# Te quiero



## lauranazario

Es bien sabido que existen frases para expresar ciertos grados de sentimiento o de intensidad de sentimiento. Por ello,

Te amo = I love you (high degree of love)
Te adoro = I adore you (even higher degree of love)
Te deseo = I want you (sexual innuendo)

Así que... intereso saber cuál es la manera en que ustedes dirían "te quiero" en inglés a una persona que aprecian mucho (un amigo, un primo, un niño, etc). NO es amor de enamorado sino amor de *cariño*.

Me encantaría saber si alguno ha "manejado" este asunto anteriormente... lingüísticamente hablando, por supuesto. 

*Te quiero* = ???????


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## Tormenta

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Es bien sabido que existen frases para expresar ciertos grados de sentimiento o de intensidad de sentimiento. Por ello,
> 
> Te amo = I love you (high degree of love)
> Te adoro = I adore you (even higher degree of love)
> Te deseo = I want you (sexual innuendo)
> 
> Así que... intereso saber cuál es la manera en que ustedes dirían "te quiero" en inglés a una persona que aprecian mucho (un amigo, un primo, un niño, etc). NO es amor de enamorado sino amor de *cariño*.
> 
> Me encantaría saber si alguno ha "manejado" este asunto anteriormente... lingüísticamente hablando, por supuesto.
> 
> *Te quiero* = ???????





Vale, hagan lugar para los expertos  

Justamente hoy hablé por teléfono con un viejo amigo.  Él es estadounidense y solo habla inglés ; cuando se despedía me dijo "I love you, girl".  I know he ment "te quiero".
I don't know if there is any other way of saying "te quiero" in English, I always say "I love you".  Supongo que el contexto indica si es amor fraternal.

hmmm , maybe I have been saying "I love you"when I should have said something else  

OK, que hablen los verdaderos expertos!


Tormenta


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## cristóbal

Tormenta said:
			
		

> Vale, hagan lugar para los expertos
> 
> Justamente hoy hablé por teléfono con un viejo amigo.  Él es estadounidense y solo habla inglés ; cuando se despedía me dijo "I love you, girl".  I know he ment "te quiero".
> I don't know if there is any other way of saying "te quiero" in English, I always say "I love you".  Supongo que el contexto indica si es amor fraternal.
> 
> hmmm , maybe I have been saying "I love you"when I should have said something else
> 
> OK, que hablen los verdaderos expertos!
> 
> 
> Tormenta




Oddly enough, I had a similar conversation with a Chilean and an Italian (sounds like the start of a joke) about a week ago.  I would say that "I love you" is used with MUCHO CUIDADO and only used when it is expected to be accepted... or when someone is very serious about it.  Now that doesn't mean it only refers to romantic love, it makes sense in a close friendship as well.  
My only answer as to what you say to a friend for "te quiero" if you don't want to say "I love you" is... well, nothing.   You can say, "you know, you really are a good friend."  "you're one of my best friends."  "I'm glad you're my friend." But there are times when "I love you" just comes out wrong.  But if you know that the other person (friend or romantic interest) feels similarly and would not object, there's nothing "linguistically" incorrect about saying "I love you."

That's the best I could do... but then the only expertise I have with English is speaking it for 21 years.


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## Mirtha Robledo

Laura:  Te quiero = esta perfectamente bien dicho.  
A tu pareja le dices:  Te amo
A tus amigos, padres, hermanos, hijos, nietos. A todos ellos los QUIERES.
Es lo que a mi me parece.  Saludos,
Por otra parte en Ingles:  La palabra I love you, la dices hasta cuando alguna amiga/o te hace un favor:  Thanks, I love you.  Si estoy errada por favor corregir.


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## Tormenta

cristóbal said:
			
		

> Oddly enough, I had a similar conversation with a Chilean and an Italian (sounds like the start of a joke) about a week ago.  I would say that "I love you" is used with MUCHO CUIDADO and only used when it is expected to be accepted... or when someone is very serious about it.  Now that doesn't mean it only refers to romantic love, it makes sense in a close friendship as well.
> My only answer as to what you say to a friend for "te quiero" if you don't want to say "I love you" is... well, nothing.   You can say, "you know, you really are a good friend."  "you're one of my best friends."  "I'm glad you're my friend." But there are times when "I love you" just comes out wrong.  But if you know that the other person (friend or romantic interest) feels similarly and would not object, there's nothing "linguistically" incorrect about saying "I love you."
> 
> That's the best I could do... but then the only expertise I have with English is speaking it for 21 years.




I think it is the same in Spanish, you don't tell "te quiero" to anyone.  You say that to people who are special to you.

What I find interesting about English is that you have to be careful whom you tell "I love you", but then, it is alright to say "I love soccer", "I love my car"," I love ice cream ", don't you love this cheese cake?
  


Tormenta


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## VenusEnvy

However, I must add a note here. Friends (particularly females) will say, "Love ya". Omitting the "I" and changing "you" to "ya" informalizing it. Therefore, making "Love ya!" ok to say.

When I was in highschool, we would sign one another's yearbooks with cute little messages, and words of advice. Many girls would write LYLAS. It became known that this acronym held emotional value, but not real love.

(*L*ove *Y*a *L*ike *A * *S*is')


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## lauranazario

Tormenta said:
			
		

> I think it is the same in Spanish, you don't tell "te quiero" to anyone.  You say that to people who are special to you.



Precisamente... es un sentimiento reservado para unos pocos que se han ganado tu cariño especial. Por eso puse como ejemplo un amigo/a, un primo/a, un niño pequeño.

En español "te quiero" NO es idéntico a "I love you" (te amo).
O sea, que volvemos a la pregunta inicial. 



			
				Tormenta said:
			
		

> What I find interesting about English is that you have to be careful whom you tell "I love you", but then, it is alright to say "I love soccer", "I love my car"," I love ice cream ", don't you love this cheese cake?



¡¡¡Me encantó esta observación!!!! Es absolutamente cierto que muchos angloparlantes (de USA) les encanta decir _I love baseball, I love ice cream, I love cuddly puppies_, etc. pero a la hora de declarar su amor son bastante parcos y reservados con el "I love you".... y no los culpo porque dicha frase lleva una "carga" sentimental bastante fuerte.

Qué fácil se les haría la vida (a la mayoría) si tuvieran un equivalente para nuestros "te quiero", ¿verdad? 
Así que retomo la pregunta... *te quiero = ??????*


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## lauranazario

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> However, I must add a note here. Friends (particularly females) will say, "Love ya". Omitting the "I" and changing "you" to "ya" informalizing it. Therefore, making "Love ya!" ok to say.
> 
> When I was in highschool, we would sign one another's yearbooks with cute little messages, and words of advice. Many girls would write LYLAS. It became known that this acronym held emotional value, but not real love.
> 
> (*L*ove *Y*a *L*ike *A * *S*is')



Yay! LYLAS seems like a very cute and creative way to deal with it. Thanks for your anecdote. But unfortunately, I don't think your yearbook phrase caught on.... so that leads us back to square one? 

Come on, people... help out this very inquisitive _traductora_... ME!


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## cristóbal

lauranazario said:
			
		

> ¡¡¡Me encantó esta observación!!!! Es absolutamente cierto que muchos angloparlantes (de USA) les encanta decir _I love baseball, I love ice cream, I love cuddly puppies_, etc. pero a la hora de declarar su amor son bastante parcos y reservados con el "I love you".... y no los culpo porque dicha frase lleva una "carga" sentimental bastante fuerte.
> 
> Qué fácil se les haría la vida (a la mayoría) si tuvieran un equivalente para nuestros "te quiero", ¿verdad?
> Así que retomo la pregunta... *te quiero = ??????*




Pues, también la observación de tormenta es una observación que se ha hecho desde que hace mucho tiempo--pues yo diría desde que empezamos usando "love" en esa manera.  Es decir, yo creo que es un abuso del verbo aunque incluso yo soy culpable de usarlo así.  Eso es porque hay muchos niños que dirían cuando tu les dices "I love ice cream"... "Well, why don't you marry it?"
Es tonto, pero lo hace bastante claro que es un mal uso de la palabra.

Para "te quiero" yo te digo que no hay una traducción simple ni sucinto.  Puedes decir "I like you" pero eso tambien está más o menos reservado para conversaciones entre personas que son "más que amigos"... por ejemplo "I like you... do you like me?  Let's be boyfriend and girlfriend."

Entonces, normalmente solemos reemplazar "te quiero" con otras frases cariñosas. 
De todos modos, yo utilizaría "I love you" con ciertos amigos buenos, mis padres, y quizá una novia--si tuviera alguna  

Aparte de eso, como "Love ya" tambien solemos terminar e-mails con "Love, Chris" aunque no diríamos "I love you" a esa persona.  Es, también, una manera para empezar cautamente decir "I love you" con alguien.  Entonces, si todavía yo no dijera "I love you" a alguna persona, quizá yo diría "Love" (y solamente eso) al final de una carta.  

Siguiendo, también puedes decir "i love you" por "te quiero" a cualquier niño que quieras y no pasaría nada.

Bueno, para nosotros hombres es bastante fuerte decir "I love you" y por eso lo reservamos con mucho cuidado hasta un punto en que queramos decirlo verdaderamente.  Por el otro lado hay gente que dicen que los hombres suelen decir "I love you" sólo para el sexo.


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## Mirtha Robledo

This I heard long ago:  Men give love to get sex, whereas women give sex to get love.  
I dont believe it though.  But maybe sometimes it works that way.


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## cristóbal

Mirtha Robledo said:
			
		

> This I heard long ago:  Men give love to get sex, whereas women give sex to get love.
> I dont believe it though.  But maybe sometimes it works that way.



Exactly, I hear it very often. 
It depends on who you are talking to, but it can be true.  It's a generalization of course... it wouldn't be true in my own case.


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## Magda

Well, I have to say that I would never say "te amo" to anyone because it sounds awfully "cursi" to me. It's how they talk on Spanish-language soap operas and no-one I know talks like that. Perhaps it depends on the country? I've certainly never said so to my husband, to whom I would say "te quiero / te quiero mucho / te adoro / etc."

In English I say "I love you" constantly to the people whom I truly do love, i.e., my children, my parents, my brothers, my best friend, and other people who are like family to me and very important in my life. If I wanted to tell someone I "loved" them without actually saying so, I would probably say something like "you know how very/terribly fond of you I am," or "you know how much your friendship means to me" and other phrases along those lines.


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## Aleda

quisiera agregar no sé si ya fuera de tiempo, pero al traducir frases como "i love soccer", "i love ice cream" no tiene nada que ver con "amar", sino con el sentido de "me encanta el fútbol" o "me encanta el helado".


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## Cian

I agree with Magda.

One addition I have used and heard used to mean there is a lot of affection (but not romantically) is "You're great".

Among my teenage daughter's friends, they say "I love you" all the time without much thought.  However, for my god daughter (25 years old), it seems to depend on which group of friends.  Her boyfriend has never told her he loves her though he obviously adores her.  She will say to her parents, to me, to her friends "I love you" as she is about to end a conversation on the phone.  He thinks that is strange as he can't remember the last time he told anyone in his family "I love you" nor when they have said it to him.  His family is very conservative and WASP.


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## cristóbal

Cian said:
			
		

> His family is very conservative and WASP.



Well, that just explains it all, doesn't it?     

I think this is basically more common among families in which the children are predominantly male... such as my family for instance.  I can't remember ever tellling my brother I love him, and yet I do...  or my dad, can't remember and specific moments.  With my mom, it's more frequent--end of phone calls, internet conversations, etc.

I think it's more of a gender issue than a language one--or cultural.  My family is Catholic, mildly conservative.... so?


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## Ashana23

I don't think there is a translation for te quiero.  I Love You is used both to mean te quiero and te amo and what makes the difference is the tone of voice, the context, and the implicit understanding had by the people in the saying/hearing the term


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## stroggyy

Cian said:
			
		

> His family is very conservative and WASP.



Hi! 

What WASP means?

Thanks!


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## cristóbal

stroggyy said:
			
		

> Hi!
> 
> What WASP means?
> 
> Thanks!




White Anglo-Saxon Protestant... digamos, "la mayoría" en EEUU.


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## Edwin

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Es bien sabido que existen frases para expresar ciertos grados de sentimiento o de intensidad de sentimiento. Por ello,
> 
> Te amo = I love you (high degree of love)
> Te adoro = I adore you (even higher degree of love)
> Te deseo = I want you (sexual innuendo)
> 
> Así que... intereso saber cuál es la manera en que ustedes dirían "te quiero" en inglés a una persona que aprecian mucho (un amigo, un primo, un niño, etc). NO es amor de enamorado sino amor de *cariño*.
> 
> Me encantaría saber si alguno ha "manejado" este asunto anteriormente... lingüísticamente hablando, por supuesto.
> 
> *Te quiero* = ???????



I have a little book titled "Breaking Out of Beginning Spanish" by Joseph Keenan a gringo who has lived and worked for many years in Mexico. 

He says that "te quiero" means "I love you" and in some context even "I want you". He says it virtually means the same thing as "te amo". (It looks to me as if he does NOT recommend using querer for non-romantic situations. It appears that he disagrees with lauranazario on the use of te quiero when "NO es amor de enamorado sino amor de *cariño*" )

He says if some one asked what do you think of my boyfriend and you say "lo quiero", it means you want him, --which could prove fatal! 

