I love you?

[Zach]

What is the proper way to say "I love you" to someone in Spanish? Some places I've read it is said "quiero usted", some "te quiero". Are both of these correct?

[Tomisimo]

If it's in a romantic way, it's almost always going to be "te quiero" (why would you use the formal with someone you're in love with ), BUT, some areas use exclusively (or almost exclusively) the usted form even for kids and good friends/family. This was the case when I was in Costa Rica. If you want to say I love you (Maybe to a grandma or aunt/uncle) and use the usted form, it would be "Lo quiero" or "La quiero" depending on if it's a man or a woman.

As a side note, the initials TQM are pretty common at the end of letters/emails etc. It means Te Quiero Mucho.

[Tomisimo]

Oh, and I should also mention you can use "te amo" also, which is actually a more specific way of saying I love you. Te quiero can be used in many situations, for example between two girls who are good friends. It would be interesting if a native speaker could try to explain/illustrate the subtle differences between "querer" and "amar".

[johnny007]

Is it te amo to say it to a man and te ama to say it to a woman?

[EnglishStudent]

I´m a native speaker from Mexico (studying English), and I´ll try to explain.

The verb "querer" is used like "want": Yo quiero una cerveza, Yo quisiera una casa, Yo quería una bicicleta, etc.

Also is used in a sentimental context (not necessarily in a romantic way): Te quiero, ¿me quieres?, Te querré toda la vida, te querría aunque no fueras tan bella, etc. You can used it with your friends, relatives, boyfriend and girlfriend, neighboors, fatherland, even with your mother in love ;D

The verb "amar" implies a deeper love: Te amo, ¿me amas?, te amaré por siempre, siempre te he amado, etc. You use this verb with your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband or lover :-*

I hope I helped

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by English_student

I´m a native speaker from Mexico (studying English), and I´ll try to explain.

The verb "querer" is used like "want": Yo quiero una cerveza, Yo quisiera una casa, Yo quería una bicicleta, etc.

Also is used in a sentimental context (not necessarily in a romantic way): Te quiero, ¿me quieres?, Te querré toda la vida, te querría aunque no fueras tan bella, etc. You can used it with your friends, relatives, boyfriend and girlfriend, neighboors, fatherland, even with your mother in love ;D

The verb "amar" implies a deeper love: Te amo, ¿me amas?, te amaré por siempre, siempre te he amado, etc. You use this verb with your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband or lover :-*

I hope I helped

Thanks for the examples, that helps.

[Nix]

Originally Posted by johnny007

Is it te amo to say it to a man and te ama to say it to a woman?

I don't think so.

[Neophyte]

Originally Posted by johnny007

Is it te amo to say it to a man and te ama to say it to a woman?

te amo is I love you and te ama is he/she loves you.

[johnny007]

Originally Posted by Neophyte

te amo is I love you and te ama is he/she loves you.

Thanks for the correction man, my bad. I sometimes have a hard time understanding this stuff. :(

[Little]

This is a little off topic, but how can I say "l love you"?