Spanish is one of the most romantic languages I know. It has a beautiful, sensual rhythm. This impression is obviously strongly influenced by Spanish culture and the emotional style of interaction that’s very usual for Spaniards.
Spaniards kiss and touch each other a lot. Friends and acquaintances are greeted with warm kisses on the cheek. The number and form of kisses may vary according to the region and degree of closeness. Sometimes kisses are given also when meeting someone for the first time – especially when a woman is introduced to a woman or when you are introduced to a member of the opposite sex by a mutual acquaintance.
In addition to kissing, touching and gentle teasing, emotions are expressed also by speaking beautifully. There are countless beautiful ways to express infatuation, love and longing, and we are going to present some of the most popular ones here.
Easy and innocent ”Me gustas”
One of the most difficult structures for beginners in Spanish is the expression ”me gustas” (=I like you) where the verb is conjugated in second person singular (you) instead of the first person singular (I). The “I” in this sentence is actually an object and this is why it is declined to its accusative form: “me”. If this structure feels difficult to grasp, try translating it into “you please me”.
Another option to express liking is the expression ”me caes bien”, that uses the same structure: the subject of the sentence is second person (you) and the object first person (I).
More serious confessions of love and longing
If infatuation doesn’t cover it, you are going to need these:
- estoy enamorado (=I am in love)
- estoy pensando en ti (=I am thinking of you)
- te quiero (=I love you)
- te amo (=I love you)
- te adoro (=I adore you)
- te echo de menos (=I miss you)
- bésame (=kiss me)
- no puedo vivir sin ti (=I can’t live without you)
Lovely terms of endearment
Spoken Spanish is often sprinkled with wonderful terms of endearment that Spaniards use while talking to their spouses, children, friends, neighbors and sometimes even complete strangers on the street.
Spanish equivalents for the traditional “honey” are nene / nena and cariño / carina. Also guapo / guapa (=handsome / beautiful) are very popular. Other much used terms of endearment include:
- mi amor (=my love)
- mi vida (=my life)
- mi cielo (=my heaven)
- mi alma (=my soul)
- mi corazón (=me heart)
- mi rey / reina (=my king / queen)
- gordo / gorda (=fatty)
Many Spaniards address their loved ones with different variations of the words papá and mamá, like papi / mami or papito / mamita. Especially girls and women are often addressed with cute terms of endearment like muñeca (=doll), chiquita or pequeña (=little one).
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