Le quiero (girl)

[fglorca]

Is 'le quiero' ever correct, or even accepted, if we want to say 'I love her', or must we always use 'la quiero'?

I understood that it's only ever accepted if we want to say 'I love him', but not 'I love her'.
Is this correct?
Many thanks.

[Rusty]

'La quiero' is correct and used everywhere.

Using 'le' instead of 'lo' (when a masculine direct object pronoun is called for) is known as 'leísmo' and is accepted by the RAE. Do not use 'le' when you're in a region where 'leísmo' is not used. Never use 'le' when the direct object is feminine.

[fglorca]

Thank you, Rusty, for your superb explanation. Much appreciated.