How to Say "I Love You" in Spanish

Quick Answer

I love you. = Te quiero.or Te amo.

young couple holding heart balloons

Te Quiero. vs. Te Amo.

Te quiero (which can be literally translated as I want you) is the most common of these two phrases. You can use it with family members, pets, friends, or significant others.
Te amo is mostly reserved for your media naranja(your other half or special someone). It is normally only used to profess romantic love, although in some countries, such as Mexico, it can also be used with family members.

Share the Love

Other phrases that express love and affection include the following:

Spanish	English	Notes
Te quiero mucho.	I love you a lot. / I really love you.	This is just te quiero kicked up a notch.
TQM	xoxo or lyl	TQM stands for te quiero mucho. It's very common to see this in texts and emails.
Te adoro.	I adore you.	This phrase is similar to te amo in that it is reserved for someone you have romantic feelings for.
Me gustas.	I like you. / I find you attractive.	Commonly used to tell someone you have a crush on them.
Te extraño.	I miss you.	In some countries, such as Spain, you can also say Te echo de menos.
Estoy enamorado de ti.	I'm in love with you.	Use this version if you're male.
Estoy enamorada de ti.	I'm in love with you.	Use this version if you're female.
Besos y abrazos	xoxo	Another common way of ending a message when chatting with friends. You can also use besos(kisses), abrazos(hugs), un beso(literally, a kiss), or un abrazo(literally, a hug).

Singular vs. Plural

You is translated into Spanish in many different ways. Use the handy table below to help you decide which form you need to use.

Form	Used With	Spanish
Te (Informal second person singular)	a single person who is the same age as you or younger	Te quiero.or Te amo.
Lo (Formal second person masculine singular)	a man who is older than you or to whom you want to show respect	Lo quiero.or Lo amo.
La (Formal second person feminine singular)	a woman who is older than you or to whom you want to show respect	La quiero.or La amo.
Los (Second person masculine plural)	a group of men or a group of both men and women	Los quiero.or Los amo.
Las (Second person feminine plural)	a group of women	Las quiero.or Las amo.

examples
Usted sabe que la quiero, Señora Fuentes. You know I love you, Mrs. Fuentes.
¡Los quiero mucho, muchachos! I love you so much, guys!

Want to learn more about direct object pronouns? Check out these articles!

• Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish

• Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns

• Direct Object Pronoun Placement

Terms of Endearment

Spanish is full of great nombres de cariño(terms of endearment) you can use to show your love! Take a look at this list of some of the most common terms of endearment in Spanish:

Spanish	English
amorcito	sweetie or darling
bizcochito	baby cakes
bonito	handsome
bonita	beautiful
cariño	dear or honey
chiquis triquis	honey bunny
corazón de melón	sweetie pie
guapo	cutie or handsome
guapa	cutie
hermoso	handsome
hermosa	gorgeous
lindo	cutie or handsome
linda	cutie or beautiful
mi alma	honey or sweetheart
mi amor	my love
mi cielo	my sweet
mi corazón	honey or sweetheart
mi tesoro	my darling
nene	baby (male)
nena	baby (female)
precioso	honey
preciosa	honey