He says to say that you "like someone" it is best to use "caer bien". For example, "Sabes, me caes bien" is a good way to say, "You know, I like you". 

He also warns against saying "me gusta Paco"  for "I like Paco". He says it does mean "I like Paco" but carries many of the connotations in "quiero a Paco".  If you are a male and say "me gusta Paco", he says you should expect to receive funny looks. You really want to say, "Paco me cae bien".

He says you could use, "agradar". "Me agradas" means I like you without romantic overtones, but is a little forced or formal.

Do you agree with him that "te quiero" alway carries romantic overtones?


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## cristóbal

I'm going to solve this once and for all:


No es amor lo que tu sientes, se llama obsesión.


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## lauranazario

Edwin said:
			
		

> Do you agree with him that "te quiero" alway carries romantic overtones?



No.... porque me siento en la completa libertad de decirle a mi abuela que la quiero mucho. Además, tengo una amiga (que conozco desde escuela elemental) a quien quiero muchísimo. Obviamente, en ambas instancias NO hay nada de "romántico". 

Se quiere a la familia, a un amigo... y quiero también a mi ahijado de 19 años que vive lejos y me hace una falta increíble. No estoy enamorada de mi ahijado, por supuesto, pero lo quiero a rabiar.  
So... _"Do I love him like crazy_"? Porque de seguro que NO ES "_I'm crazy/mad about him_". ESO SI que tiene matices románticos!!!!!


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## cuchuflete

lauranazario said:
			
		

> No.... porque me siento en la completa libertad de decirle a mi abuela que la quiero mucho. Además, tengo una amiga (que conozco desde escuela elemental) a quien quiero muchísimo. Obviamente, en ambas instancias NO hay nada de "romántico".
> 
> Se quiere a la familia, a un amigo... y quiero también a mi ahijado de 19 años que vive lejos y me hace una falta increíble. No estoy enamorada de mi ahijado, por supuesto, pero lo quiero a rabiar.
> So... _"Do I love him like crazy_"? Porque de seguro que NO ES "_I'm crazy/mad about him_". ESO SI que tiene matices románticos!!!!!



Toda esta discusión subraya la carencia de matices emocionales en el inglés.
To love es un solo verbo, que por los excesos de uso vulgar ha perdido su significado...algo así como 'estupendo' en español.
En español puedo querer a alguien, le puedo amar, o hasta adorar, tenerle cariño, desear, y hasta le puedo sentir combinaciones de estas emociones.

Y así funciona también mi corazón.  Pero mi idioma no me lo permite expresar.
Vuestro idioma me libra de las inhibiciones que me impone el mío.

Cuchu


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## lauranazario

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Toda esta discusión subraya la carencia de matices emocionales en el inglés.
> To love es un sola verbo, que por los excesos de uso vulgar ha perdido su significado...algo así como 'estupendo' en español.
> En español puedo querer a alguien, le puedo amar, o hasta adorar, tenerle cariño, desear, y hasta le puedo sentir combinaciones de estas emociones.
> 
> Y así funciona también mi corazón.  Pero mi idioma no me lo permite expresar.
> Vuestro idioma me libra de las inhibiciones que me impone el mío.
> 
> Cuchu



¿Será realmente cuestión de matices? ¿O acaso de barreras idiomáticas? Tengo entendido que en ciertos idiomas ni siquiera existen palabras para denotar ciertas cosas. Lo cual me hace retornar a algo tan subjetivo como los sentimientos, algo tan hondo y complejo como complejo es cada ser que los vive.

¿Será que el amor es algo que se expresa mejor sin palabras? Con un beso (apasionado para tu ser amado y casto para tu hermano), con una caricia (provocadora para una novia y reconfortante para una madre) y cosas así...
Bueno, mejor me dejo de filosofadas.... 

A todos mis compañeros foreros.... sepan que los quiero mucho. I love you all.


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## Edwin

lauranazario said:
			
		

> No.... porque me siento en la completa libertad de decirle a mi abuela que la quiero mucho. Además, tengo una amiga (que conozco desde escuela elemental) a quien quiero muchísimo. Obviamente, en ambas instancias NO hay nada de "romántico".
> 
> Se quiere a la familia, a un amigo... y quiero también a mi ahijado de 19 años que vive lejos y me hace una falta increíble. No estoy enamorada de mi ahijado, por supuesto, pero lo quiero a rabiar.
> So... _"Do I love him like crazy_"? Porque de seguro que NO ES "_I'm crazy/mad about him_". ESO SI que tiene matices románticos!!!!!




OKAY! Lauranazario! 
After thinking it over I believe that I misunderstood what Joseph Keenan says in his book about querer.  He says that "te quiero" means "I love you" and in some context even "I want you". He says it virtually means the same thing as "te amo".  Now, in English we would also say we love close friends, nieces, nephews, and especially grandmothers. (no romantic implication). I misrepresented him on that. 

It seems Keenan was just warning us not to use "te quiero" to mean simply "I like you".  I think you said this already, but it is just beginning to sink in.

Although, I (as a man unless I was in a very spiritual mood) would not say that I love my male friends, my wife does say that she loves her close female friends--as in "I really love Jenny (a close friend), but she makes me mad sometimes". But I do say "I love my son, niece, nephew, etc.". 

I think you should just use "I love my grandmother", etc, as you would use "quiero a mi abuela", etc.  

If you look at wordreference.com the first definition for querer (a alguien) is to love.  The only translation for amar is to love.



Conclusion:

querer a alguien  = to love someone. (igualito)

querer hacer algo = to want to do something (not to love to do something)

The question remains: In Spanish what's the difference between saying "te amo" and "te quiero"?  It seems that both are correctly translated by "I love you." 

Of course, "soy" and "estoy" are both translated by "I  am". 
 

Edwin


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## belén

Edwin said:
			
		

> The question remains: In Spanish what's the difference between saying "te amo" and "te quiero"?  It seems that both are correctly translated by "I love you." Edwin



It has been said before, but I will try to explain to you the difference between "amar" and "querer" 

Amar is the verb you use to express how you feel, how much you love your partner, your boyfriend, girlfriend, platonic love etc. Always in a one-on-one context. You "usually" only "amas" one person at a time, of course there are exceptions, I don't personally think humans are monogamic by nature, but well, that's another story.

You "querer" people who you care about, family members, friends you are fond of. Of course you also use "querer" for your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc. Amar has a deeper emotional content.

When I was living in Los Angeles, I had friends from all over the world (typical LA) and I made them write "I love you" in their languages on a piece of paper. 
Many times there was a similar conflict as the one we are having now. A spanish-speaking person would write "Te quiero", not "Te amo", an italian would write "Ti vuoglio bene" not "Ti amo" but a Portuguese-speaker wrote "Te amo" because he told me that there was nothing similar to "Te quiero" in Portuguese..


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## lauranazario

belen said:
			
		

> It has been said before, but I will try to explain to you the difference between "amar" and "querer"
> 
> Amar is the verb you use to express how you feel, how much you love your partner, your boyfriend, girlfriend, platonic love etc. Always in a one-on-one context. You "usually" only "amas" one person at a time, of course there are exceptions, I don't personally think humans are monogamic by nature, but well, that's another story.
> 
> You "querer" people who you care about, family members, friends you are fond of. Of course you also use "querer" for your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc. Amar has a deeper emotional content.
> 
> When I was living in Los Angeles, I had friends from all over the world (typical LA) and I made them write "I love you" in their languages on a piece of paper.
> Many times there was a similar conflict as the one we are having now. A spanish-speaking person would write "Te quiero", not "Te amo", an italian would write "Ti vuoglio bene" not "Ti amo" but a Portuguese-speaker wrote "Te amo" because he told me that there was nothing similar to "Te quiero" in Portuguese..



¡Qué excelentes observaciones, Belén! And I think you hit the linguistic nail on its head when you wrote:
<< Amar has a deeper emotional content. >>

I could not agree more... and hence the linguistic conundrum. Since Spanish has more words to express affective nuances and is able separate those that have romantic connotations from those that do not... is it linguistically "fair" to pile everything into the "I love you" category? 

If the English "I love you" is so versatile that it has no need to "diversify" (as opposed to Spanish, the basis of this whole thread), is then Spanish "guilty" of being... I don't know... too picky?

Please bear in mind that I'm only talking from a linguistic standpoint. I don't want anybody thinking that I'm calling _hispanoparlantes_ or English-speakers any sort of names. But you guys can call me picky... it's all part of a translator's mindset: always looking for the best word. 

Saludos.


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## Edwin

lauranazario said:
			
		

> ¡Qué excelentes observaciones, Belén! And I think you hit the linguistic nail on its head when you wrote:
> << Amar has a deeper emotional content. >>
> 
> I could not agree more... and hence the linguistic conundrum. Since Spanish has more words to express affective nuances and is able separate those that have romantic connotations from those that do not... is it linguistically "fair" to pile everything into the "I love you" category?
> 
> If the English "I love you" is so versatile that it has no need to "diversify" (as opposed to Spanish, the basis of this whole thread), is then Spanish "guilty" of being... I don't know... too picky?
> 
> Please bear in mind that I'm only talking from a linguistic standpoint. I don't want anybody thinking that I'm calling _hispanoparlantes_ or English-speakers any sort of names. But you guys can call me picky... it's all part of a translator's mindset: always looking for the best word.
> 
> Saludos.




Being picky is, as you say, what translation is all about. For me these subtle differences are what makes learning a foreign language interesting. 

Three items:

1.   In the case of the word "love" in English it is the context (and tone of voice) that adds additional meaning.  Otherwise why would (some) men find it so easy to say 

"I would love to beat the s--- out of that SOB" 

but so hard to say 

"I love you" 

to a girl friend. 

As everybody here knows you cannot translate a word or phrase out of context.  Some words such as "love" are particularly sensitive to context.  I like the wordreference.com entries for 

English to Spanish: love
Spanish to English: querer
Spanish to English: amar

(which I will not copy here.)

Of the three, "love" is the most complex. Then "querer" and then "amar". "amar" has just a single translation to English, namely "to love".  By "complexity of a word" here I mean that the word depends more on context to define it's meaning.  I imagine professional linguists have some other name for this concept. 


2. Concerning the pickiness of Spanish versus English. I think Laura is right that Spanish generally has more shades of meaning than English taken word for word.  But there are also a few cases where English has two words where Spanish only has one. One example: 

      decir --> to tell / to say

I don't know how often this is. Splitting of translation seems to me more frequent in the opposite direction the most famous and troublesome examples being:

      for --> por /para
     to be --> ser/ estar

3. Are there any statistics concerning the comparative lengths of articles in Spanish and their translations into English or vice versa--and would it make any difference?


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## Tormenta

Edwin said:
			
		

> 2. Concerning the pickiness of Spanish versus English. I think Laura is right that Spanish generally has more shades of meaning than English taken word for word.  But there are also a few cases where English has two words where Spanish only has one. One example:
> *
> decir --> to tell / to say*
> 
> I don't know how often this is. Splitting of translation seems to me more frequent in the opposite direction the most famous and troublesome examples being:
> 
> for --> por /para
> to be --> ser/ estar
> 
> 3. Are there any statistics concerning the comparative lengths of articles in Spanish and their translations into English or vice versa--and would it make any difference?




Te voy a *contar* una historia, no decir.

When translating from English into Spanish, the Spanish text is usually 15% even 20% longer.

Tormenta

PS. So, how do we say "te quiero" in English?


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## niña

Aw! How much love!! I wub u all too


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## Edwin

Tormenta said:
			
		

> When translating from English into Spanish, the Spanish text is usually 15% even 20% longer.



!Muy interesante!  ¿Y me pregunto que implica eso?  



			
				Tormenta said:
			
		

> PS. So, how do we say "te quiero" in English?



Sin lugar a dudas, en sólo una manera:  "I love you."


----------



## lauranazario

Tormenta said:
			
		

> Te voy a *contar* una historia, no decir.
> 
> When translating from English into Spanish, the Spanish text is usually 15% even 20% longer.



Right you are, Tormenta... cada vez que me contran para traducir algo que va a publicar, le anticipo a los clientes que deben dejar un espacio más amplio para la versión en español. Usualmente les digo que anticipen de 20 a 22 por ciento más palabras en español.



			
				Tormenta said:
			
		

> PS. So, how do we say "te quiero" in English?




Ahhhhhhhh.... retomamos la pregunta. Thanks for that.
Funny, I thought I would see comments from people who are "absent" from this thread right now. Let's hope they see fit to contribute.

But back to your PS..... want me to complicate things a bit more???? 
I love a good challenge.... but I didn't want to use all my "ammo" at the same time. 

That being said... what do you think about the phrase "*I cherish you*"? Do you feel that is a good equivalent for "te quiero" (therefore preventing us from abusing the "I love you" to death)????

Ahí os dejo esa, damas y caballeros. 
Saludos.


----------



## lauranazario

Edwin said:
			
		

> !
> Sin lugar a dudas, en sólo una manera:  "I love you."



Edwin,
Espero ansiosamente tus comentarios a mi más reciente observación en el _post_ #31... lo que podría ser una salida a este asunto. 

Como dije en inglés, no quería quemar todos mis cartuchos de una misma vez.


----------



## Tormenta

I think "to cherish" and "to treasure" are very close in meaning, but then, I would say atesorar.

