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.

Share the Love

Other phrases that express love and affection include the following:

SpanishEnglishNotes
Te quiero mucho.
I love you a lot. / I really love you.This is just te quiero kicked up a notch.
TQM
xoxo or lylTQM 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
xoxoAnother 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.

FormUsed WithSpanish
Te (Informal second person singular)a single person who is the same age as you or youngerTe quiero.or Te amo.
Lo (Formal second person masculine singular)a man who is older than you or to whom you want to show respectLo quiero.or Lo amo.
La (Formal second person feminine singular)a woman who is older than you or to whom you want to show respectLa quiero.or La amo.
Los (Second person masculine plural)a group of men or a group of both men and womenLos quiero.or Los amo.
Las (Second person feminine plural)a group of womenLas 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:

SpanishEnglish
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

Let’s take a look at a few examples!

examples
Te quiero tanto, preciosa.
I love you so much, honey.
Te amo más que nunca, nene.
I love you more than ever, baby.