Valentine's Tradition: How To Declare Oneself
SpanishDict Friends…
It's been awhile since I've visited, and I used to be a regular here. Today, being Valentine's Day, in the U.S. anyway, I've been thinking about this Spanish romance tradition that my Ecuadorian-born ex-husband told me about when he was trying to woo me.
He explained that there was the Spanish tradition of a man to "declare himself" to a woman...his love, his admiration, his devotion. It's really nice to be on the receiving end of this. This isn't really done in the U.S. where there is more than enough ambiguity between the sexes regarding romance. It is something that I always appreciated about the Spanish culture and felt that it was a welcome relief from not knowing where you stand.
Now I'm not sure how say describe this tradition in Spanish, although I understand the word to be "declarer(se)."
Could people who know better how this tradition is used, please explain it, use the word in a sentence or give an example of a declaration that might be appropriate for Valentine's Day? It seems like something worth appreciating.
Then, all you guys out there, try it out today and report back about how it went…in either language.
Muchismas gracias por todo.
4 Answers
We can say:
Me declaro a ti
A ti me declaro
Me declaro enamorado de ti
And you are right that in Spanish culture - and others as well - there is no battle of the sexes with the attempt of creating of a society without gender as in English culture. It´s a shame that this "political correctness" nonsense in English culture disallows me from complimenting a woman on her appearance. In Spanish culture this kind of compliment done in a respectful way is always appreciated just like a declaration of love.
To experience earth-shaking love this Valentine's Day, check out this link.
http://www.networkwellnesscharlotte.com/experience-earth-shaking-love-this-valentines-day/
Siento deciros que esa tradición tan romántica en España se está perdiendo. No digo que los hombres no sigan declarándose a sus prometidas, pero no como antaño. Y de hecho, también son ellas las que se declaran a ellos.
La visión que tiene Susy sobre la relación entre un hombre y una mujer, en España sería...digamos controvertida. Para empezar, al hablar de pareja ya no nos referimos a un hombre y una mujer, sino a dos personas que están juntas (2 hombres, 2 mujeres o 1 hombre y una mujer). En cuanto a los roles de cada uno, seguramente esa distinción que plantea ganaría muchas críticas, no sólo de las feministas, sino de otras mujeres e incluso de hombres. Sería interesante que alguna forera española lo explicara desde su punto de vista (yo tengo mi opinión, pero me la reservo).
De todas formas, lo que sí se sigue valorando es que el hombre sea romántico y detallista...y la mujer también.
So, is it inappropriate for a woman to declare herself to a man, or is this done?
It seems as if sylon1976 is okay with this. I would like to hear from others, too. Please, answer quickly because Valentine's Day is waning and I might get up my courage.