How about "to hold dear", does it mean "querer" ?  Of course, "I hold you dear" does not have the musical sound of "te quiero"     ; and  with my Spanish accent I could  end up saying "I hold you, deer"     (but that's another issue)

Anyhow, I think  "querer" somebody is  "to hold dear" , not same as " I love you" .

Tormenta


PS. I would really like to hear what the British think about this


----------



## lauranazario

Tormenta said:
			
		

> I think "to cherish" and "to treasure" are very close in meaning, but then, I would say atesorar.
> 
> How about "to hold dear", does it mean "querer" ?  Of course, "I hold you dear" does not have the musical sound of "te quiero"   and  with my Spanish accent I could  end up saying "I hold you, deer"  (but that's another issue)
> 
> Anyhow, I think  "querer" somebody is  "to hold dear" , not same as " I love you" .
> 
> Tormenta
> 
> 
> PS. I would really like to hear what the British think about this



Ah, Tomenta... you are getting quite close. Webster's defines "cherish" as (among other things) _to hold dear_. I will enclose the full definition later on. And YES! to hold dear is not the same thing as to love because it's devoid (I think) of the romantic implications Edwin mentioned earlier in this same thread.

We need more Anglo perspectives!!!!!


----------



## cuchuflete

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Ah, Tomenta... you are getting quite close. Webster's defines "cherish" as (among other things) _to hold dear_. I will enclose the full definition later on. And YES! to hold dear is not the same thing as to love because it's devoid (I think) of the romantic implications Edwin mentioned earlier in this same thread.
> 
> We need more Anglo perspectives!!!!!



Should I ever grow up and turn into an Anglo, I would be happy to offer some perspectives.  For the moment, I'll weigh in with this:  To cherish may be said to someone beloved, but LauraN is right; it, in itself, does not normally carry a 'romantic' aura, at least not since the days of Bulwar Lytton and Henry James.

I agree, it would be good to have some genuine Anglo views, thus excluding the large majority of the U.S. populace, but still allowing many of our British cousins to opine.

I think that this is a fascinating thread.  Thank you LauraN for a lovable and most lovely topic.  It is one I shall love, cherish and honor.

Cuchuenamorado


----------



## Edwin

lauranazario said:
			
		

> what do you think about the phrase "*I cherish you*"? Do you feel that is a good equivalent for "te quiero" (therefore preventing us from abusing the "I love you" to death)????



 "I cherish you" is a certainly a possible translation for  "te quiero", but  I wouldn't say it is the definitive translation.  It seems to me that "I love you" is probably best way in general to say "te quiero".  I would not worry about abusing the phrase. After all, love should be spread around, shouldn't it?   

There are other possibilities:
"I care for you very much" , "I treasure you", "I am very fond of you"  (taken from the definition of cherish)

As we say "there is always more than one way to skin a cat".


----------



## lauranazario

Edwin said:
			
		

> "I cherish you" is a certainly a possible translation for  "te quiero", but  I wouldn't say it is the definitive translation.  It seems to me that "I love you" is probably best way in general to say "te quiero".



A most interesting opinion. May I ask why do you *feel* "I love you" is best? ¿Será por uso y costumbre? Ese es un factor que tiene mucho peso a la hora de expresarnos.

I, on the other hand, seem to be leaning towards "I cherish you", mainly because of the arguments presented in the book you mentioned.


----------



## lauranazario

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> I think that this is a fascinating thread. [...] It is one I shall love, cherish and honor.
> 
> Cuchuenamorado



I see you agree this has turned into an interesting discussion. I had always wanted to have this sort of conversation with people from different parts of the world... and this forum has allowed me said opportunity. I do hope more people post.

Glad to see you left the "obey" out of the wedding vows. I concur. That is so _passé_ in this day and age.


----------



## Mirtha Robledo

When I am in love with someone I would say I LOVE YOU,
I always say to my children LOS QUIERO MUCHO.
Now I would say to a girl friend ERES LO MAXIMO, te quiero mucho.
Now you have to consider that we LATIN PEOPLE are very emotional, that is why normally we are more expressive than the rest of the world, by far.


----------



## cuchuflete

lauranazario said:
			
		

> I see you agree this has turned into an interesting discussion. I had always wanted to have this sort of conversation with people from different parts of the world... and this forum has allowed me said opportunity. I do hope more people post.
> 
> Glad to see you left the "obey" out of the wedding vows. I concur. That is so _passé_ in this day and age.



In this most amorous environment, I hesitate to do other than concur.  However, I cannot obediently accept your characterization of "obey" in all wedding vows as _passé_.  In some cultures it is a given.  Among these cultures, love may not be deemed a necessary ingredient in the matrimonial mix.

I am comfortable in my own sub-culture, in which 'obey' has no place in any freely given committment.  I am more than happy to rely on trust and a true desire to share the good, the difficult, and even the linguistically ambiguous.

Cuchuchiflado

PD- The list presented so far, inexplicably has omitted "Me chiflas".
C.


----------



## cristóbal

lauranazario said:
			
		

> A most interesting opinion. May I ask why do you *feel* "I love you" is best? ¿Será por uso y costumbre? Ese es un factor que tiene mucho peso a la hora de expresarnos.
> 
> I, on the other hand, seem to be leaning towards "I cherish you", mainly because of the arguments presented in the book you mentioned.



"cherish" is a very interesting choice, however, if you're looking for something that is within the normal range of everyday vocabulary for english speaking people...  we don't cherish each other (at least not since the band Association came out with "Cherish").  But, if you want to make a breakthrough and be the cool latin on the block using "I cherish you", you might set a trend and expand our vocabulary.  

My spanish-english dictionary translates to cherish as "estimar or amar" but oddly enough "cherishED" is translated as "querido".

But there's always www.thesaurus.com
check it out... I'm a member of the "I care for you" camp.

But here's my personal suggestion:  "You mean a lot to me."


----------



## lauranazario

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> In this most amorous environment, I hesitate to do other than concur.  However, I cannot obediently accept your characterization of "obey" in all wedding vows as _passé_.  In some cultures it is a given.  Among these cultures, love may not be deemed a necessary ingredient in the matrimonial mix.
> 
> I am comfortable in my own sub-culture, in which 'obey' has no place in any freely given committment.  I am more than happy to rely on trust and a true desire to share the good, the difficult, and even the linguistically ambiguous.
> 
> Cuchuchiflado
> 
> PD- The list presented so far, inexplicably has omitted "Me chiflas".
> C.



Okay, okay... gross generalization on my part on the "obey" aspect. I do acknowledge it's a factor in some cultures. But as the saying goes... that's neither here or there.

Right now I'm more interested in your latest contribution... _me chiflas_.
To me, "me chiflas" is equivalent to "I'm crazy about you", but even more informal in register. 

I do feel that in Spanish "me chiflas" is one of the expressions that denotes romantic love instead of brotherly or platonic love (cariño). I, for one can't picture myself saying "ay abuela, me chiflas". HAHAHA.

"Me chiflas"... I hadn't heard that one in a while. 
Por mi parte--y con todo respeto-- me encanta "cuchiflado". _très à propos!_

Saludos.


----------



## cuchuflete

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Okay, okay... gross generalization on my part on the "obey" aspect. I do acknowledge it's a factor in some cultures. But as the saying goes... that's neither here or there.
> 
> Right now I'm more interested in your latest contribution... _me chiflas_.
> To me, "me chiflas" is equivalent to "I'm crazy about you", but even more informal in register.
> 
> I do feel that in Spanish "me chiflas" is one of the expressions that denotes romantic love instead of brotherly or platonic love (cariño). I, for one can't picture myself saying "ay abuela, me chiflas". HAHAHA.
> 
> "Me chiflas"... I hadn't heard that one in a while.
> Por mi parte--y con todo respeto-- me encanta "cuchiflado". _très à propos!_
> 
> Saludos.


Maestra LauraN:


			
				lauranazario said:
			
		

> that's neither here *n*or there.



Well, guess I'm busted.  Have to give up "Qxu" _et alia_ and do as teacher instructs.  Hope that's not taken as servile obedience! 

Cuchiflado


----------



## Ashana23

cristóbal said:
			
		

> "cherish" is a very interesting choice, however, if you're looking for something that is within the normal range of everyday vocabulary for english speaking people...  we don't cherish each other (at least not since the band Association came out with "Cherish").  But, if you want to make a breakthrough and be the cool latin on the block using "I cherish you", you might set a trend and expand our vocabulary.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I agree with Cristobal... no one says, "I cherish you."  If you are translating poetry or something equally dramatic/romantic/literary you could use any of the suggestions that have been made up to this point... depending of course on the context... but if it is any everyday conversation between two Americans, we wouldn't say anything but "I love you."  As mentioned before, the meaning (platonic, romantic, formal, informal) is conveyed by tone of voice, context, and tiny changes/additions like "love ya", "I love you, man", "I love you so much", "I love you, honey", etc.
> 
> In addition, I don't think I love you is overused or that the many uses of it take away from its deep meaning because it is rarely said with the pure and sincere inflection that gives it that deep meaning.  When it is, it is still extraordinarily special and you know it.


----------



## cristóbal

Does NO ONE love his grandFATHER?????   A todos los pobres abuelos en este mundo: ¡OS QUIERO MUCHO!


----------



## lauranazario

Cristóbal said:
			
		

> Does NO ONE love his grandFATHER?????   A todos los pobres abuelos en este mundo: ¡OS QUIERO MUCHO!



Muy cierto Cristóbal... y cuánta falta me hace el mío (porque el otro no lo conocí nunca ya que murió antes de que yo naciera).


----------



## funnydeal

What about if someone says:

Te quiero muchísimo, well in fact  Te quiero muchisisisisísimo

Is this sentence not romantic???


 


BTW  = I do love to use this "Te quiero muchísimo"  (it could meand with all my heart)


----------



## Tormenta

funnydeal said:
			
		

> What about if someone says:
> 
> Te quiero muchísimo, well in fact  Te quiero muchisisisisísimo
> 
> Is this sentence not romantic???
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW  = I do love to use this "Te quiero muchísimo"  (it could meand with all my heart)





I like : Te quiero , mi amor  

Pero, ojo, no es pa'  todos 



Tormenta


----------



## Edwin

lauranazario said:
			
		

> A most interesting opinion. May I ask why do you *feel* "I love you" is best? ¿Será por uso y costumbre? Ese es un factor que tiene mucho peso a la hora de expresarnos.
> 
> I, on the other hand, seem to be leaning towards "I cherish you", mainly because of the arguments presented in the book you mentioned.



Laura:

I'm sorry but you may recall that I retracted in part my interpretation of what the book says, namely, I was mistaken about it implying that te quiero has romantic overtones. It doesn't say that.  

What it says is that "querer" is more than just "to like" and  warns English speakers of falling into this trap. They should realize that "te quiero" means "I love you". 

He said that if you just want to say "I like you", you should use "tu me caes bien".  He also warns against using "me gusta Paco" to mean "I like Paco". This he says is like saying "I fancy Paco", and you can expect to receive funny looks, as you would if you said this in English. (Especially if in the USA since we don't use "'I fancy this or that''  like  the English do.) 

One test of these translations might be: How would a girl say in Spanish, as they sometimes do in English,

"I like you Paco, but I don't love you. Let's just be friends. I love you like a brother."

Would something like this do?

"Paco me caes bien, pero no te quiero. Que solamente seamos amigos. Te quiero como hermano.''  

When I say "te quiero" means "I love you" I am also going by wordreference.com which says that "querer a alguien" means "to love someone".  Also if you look up love you see that it gives only two translations for "to love a person": "querer a.." and  "amar a..".

I am also going by your saying that you use "quiero a mi abuelo, etc...". We would also use "I love my grandfather, etc..." . 

In English depending on context, "I love you" MAY or MAY NOT have romantic overtones , apparently just like "te quiero".  (I seem to recall seeing romantic scenes on TV where a man looks at a woman and says, "te quiero", with obvious romantic intensity.)

¿Que piensas?


----------



## Cian

What about "te quiero tanto"?  The translation into English would be "I love you so" which is an exceedingly romantic thing to say (or have said to you), IMHO.

The other thing that we differentiate between in English is "I love you" and "I am in love with you".  They can mean something quite different.  "I am in love with you" is definitely a romantic statement and not something one would say to one's grandma, uncle or child.  However, in our weird English-speaking way, you will hear someone say, "I am in love with that dress".


----------



## lauranazario

cristóbal said:
			
		

> "cherish" is a very interesting choice, however, if you're looking for something that is within the normal range of everyday vocabulary for english speaking people...  we don't cherish each other (at least not since the band Association came out with "Cherish").  But, if you want to make a breakthrough and be the cool latin on the block using "I cherish you", you might set a trend and expand our vocabulary.
> 
> My spanish-english dictionary translates to cherish as "estimar or amar" but oddly enough "cherishED" is translated as "querido".
> 
> But there's always www.thesaurus.com
> check it out... I'm a member of the "I care for you" camp.
> 
> But here's my personal suggestion:  "You mean a lot to me."



"I care for you" AND "You mean a lot to me".... interesting contributions to our discussion, Cristóbal. Thanks.

I especially liked the new fact you bring to the table... while your source states cherish is "amar o estimar" (one with a romantic intent and another that points towards cordial esteem), it gives us "querido" for cherishED. Hmmmmmm... we may be on to something, after all. 

And since you were so kind as to mention the song "Cherish", here are the lyrics to the first verse (with all necessary references so I won't be sued!) 

