Spanish is a Romance language. And yes, that technically just means that it’s one of the descendants of Latin — just as French, Italian, Romanian and others are — but let’s be honest: it’s also a romantic language. People from all around the Spanish-speaking world have come up with countless ways to express your affection to the person you care about. You can go with a classic te amo to let someone know you love them, but you may want to explore some more creative interpretations. Whether you’re learning the language, or just picking up a few useful phrases for flirting, you can try out some of these international expressions for love in Spanish.

Different Ways To Say I Love You In Spanish

Spain — Eres mi media naranja.

Literal Translation: You are my half orange.
Meaning: You’ve probably heard of the concept of “my other half,” but this Spanish phrase makes things a little more concrete by imagining a loving pair as two halves of the same orange.

Colombia — Amor de mis amores.

Literal Translation: Love of my loves.
Meaning: Out of all those I love, you are the one I love the most.

Dominican Republic — Tú eres el sol de mi vida.

Literal Translation: You are the sun of my life.
Meaning: The sun is necessary for life on this planet, so the sun of your life is someone you couldn’t live without.

Chile — Te llevo en mi corazón.

Literal Translation: I carry you in my heart.
Meaning: Use this phrase to tell someone that they’re always in your thoughts.

Ecuador — Eres la razón de mi sonrisa.

Literal Translation: You are the reason for my smile.
Meaning: Let someone know they bring joy and happiness to your life with this phrase.

Mexico — Te quiero un chingo.

Literal Translation: I like you a lot.
Meaning: This is a pretty straightforward phrase featuring the colloquial phrase un chingo, which basically means “a lot” and adds extra emphasis to what you’re expressing toward someone else.

Cuba — Quiero envejecer contigo.

Literal Translation: I want to grow old with you.
Meaning: Passions can come and go, but express this powerful sentiment to let someone know you’re in it for the long haul.

Argentina — Sos mi todo.

Literal Translation: You are my everything.
Meaning: This phrase is also common in English, but mention the Argentinian dialect uses sos here, whereas “standard” Spanish would say eres.

Peru — Te necesito como el aire que respiro.

Literal Translation: I need you like the air I breathe.
Meaning: A line that appears in quite a few different Spanish songs, it’s a particularly powerful way to express how important someone is to you.

Venezuela — Te quiero hasta el infinito.

Literal Translation: I love you to infinity.
Meaning: Just saying te quiero is enough to tell someone you love them, but this will make the point even clearer.

Lastly, we want to note that these phrases aren’t necessarily specific to the country they’re labeled with, but they’re drawn from speakers of each country.