# Teach Me How To Say "I Love You" In Other Languages **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082 "2013-06-03T23:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/41 "2013-06-05T15:42:03Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > “Wall eye knee” – Cantonese That sounds Mandarin, not Cantonese. Cantonese would sound like “Ngaah Oi Lay”. Mandarin would sound like “Wo Eye Knee”. ---
**Author:** ![ruh-roh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ruh-roh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruh-roh)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/42 "2013-06-05T16:18:55Z")
Iway ovelay ouyay ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/43 "2013-06-05T16:50:38Z")
I’m learning Spanish right now and the lesson said that “te quiero” is “I love you” ? Is there varying levels of ‘love’ between that and ‘te amo’? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/44 "2013-06-05T17:11:56Z")
It’s sort of a usage variation. _Te quiero_ is more everyday-use and not limited to romantic relationships; _te amo_ is more poetic and, because of this, more limited to romantic relationships. Also, in some dialects/locations _te amo_ will be more common than in others; in Spain it’s pretty rare, but there’s Latin American media in which it’s what lovers normally say to each other (as in they won’t say _te quiero_ without a _te amo_ next to it). ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/45 "2013-06-05T17:19:56Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > It’s sort of a usage variation. _Te quiero_ is more everyday-use and not limited to romantic relationships; _te amo_ is more poetic and, because of this, more limited to romantic relationships. Also, in some dialects/locations _te amo_ will be more common than in others; in Spain it’s pretty rare, but there’s Latin American media in which it’s what lovers normally say to each other (as in they won’t say _te quiero_ without a _te amo_ next to it). Ok, so _te quiero_ can be for family or lovers, but _te amo_ is lovers only? Makes sense if that’s right. Too bad we don’t have a similar line of difference in English. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/46 "2013-06-05T17:25:01Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > _Te quiero_ is more everyday-use and not limited to romantic relationships; _te amo_ is more poetic and, because of this, more limited to romantic relationships. When I was first learning Spanish, I was tickled by the fact that “I love you, Mom” sounds weird and overly passionate, so instead, you say “I want you, Mom”. _Much_ better. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/47 "2013-06-05T17:29:43Z")
Look… um, I, errrrr, I don’t know how to say this, but ummmmm. The thing is, what I’m trying to… oh gosh. Well… crikey this is harder than I thought… (repeat ad infinitum) English. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/48 "2013-06-05T18:22:25Z")
In the southern USA it’s “nice ass, get in the truck.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/49 "2013-06-05T18:44:52Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > Ok, so _te quiero_ can be for family or lovers, but _te amo_ is lovers only? Makes sense if that’s right. Too bad we don’t have a similar line of difference in English. With variations by location but yeah, that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/50 "2013-06-05T18:52:40Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Ich liebe dich: German > Eu te amo: Portuguese > Je t’aime: French Why does everything in German sound like a curse? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/51 "2013-06-05T18:59:23Z")
My Polish mother-in-law said “Ya kocham cie”. I said it back, and meant it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/52 "2013-06-05T19:20:42Z")
Oh, **Shodan**. You reminded me of my dear departed Babcia, and hearing her play Bobby Vinton’s _Melody of Love_: “‘Moja droga ja cię kocham’ means that I love you so…” (actually, it means, “My dear, I love you.”) ---
**Author:** ![LazarusHeart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@LazarusHeart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LazarusHeart)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/53 "2013-06-10T04:56:49Z")
Wo ai in - Mandarin ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/54 "2013-06-10T15:02:57Z")
Vietnamese: Anh yêu em. (m to f) or Em yêu anh. (f to m) ---
**Author:** ![MildlyObsessed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@MildlyObsessed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MildlyObsessed)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/55 "2013-06-10T15:32:43Z")
Turkish: seni seviyorum. The e’s are pronounced as in ‘sell’, i’s as in ‘ick’ - or just like in Spanish if that helps 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/56 "2013-06-10T19:39:35Z")
> [@snuffleupagus](#): > > Arabic: ana bahebak (I think the ‘ana’ (I) may not be necessary) That version is if you are speaking to a male. If you are speaking to a female it is “Ana bahebik.” I do not know if the “ana” is grammatically necessary but I have never heard this phrase without it. The vowel sounds in Arabic do not correspond directly to the vowel sounds in English so the spellings above are just an approximation. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/57 "2013-06-10T19:40:53Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Look… um, I, errrrr, I don’t know how to say this, but ummmmm. The thing is, what I’m trying to… oh gosh. Well… crikey this is harder than I thought… (repeat ad infinitum) > > English. Looks like U.K. English to me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/58 "2013-06-10T19:42:45Z")
You look tired. Why don’t you sit down and let me get you a nice hot bowl of soup? -Pepperwinklese ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/59 "2013-06-10T19:45:59Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > And “ti amo” in Italian (although you could also go the [advanced route](http://italian.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/say-i-love-you-in-italian.htm)). This one from that link Ti voglio bene. (_I love you a lot._) may not be correct. I dated an Italian for a while and she told me that is an expression of friendship rather than romantic love. It literally translates as, “I wish you well.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082/60 "2013-06-10T20:08:40Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Oh, **Shodan**. You reminded me of my dear departed Babcia, and hearing her play Bobby Vinton’s _Melody of Love_: > > “‘Moja droga ja cię kocham’ means that I love you so…” (actually, it means, “My dear, I love you.”) And you remind me of all the Polish weddings I attended with my wife and mother-in-law, and hearing her sing along with this line. She was a sweetheart. She died last year, at 97. Way too soon. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teach-me-how-to-say-i-love-you-in-other-languages/660082.md?page=4)