*Cherish*
by The Association

(written by Terry Kirkman)

Cherish is the word I use to describe
All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside
You don't know how many times I've wished that I had told you
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could hold you
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could
Mold you into someone who could
Cherish me as much as I cherish you


----------



## lauranazario

Edwin said:
			
		

> Laura:
> 
> I'm sorry but you may recall that I retracted in part my interpretation of what the book says, namely, I was mistaken about it implying that te quiero has romantic overtones. It doesn't say that.



Yes, I do acknowledge your retraction (my, that sounds so formal!) but I merely mentioned your original thought to validate another point someone had made. Sorry if I gave you the impression I had not seen your clarification.



			
				Edwin said:
			
		

> When I say "te quiero" means "I love you" I am also going by wordreference.com which says that "querer a alguien" means "to love someone".  Also if you look up love you see that it gives only two translations for "to love a person": "querer a.." and  "amar a..".
> 
> I am also going by your saying that you use "quiero a mi abuelo, etc...". We would also use "I love my grandfather, etc..." .
> 
> In English depending on context, "I love you" MAY or MAY NOT have romantic overtones , apparently just like "te quiero".  (I seem to recall seeing romantic scenes on TV where a man looks at a woman and says, "te quiero", with obvious romantic intensity.)
> 
> ¿Que piensas?



Point VERY well taken. "I love you" may or may not have romantic overtones (just like a casual or a pointed "te quiero"--or _te quiero tanto_ like someone else suggested-- differ in terms of intention).

But I still wish I/we all could get a bit more feedback from other parts of the world. Anyone out there want to contribute your wisdom in matters of love/affection? Linguistically speaking, of course.... I do not want to be sued for sexual harassment.


----------



## chicalita

Edwin said:
			
		

> I have a little book titled "Breaking Out of Beginning Spanish" by Joseph Keenan a gringo who has lived and worked for many years in Mexico.
> 
> He says that "te quiero" means "I love you" and in some context even "I want you". He says it virtually means the same thing as "te amo". (It looks to me as if he does NOT recommend using querer for non-romantic situations. It appears that he disagrees with lauranazario on the use of te quiero when "NO es amor de enamorado sino amor de *cariño*" )
> 
> He says if some one asked what do you think of my boyfriend and you say "lo quiero", it means you want him, --which could prove fatal!
> 
> He says to say that you "like someone" it is best to use "caer bien". For example, "Sabes, me caes bien" is a good way to say, "You know, I like you".
> 
> He also warns against saying "me gusta Paco"  for "I like Paco". He says it does mean "I like Paco" but carries many of the connotations in "quiero a Paco".  If you are a male and say "me gusta Paco", he says you should expect to receive funny looks. You really want to say, "Paco me cae bien".
> 
> He says you could use, "agradar". "Me agradas" means I like you without romantic overtones, but is a little forced or formal.
> 
> Do you agree with him that "te quiero" alway carries romantic overtones?



ahorita te quiero ! He buscado por esa parte del libro hace una semana.  Mil gracias !!!


----------



## Edwin

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Point VERY well taken. "I love you" may or may not have romantic overtones (just like a casual or a pointed "te quiero"--or _te quiero tanto_ like someone else suggested-- differ in terms of intention).



Laura, how about this question:

One test of these translations might be: How would a girl say in Spanish, as they sometimes do in English,

"I like you Paco, but I don't love you. Let's just be friends. I love you like a brother."

Would something like this do?

"Paco me caes bien, pero no te quiero. Que solamente seamos amigos. Te quiero como hermano.'' 


--Edwin


----------



## Cian

In English, the other thing that a person would say would be:

"I love you but I am not in love with you."


----------



## cuchuflete

Acabo de contestar a Carme, que buscaba un diccionario sinónimos en castellano.

Por si acaso sea útil para esta conversación lo copio--



			
				cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Carme said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ¿Alguien sabe de algún diccionario de sinónimos de castellano?
> 
> Llevo tiempo buscando uno pero, nada, no hay suerte.
> 
> A ver si alguien me puede echar una manita.
> 
> Gracias,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hola Carme,
> 
> Prueba aquí:  *http://tradu.scig.uniovi.es/sinon.cgi[/b]
> 
> 
> Un ejemplo, de posible interés para nuestro experta en palabras amatorias--
> 
> Los sinónimos de amar son: (3)
> 
> 
> *	apreciar (definición)
> *	estarenamorado (definición)
> *	estimar (definición)
> 
> Nota: En la búsqueda no se distingue entre mayúsculas y minúsculas, pero se tienen en cuenta los acentos.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Antónimos | Conjugador | Español | Inglés | Traductor Textos | Traductor Web
> Otros Diccionarios/Traductores
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> © 1996-2004, scig WWW team - Condiciones de uso
> Powered by ©2002-2004 El Mundo
> -------------------------------------------
> 
> Debemos agradecer a La Universidad de Oviedo.
> 
> 
> Un saludo,*
Click to expand...

*

Abrazos amistosos a repartir,
Cuchiflado*


----------



## juguete

I think, as someone said earlier, that it all depends on the context. In English especially, where we do not have as much grammatical innuendo as in Spanish, it is all about how you say it and what your body language is. In fact, what we actually say is often not really very important at all.

If one (heterosexual) bloke says to another, "I love you man" and slaps him on the shoulder, it's a statement of friendship.

If a man says to his sister, "I love you", it is taken for granted that he does not love her in anything other than a fraternal way (except in Cornwall!)

If you think about it, someone could say the same words with a heavy dose of sarchasm and they would have another meaning altogether.


----------



## Tormenta

Edwin said:
			
		

> Laura, how about this question:
> 
> One test of these translations might be: How would a girl say in Spanish, as they sometimes do in English,
> 
> "I like you Paco, but I don't love you. Let's just be friends. I love you like a brother."
> 
> Would something like this do?
> 
> "*Paco me caes bien, pero no te quiero. Que solamente seamos amigos. Te quiero como hermano.''*
> 
> 
> --Edwin




Yo diría,
"Paco, te aprecio pero no te amo, te quiero como a un hermano"

  Ojo  "te quiero como a un hermano expresa un sentimiento muy fuerte.  Indica amor fraternal, pero es fuerte.  "Te quiero como a un hermano/hermana" no es algo que se le dice a cualquiera.

Ahora bien, si estoy dispuesta a decir "te quiero como a un hermano" , entonces "te aprecio" es más indicado que "me caes bien" .  "Me caes bien", no expresa un sentimiento  profundo.

No le puedes decir a una persona "no te quiero" pero "te quiero como a un hermano".
"no te quiero" no es lo mismo que "no te amo".

No quiero echar leña al fuego (bueno, sí quiero), pero me pregunto:  ¿sería posible que este asunto de “te quiero/te amo/I love you” vaya mucho más allá de una cuestión lingüística español -inglés?
¿Es posible que tengamos una barrera cultural y emocional en temas del corazón? 


 Tormenta


----------



## Durwen

Hola a todos
Creo que el "Te quiero" español es el equivalente exacto al "I love you". Puede tener o no un significado romántico, dependiendo del contexto. Luego están los matices que introducen otras palabras, como "amar". 
De todas formas, no sé cómo será en otras partes, pero en España la expresión "Te amo" no es demasiado corriente. Lo habitual es decir "Te quiero" a novios, parientes, amigos, etc. Como en el inglés, es el contexto el que decide el grado de "implicación romántica".
Como eufemismos, para evitar confusiones, existen las expresiones "me gustas", "te deseo", "me caes bien", a nivel fraternal y "estoy enamorad@ de ti" o equivalentes más o menos informales a nivel romántico. Pero creo que eso también se da en la lengua inglesa.

MHO, claro.


----------



## Cian

A few of us Canadian discussed this last night.  We all agreed that the one statement which has no amiguity is "I am in love with you"  or "I am in love".  It always has a romantic meaning and usually means the relationship is not casual.  It is possibly the way to translate "te amo". 

That little word "in" makes a huge difference.  It is a caution to all non-native English speakers!  (haha)

We also agreed that words like "cherish" are rarely used, even in a very loving, romantic relationship.  Perhaps "cherish" has been tainted by the song as being too sugary and English Canadians tend not to be sugary.


----------



## Tormenta

Cian said:
			
		

> A few of us Canadian discussed this last night.  We all agreed that the one statement which has no amiguity is *"I am in love with you"*  or "I am in love".  It always has a romantic meaning and usually means the relationship is not casual.  It is possibly the way to translate "te amo".
> 
> That little word "in" makes a huge difference.  It is a caution to all non-native English speakers!  (haha)
> 
> We also agreed that words like "cherish" are rarely used, even in a very loving, romantic relationship.  Perhaps "cherish" has been tainted by the song as being too sugary and English Canadians tend not to be sugary.




Mamma Mía!!!!  Now we will have to see if " Amar"  and  " Estar enamorado" are the same thing.  I believe that I can say: "Te amo, pero no estoy enamorada de tí" ; however, I know I am going to have many replies explaining me how and why "estar enamorada" y "Amar" are, indeed, the same.   

See what you have done, dear Laura?!

Tormenta


----------



## Cian

Also, no one replied to the expression "te quiero tanto" and "I love you so".  It is way more romantic, IMHO, to say "I love you so" compared to "I love you very much" in English.  What about in Spanish?  Is "te quiero tanto" more romantic than "te quiero muchisimo"?

My daughter says that with close friends on MSN they sign of with "tqt" but as much because it looks cooler than "tqm".


----------



## Tormenta

Cian said:
			
		

> Also, no one replied to the expression "te quiero tanto" and "I love you so".  It is way more romantic, IMHO, to say "I love you so" compared to "I love you very much" in English.  What about in Spanish?  Is "te quiero tanto" more romantic than "te quiero muchisimo"?
> 
> My daughter says that with close friends on MSN they sign of with "tqt" but as much because it looks cooler than "tqm".





Ok, Cian, between you and I,  I do say "te quiero tanto", and I really, really  like it.  Please don't tell it to anyone, otherwise they will start saying things like:  " how sweet", " how 'cursi' "  , etc  


Tormenta


----------



## Cian

What is the translation for "cursi"?


----------



## Cian

Sorry, I didn't mean to post that.  I looked it up on my own rather than be lazy!!

In English, it wouldn't be 'affected' to say, "I love you so" but it would only be said to a lover.  It would be 'cursi' to say, "I cherish you".


----------



## Mirtha Robledo

Cursi is TACKY


----------



## Mirtha Robledo

Is "te quiero tanto" more romantic than "te quiero muchisimo"? 
Para mi es mas romantico decir TE QUIERO TANTO que TE QUIERO MUCHISIMO, DEFINITIVAMENTE.


----------



## Tormenta

Mirtha Robledo said:
			
		

> Is "te quiero tanto" more romantic than "te quiero muchisimo"? *
> Para mi es mas romantico decir TE QUIERO TANTO que TE  QUIERO MUCHISIMO, DEFINITIVAMENTE.*


*


I agree  

Tormenta*


----------



## Cian

Mirtha Robledo said:
			
		

> Cursi is TACKY



In the wordreference dictionary it says, "pretentious" or "affected" which is different from "tacky".  Does it change from country to country?

In Canada, "tacky" tends to mean "lacking good taste".  If you say something "tacky" it means lacking good manners or something "low class".  If decor is "tacky" it is in bad taste or it is showing wear (and not in a good way, as in rustic decor).


----------



## Tormenta

Cian said:
			
		

> In the wordreference dictionary it says, "pretentious" or "affected" which is different from "tacky".  Does it change from country to country?
> 
> In Canada, "tacky" tends to mean "lacking good taste".  If you say something "tacky" it means lacking good manners or something "low class".  If decor is "tacky" it is in bad taste or it is showing wear (and not in a good way, as in rustic decor).




In Argentina  "cursi" means "tacky".

Tormenta


----------



## Mirtha Robledo

Cian said:
			
		

> In the wordreference dictionary it says, "pretentious" or "affected" which is different from "tacky".  Does it change from country to country?
> 
> In Canada, "tacky" tends to mean "lacking good taste".  If you say something "tacky" it means lacking good manners or something "low class".  If decor is "tacky" it is in bad taste or it is showing wear (and not in a good way, as in rustic decor).


En Perú una persona tacky es una persona huachafa, de mal gusto, corriente, etc. etc.


----------



## Edwin

Tormenta said:
			
		

> In Argentina  "cursi" means "tacky".
> 
> Tormenta



Ahora somos culpable de "topic drift'' (deriva de tema?) con esta discusión de tacky. Sin embargo, sigo..

Tengo maestra de Argentina y hace poco le pregunté como se dice tacky en castellano. Ella no había oido tacky. Pero despues de se lo había explicado, ella me dijo que le parecía barato o de mal gusto.  

Según la siguiente definición del DRAE cursi quiere decir  pretentious, affected,   o   tacky, si la entiendo correctamente.

cursi.
	(Etim. disc.).
	1. adj. Se dice de un artista o de un escritor, o de sus obras, cuando en vano pretenden mostrar refinamiento expresivo o sentimientos elevados.
	2. adj. coloq. Dicho de una persona: Que presume de fina y elegante sin serlo. U. t. c. s.
	3. adj. coloq. Dicho de una cosa: Que, con apariencia de elegancia o riqueza, es ridícula y de mal gusto.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

------------------------------------------------------

Es interesante que en la familia (son griegos)  de mi esposa se usan "tri colo'' (tres colores) para decir ''tacky''.


