Te quiero, pero no te amo

[Caballero]

Lo he oído en una telenovela. ?Cúal es la diferencia entre los dos?

[chileno]

In this case, that there is a dear affinity, but it isn't love like for lovers.

I love you, but not like that... if you know what I mean by "that"

[Caballero]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

In this case, that there is a dear affinity, but it isn't love like for lovers.

I love you, but not like that... if know what I mean by "that"

I wonder why they got married then...(and it wasn't necessary. She wasn't pregnant or anything.)

[Cuholvke]

Escrito originalmente por Caballero

I wonder why they got married then...(and it wasn't necessary. She wasn't pregnant or anything.)

Precisely because it is a "telenovela" or "culebrón" as we call it here, were the creators adds drama to everything. You will find a lot of situations like "Why she got married with this sadistic guy if she was pregnant of that other good guy that she loved so much." and so.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Escrito originalmente por Caballero

Lo he oído en una telenovela. ¿Cúal Cuál es la diferencia entre los dos?

Apart from the possibility Chileno described, there is also a matter of intensity.
"Querer" is much less than "amar" when talking about a love relationship.
In a telenovela, she might have thought she was in love enough to get married, until she met someone else with whom she'd fall deeply in love.

[Caballero]

So is it kind of insulting to say to someone "Te quiero" instead of "Te amo"?

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por Caballero

So is it kind of insulting to say to someone "Te quiero" instead of "Te amo"?

Not at all.

What happens is that "te quiero" and "te amo" both mean "I love you", but it would be difficult to tell a friend "te amo".
"Te quiero then is used most for everything and people parse it.

If I told you "te quiero" is because I appreciate you as a friend, but if I tell my girlfriend "te quiero" I really mean "te amo".

Does it make any sense?

[caliber1]

Estaba manejando con mi amigo, y yo escuche muchas veses le dice mi amigo, "te quiero y te amo" a su esposa porque se le olvidó su cumpleaño

Corrections please!

[Rusty]

Escrito originalmente por caliber1

Yo manjeaba con mi amigo, y (yo) lo escuchaba decirle muchas veces a su esposa le dice mi amigo, "te quiero y te amo" porque se le olvidó su cumpleaños.

Be careful not to overuse the progressive tense. This is a common mistake for English-speaking students of Spanish. There are lots of threads that mention when it is proper to use the progressive (or continuous) tense in Spanish.

[caliber1]

WOW! Ok. I will keep practicing.