explanations with excellent examples. Many thanks. - stebbok, Sep 4, 2013

Answer 3

your

No it does not mean "your" - ian-hill, Jul 15, 2010

You fail! - epicfail, Jul 15, 2010

Aw, please be nice, he is a beginner! However, pfish, it would be nice for you to clarify that you are a beginner in your answers, so that people don't accept incorrect answers like this one. Nice try though! Just please say next time that it is... - megan5, Jul 16, 2010

...just a guess. thanks, and welcome to Spanish Dict. - megan5, Jul 16, 2010

Answer 4

ohh..ok thank you