----------



## Durwen

I'll translate "cursi" as "cloying". Sometging that's so sweet that it makes you feel sick (just the way Garfield feels about Nermal, for example. Garfield thinks Nermal is "cursi", because he's far too lovely).
On the other hand, I believe a better translation for "tacky" would be "cutre", IMHO, though it reflects only bad taste, not bad manners. 

And yes, the train of this topic has derailed.


----------



## lauranazario

Tormenta said:
			
		

> Mamma Mía!!!!  Now we will have to see if " Amar"  and  " Estar enamorado" are the same thing.  I believe that I can say: "Te amo, pero no estoy enamorada de tí" ; however, I know I am going to have many replies explaining me how and why "estar enamorada" y "Amar" are, indeed, the same.
> 
> See what you have done, dear Laura?!
> 
> Tormenta



I'll try to put an end to the subject derailment by posting this comment.

"Amar" y "estar enamorado", ¿serán la misma cosa? Imagino que todo depende de quién siente o expresa el sentimiento. Habrá que ver si en su propio fuero interno, la persona los vé como sinónimos.

Pero si me permiten fungir como "abogada del diablo/devil's advocate"... uno puede amar a la patria (love your contry) denotando la ausencia de la faceta "romántica" que está implícita en _María ama a Juan._

Por otro lado, opino no sucede lo mismo con "estar enamorado". No es usual decir _estoy enamorada de mi isla/de la luna llena/etc._ Estar enamorado casi siempre (porque no me gusta decir siempre) conlleva los matices obvios de romanticismo que son innegables en _María está enamorada de Juan._

Saludos.


----------



## juguete

Para mi, "estar enamorado", igual en ingles que en Castellano, tiene un matiz de no ser permanente, mientras, como diran todos los romanticos entre nosotros, "amar" es para siempre. Por ejemplo, puedes estar enamorado de tu novia y depues, solo amar a tu esposa.


----------



## lauranazario

juguete said:
			
		

> Para mi, "estar enamorado", igual en ingles que en Castellano, tiene un matiz de no ser permanente, mientras, como diran todos los romanticos entre nosotros, "amar" es para siempre. Por ejemplo, puedes estar enamorado de tu novia y depues, solo amar a tu esposa.



¡Jesús! El enamoramiento no desaparece, sino que se matiza... lo que sí merma es la pasión física. Pregúntale a cualquier pareja que lleve mucho tiempo junta (sin que importe su edad).


----------



## juguete

pues aca lo de estar "in love" es una cosa temporal - puede que sea diferente alla pero yo he estado "in love" varias veces y despues de saber que "I love my wife" y no estaba solo "in love with her", nos casamos.


----------



## Deimos909

Maybe a bit off topic but in Cataluña they say "Te Estimo" for I love you.. I always found that very humorous.


----------



## Durwen

Deimos909 said:
			
		

> Maybe a bit off topic but in Cataluña they say "Te Estimo" for I love you.. I always found that very humorous.



I got lost. Why is it humorous? (hey, no tengo ganas de bronca, simple curiosidad).


----------



## Alpha0ne

Me suena mucho lo siguiente:
You are very "dear to me" or I am very "fond of you" en ambos casos denota un gran afecto y he oido a padres usarlo para referirse a sus hijos.
I am very fond of my children. I am really fond of you (Entre novios o amantes).

Espero que sirva.
Saludos,


----------



## Silvia

No one thought of:

Te quiero = I care about you

Because I suppose I care for you is just for lovers, isn't it?

Anyway, I learned something new, since I thought 'te quiero' meant 'I want you' like...

te quiero mucho = I want you bad(ly)


----------



## Tormenta

silviap said:
			
		

> No one thought of:
> 
> Te quiero = I care about you
> 
> Because I suppose I care for you is just for lovers, isn't it?
> 
> Anyway, I learned something new, since I thought 'te quiero' meant 'I want you' like...
> 
> te quiero mucho = I want you bad(ly)



"Te quiero" is a deeper feeling than  "I care about you".  Maybe "te quiero"  is close in meaning to " ti voglio bene" .

For " I want you"  we would use  "  te deseo"  .


Tormenta


----------



## Silvia

How do you know "I care about you" is less deep? To me that's very deep, but I might be wrong... it's just a matter of perspective, subjective is the word.


----------



## cuchuflete

silviap said:
			
		

> How do you know "I care about you" is less deep*er *?To me that's very deep, but I might be wrong... it's just a matter of perspective, subjective is thw word.



In a romatic context I would tend to agree with Tormenta.  In other situations, either one could be an expression of a 'deeper' sentiment.
The context, and the emotions driving, and expressed in writing or speech, determine the depth of feeling and meaning.

C


----------



## Tormenta

silviap said:
			
		

> How do you know "I care about you" is less deeper? To me that's very deep, but I might be wrong... it's just a matter of perspective, subjective is thw word.




I know what   "te quiero" means  , and "I care about you" is not an equivalent for "te quiero" .  I don't  know how you understand "te quiero" , but to me, as a native Spanish speaker,  " te quiero"  and  "I care about you"are not the same.

I say to my son "te quiero con toda mi alma" , well, THAT and "I care about you" are not the same. 



Tormenta


----------



## Cian

Tormenta said:
			
		

> I know what   "te quiero" means  , and "I care about you" is not an equivalent for "te quiero" .  I don't  know how you understand "te quiero" , but to me, as a native Spanish speaker,  " te quiero"  and  "I care about you"are not the same.
> 
> I say to my son "te quiero con toda mi alma" , well, THAT and "I care about you" are not the same.
> 
> 
> 
> Tormenta


As a native English speaker, "I care about you" is an expression of kindess.  It could be said to a lover, a child, a friend, a grandmother but it isn't the same as "te quiero" or "I love you".  

Depth is such a difficult thing to discuss--what is deeper? love?  caring?  and so on.  But I would say, that they are a very different kind of statement, as Tormenta has indicated.  Each has its ambiguities but they are not the same kind of expression of feelings.  If you love someone, you care about them.  If you care about someone, you may or may not love them.  If one's lover says, "I care about you deeply", it is a lovely thing and indicates long term feelings, perhaps.  However, I might say to my daughter's friend when she is having a bad time and crying in our house, "We really care about you, so you can feel safe here whenever..." Etc.

ALso, by adding "con toda mi alma" of course it makes "te quiero" a powerful statement.  But if we are just comparing the simple statements of "te quiero", "I love you" and "I care about you", then it becomes a more even platform.


----------



## Silvia

Cuchu, thank you for correcting my typo, I corrected the other one you missed, too!


----------



## cuchuflete

silviap said:
			
		

> Cuchu, thank you for correcting my typo, I corrected the other one you missed, too!



Silvia, no hay de qué.  I didn't bother with the obvious result of an errant finger, as it didn't affect the meaning of the sentence.  Also, you may accuse me of being a terrible proof reader.

Ciao,
Cuchu


----------



## Alpha0ne

Very good, I haven't thought of that either...Thanks for a very interesting thread.
Take care.


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## Silvia

Never. (I must spread some reputation around for you  )


----------



## pinkpanter

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Toda esta discusión subraya la carencia de matices emocionales en el inglés.



Podría estar un poco relacionado con eso. Por favor, no me malinterpreten, me refiero simplemente a que tal vez a las personas anglosajonas les agrada menos que a las personas hispanohablantes hacer declaraciones sobre sus sentimientos de amor o cariño hacia los demás y por supuesto no que sientan menos.

Lo decían más foreros en este thread que hay idiomas que carecen de palabras, otros que tienen muchas para una misma cosa. Esto es cierto y a mi entender, cada idioma es perfecto dentro de la cultura y la manera de ver la realidad en la que se habla como idioma nativo ya que los propios hablantes van marcando las necesidades de su idioma. 

Por ejemplo en el inglés actual no hay muchas palabras para decir amigo. En el Inglés Medieval había muchísimas con matices muy específicos. Esto era en parte porque en la Inglaterra de entonces tener amigos era una necesidad vital. También los esquimales tienen muchísimas maneras para referirse a la nieve y muchas palabras para diferenciar los diferentes matices de blanco. Otros muchos ejemplos se podrían dar sobre esto.

Saludos a todos


----------



## lauranazario

pinkpanter said:
			
		

> Podría estar un poco relacionado con eso. Por favor, no me malinterpreten, me refiero simplemente a que tal vez a las personas anglosajonas les agrada menos que a las personas hispanohablantes hacer declaraciones sobre sus sentimientos de amor o cariño hacia los demás y por supuesto no que sientan menos.



Ah, creía que este hilo de conversación se me había "muerto".... y qué bueno ver que a ciertas personas aún le resulta interesante. 

Tu planteamiento sirve para que vuelva a aflorar la cuestión cultural en la expresión de los sentimientos y la necesidad (o falta de ella) de buscar palabras que diferencien, cuantifiquen o definan el/los grado/s de afecto.

Es posible que las culturas "latinas" sean algo más expresivas en cuestiones afectivas (es bien sabido que somos muy expresivos en materia de gestos, tono/volumen de voz, etc. --no sólo los hispanoparlantes sino los italianos también) y que las culturas de origen anglosajón tiendan a ser más estoicos, pausados, reservados. Habrá planteamientos a favor y en contra, estoy segura.

En cuanto a la cultura "estadounidense" (que es la que tengo más cercana geográficamente hablando)...  si bien es cierto que los colonizadores originales llegaron en busca de 'libertades" de las que prescindían en su Inglaterra natal, no podemos olvidar que estamos hablando de luteranos, calvinistas, cuáqueros y otros --personas con una formación religiosa bastante estricta y hasta cierto punto dada a la autocensura y represión. ¿Será por eso que hasta el presente existe cierta "desventaja linguística" entre los que hablan inglés (sobre todo entre los norteamericanos) para crear palabras diferentes y expresar su sentir mediante un léxico variado?

¿Es entonces el "I love you" justificable en todos los grados de afecto, incluyendo el amor fraternal/familiar/sensual/romántico?

Ah, soy 'culpable' de buscarle "las cinco patas al gato", ¿verdad?


----------



## EDDY_HVK

No Hay Una Equivalenci Exacta. De Hecho La Palabra Love No Necesariamente Significa Amar, Por Ejemplo "i Love Pizza" Obviamente No Estas Enamorado De La Pizza, Solo Te Gusta Mucho. Si Quieres Decier Te Quiero, Utiliza I Love You. La Forma En Q Lo Digas O Las Oraciones Con Lo Q Lo AcompaÑes Diran Lo Q Quieres Expresar


----------



## lauranazario

EDDY_HVK said:
			
		

> No Hay Una Equivalenci Exacta. De Hecho La Palabra Love No Necesariamente Significa Amar, Por Ejemplo "i Love Pizza" Obviamente No Estas Enamorado De La Pizza, Solo Te Gusta Mucho. Si Quieres Decier Te Quiero, Utiliza I Love You. La Forma En Q Lo Digas O Las Oraciones Con Lo Q Lo AcompaÑes Diran Lo Q Quieres Expresar



Bueno, eso prcisamente se había discutido más "temprano" en la conversación... y si no recuerdo mal, varias personas opinaron que era básicamente "incorrecto" usar _love_ con objetos inanimados (pizza, tu auto, etc.) porque no se está lidiando con afecto o sentimientos afectivos sino con gustos o preferencias. Según varias personas, en ese sentido pues decir _"I love pizza"_ no era la mejor forma de expresarlo, aunque la utilización se haya convertido en algo más o menos común en algunos lugares. ¿Me explico?


----------



## pinkpanter

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Ah, creía que este hilo de conversación se me había "muerto".... y qué bueno ver que a ciertas personas aún le resulta interesante.
> 
> ¿Es entonces el "I love you" justificable en todos los grados de afecto, incluyendo el amor fraternal/familiar/sensual/romántico?
> 
> Ah, soy 'culpable' de buscarle "las cinco patas al gato", ¿verdad?



Sí Laura, este thread es muy interesante y creo que muchos de nosotros nos hemos planteado con anterioridad tu pregunta. Desgraciadamente yo tampoco tengo la respuesta. Creo que tenemos que conformarnos con "love" por el momento. A ver si la necesidad crea otras formas


----------



## Irell

cuchu...



> Y así funciona también mi corazón. Pero mi idioma no me lo permite expresar.



Wow... I really do like this sentence!!! One could use this one in a poem or song... Very nice!


----------



## pinkpanter

Yes Irell, Cuchu always marvel us


----------



## Soleil

Tormenta said:
			
		

> In Argentina "cursi" means "tacky".
> 
> Tormenta


I thought "cursi" meant "tonto". Pero claro.... en el sentido que es "too sugary" as someone said before.

