6 ways to say mi amor – my love in Spanish + important love phrases (w/ AUDIO) 💗

Spanish has a reputation of being a romantic language. 💗

So, do you want to impress your crush with a couple of frases de amor (love phrases)? Do you want to know how to say my love in Spanish? Well, this article will certainly provide you with a couple of tricks and tips to do that!

Here’s an overview of which chunks you can expect from this article:

And now, let’s learn all the differences between these terms and some other important Spanish love terms!

1. Difference between Te quiero and Te amo in Spanish

You should know that Spanish may express love in two different ways: “Te quiero” and “Te amo”. What’s the difference between them? And how can you truly say my love in Spanish?

If translated literally, “Te quiero” would mean “I want you”, but Spanish speakers use it to say “I care about you” to a friend or a relative. In contrast, “Te amo” is used with people someone is really close to, like a significant other, but never say “Te amo” on the first date…

That would be raro (weird). 🙈

On a first date, you may say “Me gustas” (I like you) or “Me gustas mucho” (I really like you), but if you just met someone who you know may become un buen amigo o una buena amiga (a good girl or boy friend), you should say “Me caes bien” (I like you in a non-romantic way).

2. A bit of grammar about Spanish love phrases

In the following examples, notice that the preposition “a” (which means “to”) has been added to talk about loving someone:

• Amo a mi mamá (I love my mom!)
• Cory ama a Jagger (Cory loves Jagger)
• Yo quiero mucho a mis amistades de la infancia (I care about my childhood friends).

However, when you are talking directly to the person that you love or like, there’s no need for a preposition:

• Me caes muy bien (I like you a lot)
• Querida, te amo (Dear, I love you)
• Mamá, ¡te amo! (Mom,  I love you!)
• Me gustas mucho. ¿Quisieras salir conmigo? (I really like you. Would you like to go on a date with me?) 

3. Spanish love terms to talk about your significant other

If you want to impress your partner with your new Spanish, you should learn the correct way to call them: 

• Esposa – Wife
• Esposo – Husband (another word for husband is marido)
• Novia – Girlfriend
• Novio – Boyfriend. 

You could also just say pareja, which means partner.

4. How to say my love in Spanish: mi amor, cariño, corazón…

Tired of saying baby or darling all the time? Spanish allows you to be a lot more romantic with the following expressions for ‘my love in Spanish’:

• Mi amor – my love
• Cariño mío – my darling
• Mi cielo – my sky (this is a literal translation, but it’s a synonym of darling) 
• Mi vida / vida mía – my life 
• Corazón mío – my heart 
• Mi rey / mi reina – my king / my queen

5. Important Spanish love phrases

If you want to keep impressing your friends or your significant other, here’s a whole set of frases de amor (love phrases): 

When you miss somebody, you may say: Te extraño mucho (I really miss you).

If you are want things to get serious with your date, you should say:

• ¿Quieres ser mi novia? (Would you be my girlfriend?)
• ¿Quieres ser mi novio? (Would you be my boyfriend? 

For a more romantic approach: 

• Me has robado el corazón – You have stolen my heart.
• Estoy loco por ti / Esto loca por ti – I’m crazy about you (if you are a man you should use “loco“, but if you are a woman, you should say “loca“)
• ¿Te puedo dar un beso? – May I kiss you? 

6. Regional differences: where should you say what about your love? 

Depending on the country 🌎, you may use or remove the possessive pronoun “mi” in expressions like “Mi Corazón” (My dear) or “Mi amor” (My love in Spanish). Therefore, you may simply say “Corazón” or “Amor” to get you significant other’s attention.

In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, “mi amor” is commonly used to address people close to you:

• family,
• friends,
• or even acquaintances.

In Spain, people use this expression to refer to their partners, but also to their loved ones (like children).

Another small difference is how to say “I miss you”: in Spain, it is more common to say “Te echo de menos” instead of “Tex extraño“, which is widely used in Latin America.

In regions like Peru, Panama, and Cuba, instead of saying “novio” (boyfriend) or “novia” (girlfriend), people talk about their “Enamorado” (when their significant other is a man) or “Enamorada” (when their significant other is a woman).

These terms translate into “The one I am in love with”, isn’t this sweet?