# What exactly does "Te quiero mucho" mean/imply? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789 "2007-03-13T20:20:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rostfrei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7bcc69/32.png) [@rostfrei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rostfrei)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/1 "2007-03-13T20:20:52Z")
On Saturday night, I ran into my old boyfriend, Miguel who is from Mexico. I see him from time to time, out an about, and whenever we see each other, the sparks are definitely there. So, after we parted on Saturday night, he sent me a text message which said, ‘Te quiero mucho, Eric”. I know some Spanish and know about the Taco Bell commercial, etc. But, what exactly does “te quiero mucho” mean? Some people I know (native Spanish speakers) have said it means “I want you a lot” and some say that it means “I like you a lot”. Which is it? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/2 "2007-03-13T20:29:49Z")
I think it’s supposed to be taken as “I really love you”. Saying “I want you” in English is more direct than the literal Spanish translation is meant to be. I think this phrase is polite. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/3 "2007-03-13T20:31:57Z")
Querer does mean to want, but when used with a person (i.e. “Te quiero”), it usually means “I love/really like you”. I’d translate “Te quiero mucho” as “I love you” or “I really love you”, definitley. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/4 "2007-03-13T22:00:52Z")
Hmmm…Mexican origin? Probably means I like you a lot / love you. If you were dating or more and he loved you, he’d probably say Te amo. My ex-bf used te quiero to mean I want you, but I think that was more of a him thing. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/5 "2007-03-13T23:17:26Z")
“I’d like a fish taco and some burritos, please.” ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/6 "2007-03-13T23:27:14Z")
Loosely translated, it means “lets play hide the chalupa”. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/7 "2007-03-13T23:55:27Z")
I suspect it’s the same deal as in French. \* Je t’aime\* means “I love you,” whereas _Je t’aime bien_ means, “I’m very fond of you” – or in other words, something less than “I love you.” It’s weird that the intensifier of _bien_ actually serves as a deintensifier in this usage. Awaiting confirmation from **Nava** … ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/8 "2007-03-14T01:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] I suspect it’s the same deal as in French. \* Je t’aime\* means “I love you,” whereas _Je t’aime bien_ means, “I’m very fond of you” – or in other words, something less than “I love you.” [/QUOTE] As I understand it (as a non-native, well, non-speaker of Spanish who has heard this discussion several times in the past among native speakers), _te quiero_ is actually a less intense expression emotionally than _te amo_. While it literally means “I want you”, it could also be translated “I long for you” or “I think of you a lot”, though if said in the proper context and tone could still come across as what in English sounds like something fairly lustful. It’s an expression of instantaneous love (“I’m loving you”, if you will), whereas _te amo_ is suggestive of a more permanent, eternal love (_yo te quiero, pero El Señor te ama_). The difference could be regional (i.e., Mexico vs. DR vs. PR vs. Venezuela etc.), but I’ve also heard it explained this way: “I would say _te amo_ and not _te quiero_ to my cousin, you figure it out”. FWIW, [Yahoo! Answers](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070306041617AAnYXKK) had this to say on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/9 "2007-03-14T01:37:08Z")
My Peruvian fiancée once explained it as _te quiero_ being a more passionate/intimate/playful expression of love/desire and _te amo_ being more “mushy” for lack of a better phrase. You might tell your mother _te amo_ but you probably wouldn’t tell her _te quiero_. Other bits of Latin America may have different rules. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/10 "2007-03-14T01:39:13Z")
Oh, and I just remembered why I had quoted **Sal Ammoniac** ’s comment about French: as an _en passant_ warning to anyone learning French, while the noun _un baiser_ is “a kiss”, the verb _baiser_ does NOT mean “to kiss” (at least, a person-to-person kiss; apparently a meaning like “kissing the Pope’s ring” is still unambiguous). If you want a kiss, say “embrasse-moi”… Saying _baise-moi_ is pretty dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Zoomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bbce88/32.png) [@Zoomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoomer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-does-te-quiero-mucho-mean-imply/395789/11 "2007-03-14T18:33:29Z")
My wife is from central Mexico and we live on the US/Mexico border. The usage is the same in both areas. She says “te quiero” to her close female friends, her sisters, and her sons. It means “I love you” … but like you would say to your mother. She uses “te amo” only with me. It is the romantic/lover “I love you”. When I was first learning spanish I had a difficult time with these two phrases. My wife cured me of this by asking “Are you mad at me?” every time I would say “te quiero”.