And about "tqt" and "tqm", well, let me give you this so you can post your opinions which I'll cherich  

According to the Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española (www.rae.es), 
"tanto" means
*1.* adj. Se dice de la cantidad, número o porción de algo indeterminado o indefinido​*2.* adj. Tan grande o muy grande.​ 
and "mucho" 
*1.* adj. Abundante, o que excede a lo ordinario, regular o preciso.​*2.* adv. c. Con abundancia, en alto grado, en gran número o cantidad; más de lo regular, ordinario o preciso.​


----------



## lauranazario

Soleil said:
			
		

> I thought "cursi" meant "tonto". Pero claro.... en el sentido que es "too sugary" as someone said before.
> 
> And about "tqt" and "tqm", well, let me give you this so you can post your opinions which I'll cherich
> 
> According to the Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española (www.rae.es),
> "tanto" means
> *1.* adj. Se dice de la cantidad, número o porción de algo indeterminado o indefinido​*2.* adj. Tan grande o muy grande.​
> and "mucho"
> *1.* adj. Abundante, o que excede a lo ordinario, regular o preciso.​*2.* adv. c. Con abundancia, en alto grado, en gran número o cantidad; más de lo regular, ordinario o preciso.​



Ah Soleil, interesante tu planteamiento... la noción de "cuantificar" el Te Quiero. 

Así que _te quiero tanto_ = te quiero a un 'grado' undeterminado, y
_te quiero mucho_ = te quiero en abundancia.

Puesto de esta forma, me parece que 'Te quiero tanto' es una declaración más fuerte que 'Te quiero mucho'. 

Saludos,
LN


----------



## drugo

Veo que han pasado casi tres meses desde que este interesantísimo foro recibió su última aportación. Espero, no obstante, que aún quede gente interesada en él. He de reconocer que no he podido leer todas las aportaciones, pues se necesitan horas. Sin embargo, he leído muchas. En estos momentos estoy traduciendo un libro de autoayuda y me he encontrado con el siguiente párrafo, estrechamente relacionado con el quid de la cuestión:

_When you are wondering if a man really is the one for you, consider this one idea: You deserve to be cherished. Cherished! Not just loved. Cherished!_

¿Cómo traduciríais 'cherished' en este contexto? ¿Quizás 'reverenciada'?
Gracias,

Jaime


----------



## pinkpanter

Hola Jaime,

Yo lo traduciria como "adorada"

"reverenciada", "venerada" o adjectivos por el estilo me sonarian raros para el contexto de un libro de autoayuda. Tal vez demasiado formales, pero si consideras que quieres dar un efecto, lo darías.

Saludos


----------



## drugo

Gracias Pinkpanther: finalmente, dando vueltas y vueltas al asunto, he decidido traducir la frase así: 
_Cuando te preguntes si realmente estás ante el hombre de tu vida, ten en cuenta esto: tú mereces devoción. ¡Devoción! No solo amor. ¡Devoción!_
Y es que 'ser adorada', o 'reverenciada', como proponía en mi anterior mensaje, me resultaba un poco pretencioso en boca de un 'educador de sentimientos'.
Muchas gracias,
Jaime


----------



## pinkpanter

¡¡Me encanta Drugo!! Queda mejor como nombre que como adjectivo. Esplendida eleccion. 

Mucha suerte con tu libro,


----------



## Limey. Limeño

Mirtha Robledo said:
			
		

> En Perú una persona tacky es una persona huachafa, de mal gusto, corriente, etc. etc.


Copio y pego lo que dice el DRAE.
Derek
cursi. 	(Etim. disc.).
1. adj. Se dice de un artista o de un escritor, o de sus obras, cuando en vano              pretenden mostrar refinamiento expresivo o sentimientos elevados.
2. adj. coloq. Dicho de una persona: Que presume de fina y elegante sin serlo. 
3. adj. coloq. Dicho de una cosa: Que, con apariencia de elegancia o riqueza, es ridícula y de mal gusto.


Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados


----------



## drugo

Gracias por tus ánimos Pink: en todo caso, espero que el párrafo que he aportado, en inglés de EE.UU, sirva para aclarar un poco más las diferentes acepciones de "querer", "amar", "adorar", etc. en inglés. Y es que el _thread_ es muy bueno.


----------



## te gato

I asked all my friends in Mexico..(now that I have the right number)..
What they would say...

I was told that for LOVE...It was "te quiero mucho"

I asked them if they said "te amo"...and did it mean more than te quiero mucho..was told no..that for them there, they don't say te amo...

If they are realy 'serious' about that person..it is TQM...

te gato


----------



## Artrella

*Amar* a alguien, es entregarse a esa persona, no sólo en cuanto a una pareja, sino también en cuanto a tus hijos, los *amás* porque sos capaz de dar la vida por ellos, tu propia existencia es nada enfrentada a lo que vos sentís por ellos...eso es *amar... * 
*
Querer* es menos intenso que amar... yo *quiero* a mis amigos, *quiero* a mi perro,* quiero mucho * a mi mejor amigo... pero no me entrego de la misma manera que cuando *amo*, hay un límite ahí.

Yo *amo* a mi eesposo, *amo* a mis hijos, *quiero * a mis amigos, *quiero mucho * a mi mejor amigo...

Se entiende la diferencia??


_*Amar * someone, is to give yourself entirely to this person, not only as a couple, but in relation to your kids, you *"amas"* them because you are capable of dying for them, your own existence is nothing compared to what you feel for them..that is ...*amar*

*Querer * is less intense than *amar.... * I *quiero* my friends, *quiero* my dog, *quiero mucho * my best friend...but I don't give myself the same way as when I *amo*, there's a boundary there...

I *amo* my eesposo, *amo* my kids...*quiero* my friends, *quiero mucho* my best friend..

Is the difference clear_?


----------



## pinkpanter

Muy clara Art!   

Una cosa, ¿Cómo usarian el verbo "apreciar"?


----------



## Artrella

pinkpanter said:
			
		

> Muy clara Art!
> 
> Una cosa, ¿Cómo usarian el verbo "apreciar"?




Mirá nosotros usamos "apreciar" como algo menos intenso que_ querer_ y además lo podés usar con otras cosas que no se pueden usar con querer/amar.

Ejemplos:

_Aprecio su esfuerzo._  (*Quiero su esfuerzo/Amo su esfuerzo >>>OJO!! "Quiero su esfuerzo" se puede decir perfectamente, pero con otro significado)

_Te aprecio como profesor._ (no te amo, ni te quiero,pero te aprecio por tus cualidades)

*Apreciar * viene de poner precio a algo, o sea *valorar* algo, reconocer el mérito de algo.  No es tan "amoroso" como "querer/amar"

*Aprecio sus palabras, Conde. * >> valoro sus palabras, las considero acertadas, buenas, etc.


----------



## pinkpanter

Artrella said:
			
		

> "Quiero su esfuerzo" se puede decir perfectamente, pero con otro significado)



Muchas gracias! Qué bien lo explicaste. Si, jaja, _quiero su esfuerzo _ sería como "quiero que trabaje duro"


----------



## Eustache

Artrella said:
			
		

> *Amar* a alguien, es entregarse a esa persona, no sólo en cuanto a una pareja, sino también en cuanto a tus hijos, los *amás* porque sos capaz de dar la vida por ellos, tu propia existencia es nada enfrentada a lo que vos sentís por ellos...eso es *amar... *
> *
> Querer* es menos intenso que amar... yo *quiero* a mis amigos, *quiero* a mi perro,* quiero mucho * a mi mejor amigo... pero no me entrego de la misma manera que cuando *amo*, hay un límite ahí.
> 
> Yo *amo* a mi eesposo, *amo* a mis hijos, *quiero * a mis amigos, *quiero mucho * a mi mejor amigo...
> 
> Se entiende la diferencia??



no se pudo definir mejor!... y es que es asi!, cuando uno ama se entrega todo, no hay medida en lo que uno da!... porque la persona que te ama tampoco mide lo que te esta dando!

Tú me preguntas que pienso del amor,
         yo no contesto por temor a decirte esto que siento por ti.
         Sin embargo muchas ideas pasan por mi mente
         y yo sin podértelas decir.
         Amor es un sentimiento que te invade el corazón,
         te traspasa todo el cuerpo y te hace perder la razón.
         Amor es un sentimiento, un deseo, un querer,
         es algo tan infinito cuándo se ama de verdad
         Amor es todo aquello que te hace suspirar,
         que te roba los sueños y te hace no querer despertar.
         Amor es amor, simplemente amor.
         Amor es amar con todo el corazón.
         Amor es lo que realmente siento por ti.

ta gonito verdad?


----------



## Eustache

ahora por otro lado a mi me parece que decir "I love you" no es lo mismo que te amo...

bueno si es lo mismo!, obviamente es la traducción!... pero me parece que "te amo" expresa un sentimiento mas fuerte, que tal vez en ingles no pueda ser expresando...

Claro es una versión muy personal de las expresiones, pero asi mismo habrán muchos sentimientos que pueden ser expresados mejor en otro idioma que en español

les parece?


----------



## Consuelo

me han desmoralizado
¿que ya no hay CARIÑO en el mundo?
todo esto es por que el español deriva del latin de un modo mucho mas directo que el ingles; es por eso que tenemos esa palabrita que se refiere a la cercania que alguien tiene con el CORAZON la etilmologia exacta de la palabra no la se pero ese es +/- su origen, ahora ,tambien define que tan cerca queremos a la persona "querida"
siempre  he oido el i love a un amigo mucho mas frecuente y natural que el i love you a un amor
he dicho
(bien poco ahora que lo leo)


----------



## tela

lauranazario said:
			
		

> Yay! LYLAS seems like a very cute and creative way to deal with it. Thanks for your anecdote. But unfortunately, I don't think your yearbook phrase caught on.... so that leads us back to square one?
> 
> Come on, people... help out this very inquisitive _traductora_... ME!


 
Hi _traductora.. _I was discussíng exactly the same dilema a few days ago, with a British friend of mine who has been teaching English for thirty years, and we came to the conclusion that the best way of telling someone that you love them in a "cariñosa" way is; "I´m fond of you", or "I´m realy fond of her".
Don´t know if you lot would agree...


----------



## lauranazario

tela said:
			
		

> Hi _traductora.. _I was discussíng exactly the same dilema a few days ago, with a British friend of mine who has been teaching English for thirty years, and we came to the conclusion that the best way of telling someone that you love them in a "cariñosa" way is; "I´m fond of you", or "I´m realy fond of her".
> Don´t know if you lot would agree...


"I am fond of you" COULD work, but I think up to a certain degree. Allow me to explain.
Let's say Juan is my friend, and he is a very dear friend (in a non-romantic way). So I could say that I am very fond of Juan and his friendship. No problem there.

Now let's take it to the family environment. 
• "Yo quiero mucho a mi papá y a mi mamá y a mis hermanos". _I am very fond of my mom and dad and siblings._ Hmmmmm not quite; I would say I "love" the members of my immediate family. 
• "Yo quiero mucho a mis primos". _I am very fond of my cousins._ As members of my extended family, I could choose to say I'm 'fond' of them. So yes, 'fond' would work there. 
• "Yo quiero mucho a mi ahijado". _I am very fond of my godson_. Yes, 'fond' could work here as well. 

The "_being fond of_" seems to be a good alternative for non-romantic love. Thanks for your input. Now let's see what others have to say. 

Saludos,
LN


----------



## dashforce

I think that gender also complicates the situation.  For example, I would feel uncomfortable telling even a very close male friend "I love you" _unless_ I added "Bro" or "man".  "I love you, man" would be _okay_ with a guy if we very close.  But we would have to be _very_ close.  Conversely, women don't seem to have any reservations saying "I love you" to anyone, male or female, to express a wide range of emotions.

I wouldn't be 100% comfortable saying that I was "fond of" another male friend, either.  Being fond of _his company_ would be okay, but the "safest" and surest way to get the point across would be to say that "He's a great guy" or "I love being around him" or "I love his jokes/disposition/sense of humor."  Of course these would be awkward to translate into a second-person situation ("Te quiero, nos vemos" works where "I love being around you, see you soon" just doesn't sound good at all).

Me parece que uno puede tener el mismo sentimiento hacia otro, pero el modo de expresarlo en inglés depende de las circunstancias.  No creo que haya nunguna palabra ni frase que pueda "cover all the bases."

Opino que el cambio de "you" a "ya" (que ya fue mencionado) normalmente es suficiente para evitar que alguien te malentienda.  El decirle "I love *ya*" no llevaría mucho amor romántico a un amigo ni a un amante.

GS


----------



## mi-paraiso

wow! im actually learning a lot here... so i see...te quiero/te amo mean mismo/ the same but they carry different undertones! what a colorful language it is.


----------



## Mirtha Robledo

I think TE AMO has a more romantic connotation, whereas TE QUIERO is what a mother says to her children.  Maybe I am wrong, but probably an english-speaking person must have a more accurate definition.


----------



## canyonero

Hola a todos, he seguido esta discusión con interés y mi opinión es la siguiente:

'Te amo' -------------------------------------> 'I'm in love with you'
(sólo a tu pareja, 
nunca a un hijo o un padre. 
Un sentimiento muy profundo)

'Amo a mi hijo' -------------------------------> 'I love my son'

'Te quiero' -----------------------------------> 'I love you'
(a la pareja, a un hijo,
a un padre, a un hermano,
a un amigo...)

Creo que el problema está en que la traducción literal del verbo 'to love' es 'amar'. Por tanto la traducción literal de "I love you" parece ser "yo te amo", pero yo creo que NO, la traducción sería "te quiero". Y para traducir del español "te amo" no sería el literal "I love you" sino "I'm in love with you".

Igual me equivoco, pero creo que es así y además queda más claro.

Un saludo y mucho amor


----------



## Pedro P. Calvo Morcillo

*Lope de Vega
*

 (1562-1635)


*Desmayarse*


  Desmayarse, atreverse, estar furioso,
áspero, tierno, liberal, esquivo,
alentado, mortal, difunto, vivo,
leal, traidor, cobarde y animoso:

  no hallar fuera del bien centro y reposo,        
mostrarse alegre, triste, humilde, altivo,
enojado, valiente, fugitivo,
satisfecho, ofendido, receloso:

  huir el rostro al claro desengaño,
beber veneno por licor süave,                      
olvidar el provecho, amar el daño:

  creer que el cielo en un infierno cabe;
dar la vida y el alma a un desengaño,
¡esto es amor! quien lo probó lo sabe.


Lope de Vega lo deja claro.


----------



## Pedro P. Calvo Morcillo

dashforce said:
			
		

> ("Te quiero, nos vemos" works where "I love being around you, see you soon" just doesn't sound good at all).
> GS


 
"Te quiero, nos vemos", doesn't work in Spain. It doesn't sound casual but rather close.


----------



## Pedro P. Calvo Morcillo

Edwin said:
			
		

> Laura, how about this question:
> 
> One test of these translations might be: How would a girl say in Spanish, as they sometimes do in English,
> 
> "I like you Paco, but I don't love you. Let's just be friends. I love you like a brother."
> 
> 
> --Edwin


 
Depende de lo firme que quieras ser, o del cariño que sientas:


Me caes bien Paco, pero no te quiero. Sólo podemos ser amigos.
Te aprecio, Paco, pero no estoy enamorada de ti. Seamos amigos.
Te quiero, Paco, pero no estoy enamorada de ti. Seamos amigos.Te quiero como a un hermano.
Te quiero Paco... pero como amiga, como una hermana.
Ordenadas de menos a más cariño.


----------



## Ali-a-baba

I just want to add something here. A young man half my age just told me "te quiero mucho". He is from Perú and speaks no English. He certainly didn't mean he loved me in anything more than in a casual way. Of this I am positive.

I just found this site and it is VERY interesting!  I am learning Spanish and this site will help me immensely. Muchas gracias!


----------



## Ivy29

cristóbal said:
			
		

> White Anglo-Saxon Protestant... digamos, "la mayoría" en EEUU.


 
I would say *'I like you'* for a girl I do not LOVE.
For a male = Me caes bien/ me agradas. 
For a woman I do LOVE = LOVE. Te amo
For family members = LOVE= Los amo.
IN USA = LOVE the puppies.
For things = Me encantan, me fascinan. I love my car.

Cheers
Iván


----------



## Ali-a-baba

Hi Iván,

I am confused. I have met this young mans family. He is 23 years old and I am older than his mom. When he said "te quiero mucho" to me, there was only one way to interpret this. Am I wrong in my interpretation?

Regards,

Ali


----------



## Pedro P. Calvo Morcillo

Ali-a-baba said:
			
		

> Hi Iván,
> 
> I am confused. I have met this young mans family. He is 23 years old and I am older than his mom. When he said "te quiero mucho" to me, there was only one way to interpret this. Am I wrong in my interpretation?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ali


Do you mean if there is a sexual intention? I don't think so. I think he is just offering you his fond affection.


----------



## Artrella

Ali-a-baba said:
			
		

> Hi Iván,
> 
> I am confused. I have met this young mans family. He is 23 years old and I am older than his mom. When he said "te quiero mucho" to me, there was only one way to interpret this. Am I wrong in my interpretation?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Ali



I think he is expressing his affection towards you, as a friend, as a person.  If you interpreted this as something sexual, I think you are wrong.


----------



## Ali-a-baba

Pedro,

Thank you VERY much. My original interpretation was one of just familial affection. After reading some of the posts, I became unsure of myself. Thank you for your input and reassurance!

Ali


----------



## munyeca

Another disctinction to be made about phrases is whether you're addressing them to the object of your affection or to a third party. I think this is important to point out with the word "fond" in particular, because in this discussion, "fond" has been treated as synonymous "care for." You can say, "I'm fond of my dog," or "I'm fond of pizza," or other objects, concepts, pastimes, etc. It sounds a little formal, and it should because it expresses that you hold that thing dear, but it's not on your mind all the time; it's not a passion. 

With regards to people, you can say, "I'm fond of him," about someone with whom you are familiar and friendly, who you enjoy being around. But you cannot say, "I'm fond you," to someone you "quiere" or "ama." Because the word applies so well to pets and objects, it is objectifying. I once told a boy I was dating, "I'm fond of you," because within the relationship I felt a casual appreciation for him as a person, as a soul--I felt fondness. He was highly insulted, and we broke up soon after BECAUSE of my word choice in that single situation--it tainted the entire relationship. I could have told a friend that I was fond of him, but to say that word to a lover is a passion-killer.

Also, I just want to say that this discussion is extremely useful because, as a student of Spanish, I have been taught that with words like "querer" I must always keep all definitions of a word in mind so I don't imply something that I did not mean. I was not taught the innocent meaning of "querer," or how context can give a phrase more meaning than dictionary definition. So thanks.


----------



## missvenita

Yo creo que seria algo como:
I like you
I really like you
I care so much about you, tambien.


----------



## ALBAMARINA

Yo use las frases de esta manera:

I love my children (quiero a mis hijos)
but I am IN love with my husband (amo a mi esposo)

ALBA


----------



## Seahawk

I think I can answer the original question, "Te quiero = ???????".  

It depends where you come from.  

Reading through all of these posts, it sure can mean a LOT of different things to a lot of different people.  

My wife spent the first 28 years of her life in Guatemala.  And whether she whispers it to me in bed, or says it as a goodbye to me on the phone, she grew up using "Te quiero" to mean "I love you".  The same as "I love you" is used in the USA.  She will say "Te quiero" to her family, her children, and me, her husband.  And there is no stronger word for her.  (We've had this conversation.)  She recognizes that most other Spanish speaking countries use "Te amo" to mean "I love you".  But in Guatemala, it's "Te quiero".

"Te quiero = ???????".  Depends where you come from.


----------



## Jeff Morgan

At the risk of prolonging this one....I'll go back to the original question which asked about how we distinguish between degrees/types of feelings in English.

We, the English as you know, don't do feelings much..........

However we do say things like:

I'm very fond of you (often said to avoid having to say I love you.....)
You mean a lot to me
I like you a lot
I value your friendship (ugghhh, but it is used)
Men never say things like this to each other however......  ;-)

Jeff
con espalda ancha.....


----------



## lauranazario

Seahawk said:
			
		

> I think I can answer the original question, "Te quiero = ???????".
> 
> It depends where you come from.
> 
> Reading through all of these posts, it sure can mean a LOT of different things to a lot of different people.
> 
> My wife spent the first 28 years of her life in Guatemala.  And whether she whispers it to me in bed, or says it as a goodbye to me on the phone, she grew up using "Te quiero" to mean "I love you".  The same as "I love you" is used in the USA.  She will say "Te quiero" to her family, her children, and me, her husband.  And there is no stronger word for her.  (We've had this conversation.)  She recognizes that most other Spanish speaking countries use "Te amo" to mean "I love you".  But in Guatemala, it's "Te quiero".
> 
> "Te quiero = ???????".  Depends where you come from.


Hi Seahawk... and welcome to the forum.
Very interesting contribution and a very valid point... not everyone assigns a  single "value" or "interpretation" to the words _Te Quiero_. 

I have personally known people who, like your wife, use _Te Quiero_ for a whole gamut of affections that ragens from romantic to familial love... but I have to say --from personal experience and even my own usage-- that most Spanish-speakers DO make some kind of differentiation when referring to sensual love versus brotherly love; we generally use the richness in nuances. Why? Because our language lends itself to it. After all... Spanish falls under the "_Lenguas Romances_" category so I guess that means we've had years of experience in that field????? 

Saludos,
LN


----------



## Terry Mount

Returning to one of my posts in another thread....

My grandmother insisted we reserve the word love for "people" (and I guess pets) and that we use "like" (instead of "love") for things. But it is obviously part of the language to say "ohhh, I love your dress!!!" "I just adore your new blouse!" "He loves / adores baseball." These last three I understand to be equivalent to "encantar")

I think the various degrees of love that you might feel toward human beings are expressed only one way in English: "I love you." The kind of love you are expressing is understood both by the existing relationship and by the way you say it (where, how and when you say it).

So I tell my brother and sisters as we say "bye" on the phone: "Bye, I love you."

I say to a student whom I'm embracing as he leaves after graduation: "Bye, man, I love you." To my parents: "I love you." To my wife: "I love you." etc. etc.

So...I think I just finished beating the dead horse.


----------



## Mirtha Robledo

I think that the difference is on how you feel when you say it.
It is totally different when you say to a brother and/or sister "Bye, I love you." than when you say to your lover "I love you".
In spanish you would say to your children TE QUIERO and to your lover TE AMO; however, in english you would say I LOVE YOU to your children and to your lover.
Please correct me if I am wrong.


----------



## Terry Mount

Exactly right!!!


----------



## gdiaz

In a familiar context you can say "I take care about you" and it can be translated as te quiero (me preocupo por tí).


----------



## Terry Mount

"To care," y "to take care (of)" son  expresiones verbales diferentes.

"take care of" = cuidar a; atender a.  "We have to take care of the children."  "Tenemos que cuidar (atender) a los niños."  A veces, "to care for" lleva esta idea.  "He has to care for his aged parents."  <--- He takes care of them.  He gives them the care that they need.

Si es un "asunto" entonces es ocuparse de; atender..."He's taking care of that matter." (manejándolo; atendiéndolo)

"take care" como mandato = "be careful" == "Ten cuidado.
"Se entiende "Take care of yourself."

La expresión "to care about":  "I don't care about that."  (Eso no me importa.)  Se acorta a "I don't care."  <---- "No me importa."

"to care for" = querer; amar
El la quiere (ama) mucho.  " He really cares for her."

Otros usos de "care" más coloquiales (Carolina del Norte).

"No gustar" 
No me gustan nada las zanahorias.  <--- I don't care for carrots at all.

"No querer comer"
--You have hardly eaten anything.  Take some of the carrots.
--No, thank you.  I don't care for any.


----------



## Sparkle

te gato said:
			
		

> I asked all my friends in Mexico..(now that I have the right number)..
> What they would say...
> 
> I was told that for LOVE...It was "te quiero mucho"
> 
> I asked them if they said "te amo"...and did it mean more than te quiero mucho..was told no..that for them there, *they don't say te amo*...
> 
> If they are realy 'serious' about that person..it is TQM...
> 
> te gato


 
What a great thread!! I've read it from the beginning and learned a lot! But this post particularly intrigued me, 'cause I have a doubt.

Situation is this: I haven't talked with a Mexican friend in a while, and I sent him a message saying "Te extraño". Next day we talked and he said he missed me too, blah blah, and asked if I had seen this girl (friend of both), who he had said in the past he's in love with. ok, so far.

Day after I had a message from him saying "Tambien te extraño. Te amo, muchacha" TE AMO!! Now that got me confused! he knows I understand spanish 'cause I'm Portuguese, and besides, we use the verb "amar" too, in Portuguese. But "Amo-te" (Portuguese equivalent) would be very strong and normally only used in a romantic context.

Te gato...he's Mexican...he said it... What does it mean? I could asked him but It feels weird now and I don't want to make a fool of myself. Also, If that was a love declaration I sure want to know! 

Help, anyone, please!? Muchas gracias

Abrazo ~~Spark


----------



## beatrizg

Sparkle said:
			
		

> What a great thread!! I've read it from the beginning and learned a lot! But this post particularly intrigued me, 'cause I have a doubt.
> 
> Situation is this: I haven't talked with a Mexican friend in a while, and I sent him a message saying "Te extraño". Next day we talked and he said he missed me too, blah blah, and asked if I had seen this girl (friend of both), who he had said in the past he's in love with. ok, so far.
> 
> Day after I had a message from him saying "Tambien te extraño. Te amo, muchacha" TE AMO!! Now that got me confused! he knows I understand spanish 'cause I'm Portuguese, and besides, we use the verb "amar" too, in Portuguese. But "Amo-te" (Portuguese equivalent) would be very strong and normally only used in a romantic context.
> 
> Te gato...he's Mexican...he said it... What does it mean? I could asked him but It feels weird now and I don't want to make a fool of myself. Also, If that was a love declaration I sure want to know!
> 
> Help, anyone, please!? Muchas gracias
> 
> Abrazo ~~Spark


 
Hola Spark, 
Yo soy de las personas que prefieren el "te quiero", como el amigo mexicano de de Te Gato. Es cuestión de gustos. El "te amo" me suena ajeno, un poco a telenovela. Sin embargo cuando alguien usa "te amo" lo hace con el fin de expresar un sentimiento de carácter romántico. De eso no hay duda.  En cuanto a las intenciones de tu amigo, creo que sólo te podrás aclarar haciéndole la pregunta.


----------



## Sparkle

> Sin embargo cuando alguien usa "te amo" lo hace con el fin de expresar un sentimiento de carácter romántico. De eso no hay duda.


 
As I thought... Muchas muchas gracias beatriz! =)

Abrazo
~~Spark


----------



## LA RO

hola!

En España normalmnte no se usa Te amo sino mas bien Te quiero. Te amo suena, y en eso estoy de acuerdo kon Magda, a "culebron" y terriblemente cursi. Yo personalmente, nunca lo he usado y eso no significa que no haya "amado" a alguien en mi vida. Es un tanto desfasado.
Asi que yo traduciria te quiero como I love you. 
bye!!!


----------



## ElaHuguet

My husband and I live in Mallorca, where a dialect of Catalan is spoken, and we use "t'estim" between us, because there is no other interpretation to it than "te amo" between lovers.  I guess "te amo" would be "I love you profoundly, for ever", but nowadays "te amo" is reserved for "mushy" moments, hehe, and for Saint Valentine cards, for example, or engraved on jewellry.

Ela.

PS: As to "cursi", the _best_ translation I have found for it is British "twee" (def: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute or quaint.) apparently the word comes from a small child's rendition of "sweet", but I still haven't found an AE/international word to cover it properly.


----------



## hsam

ElaHuguet said:
			
		

> My husband and I live in Mallorca, where a dialect of Catalan is spoken, and we use "t'estim" between us, because there is no other interpretation to it than "te amo" between lovers. I guess "te amo" would be "I love you profoundly, for ever", but nowadays "te amo" is reserved for "mushy" moments, hehe, and for Saint Valentine cards, for example, or engraved on jewellry.
> 
> Ela.
> 
> PS: As to "cursi", the _best_ translation I have found for it is British "twee" (def: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute or quaint.) apparently the word comes from a small child's rendition of "sweet", but I still haven't found an AE/international word to cover it properly.


 
The word "twee" is definitely the right word for what you're trying to say,  as for AE I don't know.


----------



## Laia

LA RO said:
			
		

> hola!
> 
> En España normalmnte no se usa Te amo sino mas bien Te quiero. Te amo suena, y en eso estoy de acuerdo kon Magda, a "culebron" y terriblemente cursi. Yo personalmente, nunca lo he usado y eso no significa que no haya "amado" a alguien en mi vida. Es un tanto desfasado.
> Asi que yo traduciria te quiero como I love you.
> bye!!!


 
completamente de acuerdo jajajaja... si a mi un chico me dice "te amo"... perdería cualquier sex-appeal que tuviese... 
me dejaría así:  ¬¬'


----------



## Laia

ElaHuguet said:
			
		

> My husband and I live in Mallorca, where a dialect of Catalan is spoken, and we use "t'estim" between us, because there is no other interpretation to it than "te amo" between lovers. I guess "te amo" would be "I love you profoundly, for ever", but nowadays "te amo" is reserved for "mushy" moments, hehe, and for Saint Valentine cards, for example, or engraved on jewellry.
> 
> Ela.


 
Sí, a mi me encanta el _T'estim_ balear... nosotros (en catalán central)decimos _T'estimo_, o + divertido: _tatimu _


----------



## ElaHuguet

Nosotros lo hemos "codificado", y en nuestras cartas, correos o notas, escribimos "T'e".


----------



## Laia

ElaHuguet said:
			
		

> Nosotros lo hemos "codificado", y en nuestras cartas, correos o notas, escribimos "T'e".


 
Very interesting...


----------



## sal novelo espadas

I love you se usa en sentido amoroso?. Si una amiga me lo dice puedo tomarlo como una invitación a un affair???


----------



## ILT

I love you es directamente te amo, pero en Estados Unidos se usa, en ocasiones, con un sentido diferente al que le damos en español.

Te recomiendo que leas este hilo, y quizás éste también te pueda servir.

De hecho, para no abrir hilos diferentes para el mismo tema, en un rato más voy a unir tu pregunta al primer hilo que te menciono.

Saludos, y bienvenido al foro


----------



## sal novelo espadas

I love translating said:
			
		

> I love you es directamente te amo, pero en Estados Unidos se usa, en ocasiones, con un sentido diferente al que le damos en español.
> 
> Te recomiendo que leas este hilo, y quizás éste también te pueda servir.
> 
> De hecho, para no abrir hilos diferentes para el mismo tema, en un rato más voy a unir tu pregunta al primer hilo que te menciono.
> 
> Saludos, y bienvenido al foro


----------



## sal novelo espadas

Muchas gracias por sus observaciones.
Sal


----------



## ILT

De nada, siempre un gusto poder ayudar.  No dejes de consultar cualquier duda que tengas, que aquí nos gusta ayudarnos unos a otros.

Saludos


----------



## SaritaMackita

ElaHuguet said:
			
		

> PS: As to "cursi", the _best_ translation I have found for it is British "twee" (def: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute or quaint.) apparently the word comes from a small child's rendition of "sweet", but I still haven't found an AE/international word to cover it properly.


 
From what I understand of the meaning of the word "cursi," the words "cheesy" and "corny" are proper translations for American English.  "Telenovelas," for example, have a reputation for being pretty corny and overly melodramatic, especially the Latin American ones, in my opinion.... 
Sarah


----------



## ducky

hi,,well,,i think "te quiero" is very used in the latin american culture,,we used it to express love for someone but not that compromising as it would be "love" in english,,in my country is a distinction we use to make difference about a kinf of "love level" we use "te quiero" when we feel some love for a person,,but "te amo" is more serious,,like really crazy in love for that person.
in english i agree that i love you fits for both,,,i think now it's just up to us (latin americans) to understand that in english don't exist those "different levels of love",,, and i also agree that in english you can make the difference by the way you say,,the intonation,etc.


----------



## SaritaMackita

cristóbal said:
			
		

> I'm going to solve this once and for all:
> 
> 
> No es amor lo que tu sientes, se llama obsesión.


 
Me encanta esa cancion!! Viva la bachata!!


----------



## jorgeg

Although this Thread was started more than a year ago I'd like to post here because the subject raised by *Lauranazario* interests very much in its general context. I quote from her post #1:

Es bien sabido que existen frases para expresar ciertos grados de sentimiento o de intensidad de sentimiento. Por ello,

Te amo = I love you (high degree of love)
Te adoro = I adore you (even higher degree of love)
Te deseo = I want you (sexual innuendo)


The question I'd like to discuss, if there are any players, is that of "degrees of..." or "intensity of..." in general, that is, _of_ ...feelings, emotions, sensations, experiences, etc.


Suppose we had a set of words (of a given language) belonging to the affective domain, how could *we proceed* so as to assign to each a certain 
"degree of feeling''? This done, we could make a list of the words in our set in ascending or descending order of intensity.


The reason I "bolded" *we proceed* is because, although each of us would have no problem in making his personal list, to make a list accepted by all of us presents considerable problems. An individual may assign "degrees of..." subjectively, whereas "all of us" (meaning a very large group) could only get to agree by adopting objective criteria.

Suppose we add to Lauranazario's set, "Te aprecio", "Te admiro", "Te respeto" and others like "Me gustas", "Me atraes", etc. etc., how do we get to agree in a scale of ascending degree of feeling?

I have some preliminary ideas on the subject but first I'd like to know if there are other Forum members interested in discussing it.


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## cuchuflete

Hola Jorgeg,
Bienvenido a los foros.

Interesting proposition.  Here is a suggestion...

Start a new thread, referencing this one if you like. Propose a list of all the appropriate terminology.  Ask others to rank, in intensity, the various phrases or terms.

If you try to continue the discussion in this thread, the odds are strong that it will go off in dozens of different directions.

Un saludo,
Cuchuflete


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## Ivy29

jorgeg said:
			
		

> Although this Thread was started more than a year ago I'd like to post here because the subject raised by *Lauranazario* interests very much in its general context. I quote from her post #1:
> 
> Es bien sabido que existen frases para expresar ciertos grados de sentimiento o de intensidad de sentimiento. Por ello,
> 
> Te amo = I love you (high degree of love)
> Te adoro = I adore you (even higher degree of love)
> Te deseo = I want you (sexual innuendo)
> 
> 
> Love and emotion are very personal-subjectively felt. But we can rank objectively according to INTENSITY.
> Te respeto
> Te admiro
> Me caes bien ( euphemism for like or attraction). This is what most people say, to avoid open acceptance that you like somebody)
> Me gustas
> te quiero
> te amo
> te adoro.
> te deseo ( sexual implication).
> I like your idea, and I agree with the other forumite to open a new thread.
> 
> Cheers
> Iván


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## jorgeg

To Ivan and Cuchuflete: Thanks for your suggestion to open a new thread. I'll take your advice. I'm still a bit confused about the layout of this Forum; could you advice me regarding the proper Section for discussion of Semantics? Thanks.


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## tega

i'm australian and i speak no spanish but recently i was talking to the guy that i like who's south american (although australian born) and speaks spanish at home and i asked him to say something to me in spanish. 
he thought about it for a while and said "it's corny but...te quiero mucho" when i asked him what it meant he wouldnt tell me and that i'd just have to remember it if i wanted to find out.
atfer reading these forums i know what it translates as but i dont know how to interpret it! can anyone offer any insight into what kind of like/love he is likely to have meant, given the sentence said and that his spanish is south american spanish of some sort??


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## avazquezr

I figure out he also likes you, and in fact, I think he would like to ask you out.


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## avazquezr

We don't usually say "Te quiero" unless we have some sort of strong feelings about someone.

I guess these are good news .


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## lauranazario

avazquezr said:
			
		

> We don't usually say "Te quiero" unless we have some sort of strong feelings about someone.


Indeed... 

Saludos,
LN


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## tega

i hope you guys are right!


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## johnmercer5

No se puede explicar lo que quieren decir las frases "te quiero" y "te amo" porque depende no solo del contexto sino también de la persona a la que le dices tales frases. Depende de donde son, si son de México o de España, o de EE. UU. incluso. Depende de quién más le haya dicho estas frases. En Fin... Solo _tú _puedes saber qué querrá decir "te quiero" o "te amo" a tu pareja...


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## estefa

I had a conversation with a scottish friend about the same topic.
We can say that in spanish we see differences between

Me gustas
Te quiero
Te amo / estar enamorado
Te deseo

I think is clear that "Me gustas" could be I LIKE YOU, in both ways a light way to show affection for someone.
Probably the most correct translation for TE DESEO is I WANT YOU (one night a girl was saying that to a friend, and, poor him, he though she felt in love for him in only half an hour!), talking about a sexual desire.
But for me the problem is to show to english speakers the difference between say TE QUIERO to a friend, to my mum, to a boyfriend (expression of special strong affection) and TE AMO/ESTOY ENAMORADA DE TI (much stronger and dramatic in my point of view).

Also, I met people that they understand TO FALL IN LOVE like the initial moment when you realize that you love somebody (el proceso en donde te estas dando cuenta de que quieres a alguien), when I thought that expression mean TE AMO.
What do you think?


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## friedfysh

Hi I was hoping somebody might be able to help me with this, I have a mexican girlfriend and I like her a lot but I dont love her, at least not in the way that I would say "I love you" in English, but she has told me "te quiero" a couple of times. I don't really feel comfortable saying it back (and haven't) as I always understood that this meant "I love you." Though having spoken with other Mexicans and read this thread I'm starting to wonder if "te quiero" actually means "I love you" at all. From the situations I have understood I think it sounds as though it may be better translated as "I always have a great time with you and you make me feel good about myself" or something similar. To translate it as "I love you" seems far too generous a comment. "te amo" then seems to be a fair translation of "I love you."


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## sallly

hello, I am new here, but have read a lot of threads on this subject. I have a question. Is Te Adoro more powerfull or have more meaning than Te Amo or Te Quiero? It was mentioned in one thread as being a higher degree of love than Te Amo, is this true. In another thread someone mentioned that they didn't agree with that. Would love to hear your opinions. Thank you.


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## sial72

totally agree "te amo" is sooo bad, soo "cursi" at least in Spain, I don't know anyone who uses "te amo".



Magda said:


> Well, I have to say that I would never say "te amo" to anyone because it sounds awfully "cursi" to me. It's how they talk on Spanish-language soap operas and no-one I know talks like that. Perhaps it depends on the country? I've certainly never said so to my husband, to whom I would say "te quiero / te quiero mucho / te adoro / etc."
> 
> In English I say "I love you" constantly to the people whom I truly do love, i.e., my children, my parents, my brothers, my best friend, and other people who are like family to me and very important in my life. If I wanted to tell someone I "loved" them without actually saying so, I would probably say something like "you know how very/terribly fond of you I am," or "you know how much your friendship means to me" and other phrases along those lines.


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## sial72

I wouldn't say it was more or less powerfull than te quiero o te amo, it's just different, like in English, "I love you" is not quite the same as "I adore you".


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## SAMROD

The best way to say "te quiero" in english, is "I care about you"; if you care for the person but do not love them yet.


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## blinker09

it is quite a hard one to distinguish.
I had this difficult situation, when i moved back from Mexico and one of my guy mates said to me "buena mujer" i was like ok gracias then i saw "Te Quiero mucho,
Cuidate mucho" by this point i was like what does that mean, so i thought being the blunt british person i am i asked him he said 
Te Quiero Mucho means- 
like when you say how much it means 
the person for you 
for his talent 
for their happiness 
etc
So maybe te quiero is used more for friendship and te amo is stronger​Im from the Uk and if i said i love you to one of my guy mates they would be like woah!!!, 
i think cultures affect it alot like us British when it comes to the love rule, we say it to our family or boyfriend, but in certain areas it can  be said to friends in a slang way, but 9 out of 10 times we wouldnt go straight to a friend love you.


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## ribert

Te quiero muchisimo en inglés es I love you so much. Es una frase muy utilizada en España, Mexico, Colombia y todos los países de habla hispana. Es una cultura decir eso en español a tu pareja.


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