Does the spanish word Love = Like?

[JimmySTLOUIS]

Hi again

Well 6 more days until the big big bird takes me to Peru.
I cant wait. Thanks again to everyone who has helped me.

I was wonderig something. This girl and her family really throw around the Love word. It almost seems like they substitute the word Love for the word like

Is the word love not really that big if deal to use or is there no word for "like" in the vocabulary?

Jim

[zack]

... in response to Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Nov 20, 2003

Just a little more info.

Some Colombian ladies greet people with "Hola mi amor" which means "Hello my love." It can be a friendly greeting or the greeting from a lover, at least in my experience. I am not an expert on Colombian lingo so if anyone wants to jump in feel free.

Zack

[Zorrowins]

... in response to Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Nov 20, 2003

Thanks for the discussion. I learned a few things!

[JimmySTLOUIS]

... in response to Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Nov 20, 2003

Thanks for the advice.

I was just wondering about this because there is a lot of talk about love. For example "I want your family to love me" "my family already loves you" etc etc

Here is America we kind of have to like someone before we love them. SO it just seems that love = like down there (?)

I guess I will find out more early wednseday morning.

jim

[denvermike]

... in response to Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Nov 20, 2003

The guys have given you the typical meanings of the words.  But language is complex and the real meaning tends to vary from place to place a bit. Every culture uses a slightly different set of words than the other.  It is like the difference between English in the US and English in the the UK or Australia.  

Don´t get too concerned about all the lovey dovey words that latinas use, it for the most part is just the way they talk and it is more of a sign of affection and respect than anything else.

As you get more experienced in the latin culture you will have to learn and understand the subtle differences in the Spanish meanings of words based on the context of the conversation and the tone of voice. It simply takes time and the willingness to learn.

[Ken2]

... in response to Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Nov 20, 2003

Peru?

Are you going the agency route?  Which one.  Im thinking of checking out Peru in a few months/

ken

[JimmySTLOUIS]

... in response to Re: Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by Ken2 on Nov 21, 2003

I started with matchingsys.com just writing to a few girls.
The one girl was really really sweet and she spoke english.
I am only going to see her. We have been writing / phone for about 8 weeks.

jim

[Edge]

... in response to Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Nov 20, 2003

They use the verb querer (infinitive = to want) to express love many times.  You often hear "te quiero" when they want to say like an everyday "I love you" when literally it is "I want you".  This could be between family members or close friends.

They reserve the verb amar for when they really want to say they love with you with force = te amo.  "I love you".  More often between a man and woman for romantic love.

The verb gustar (to like or be pleasing to) is used with for anything but a person - I believe - but I could be wrong.  por ejemplo - me gusta la comida.

I think "to like"  as in a person they use the verb caerse (to fall for) so when you use this verb you are literally saying "I fall for you".

Some of the guys with more experience with Spanish can correct me but this is my take.

Just say to your novia:  conocerme es amarme (to know me is to love me).

[jey]

... in response to Re: Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by Edge on Nov 20, 2003

to say "tu me gustas" or "ella me gusta" is not that uncommon but it means not that you love the woman but that she is pleasurable to you
I have heard it in a couple of songs

[jey]

... in response to Re: Re: Does the spanish word  Love = Li..., posted by jey on Nov 21, 2003

The way to say  you lust after someone is "yo tengo ganas de ti"

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Does the spanish word  Love = Like?, posted by Edge on Nov 20, 2003

Pretty good, Edge. 'Caer' means 'to fall', but not as in the English expression 'I fell for you'. It means more like 'things fell (turned out) well'. The pharse 'me caes bien'= litterly 'you fall well on me' (we might say 'you set well with me')...and yes, I would take it to mean 'I like you (but I'm not ready to use the word 'love' yet)'.

te quierro = you I love--very common, but like Edge says, is somewhat ambiguios. Not that a person would NOT say it to a person they love, but if they never said the next phrase, I'd think they were still at the 'I like you' stage. OTOH, they would never say it to a stranger or to a person they didn't like. If they say it about a thing (as oppossed to a person or a pet animal), it means 'want' something, as in 'I want some food'. If they say it before a verb, as in 'quierro comer' it means 'I want to do something ('eat', in this example). Notice that in the want something and want to do something examples, the word 'te' is not used ('te' is one of the many words which mean the English 'you').

te amo = you I love---with no doubt they mean it in a romantic sense (whether they are telling the truth or not is for your judgement).

Other defenitaly romantic ones are 'te deseo' (you I desire) and 'te adoro' (you I adore), 'mi amor' (my love), 'mi cielo' (my heaven), 'mi vida' (my life), 'mi querida' (litterly 'my wanted one', a slightly smoother translation would be 'the one I want'--best English equivlent I can think of is 'my dear'). Also definetly a good sign if they say 'mi (diminutive of your name)' or 'que (diminutive of your name'). Probably the strongest is 'estoy enamorado de ti' (if it is the woman speaking, the 'o' on enamorado will become an 'a').

They have no word that litterly means to 'like' someone or something, as Edge said, they use the word 'gustar' which means 'to please' or 'to give pleasure'. This is usually used with things (especially things you eat, as we would say 'I love ice cream'). Notice Edge's example (which is correct Spanish, BTW, even if a litteral translation 'me the food pleases' sounds awkard to us)...the sentence structure is reversed from English, the thing you like is the subject and the person (in this example, yourself) is the the direct object.  It COULD be used with a person, ('tu me gustas' or 'me gustas tu') they would know what you mean, but it would sound akward.  

Anyway, that's how I see it. If a native speaker or college professor wants to say 'No, Michael, you've got it all wrong', here's your chance.

[Georgina]

... in response to Re: Re: Does the spanish word  Love = Li..., posted by Michael B on Nov 20, 2003

Pretty good, but actually to say "tu me gustas" or "ella me gusta" or "Richard me gusta", "Maritza me gusta", “Me gusta la chica de pelo largo” (I like the girl with long hair), etc is very common and not awkward. In Spanish, as in English you can say "Me gusta "somebody" and you can be referring that you like "somebody's" personality or somebody's character or you like somebody as a friend. It's not use only to imply you are attracted so someone. I guess if you are a man and you get along well with another man, saying "me cae bien Juan" (I like Juan) would sound better than "me gusta Juan" though.

I am trying to think another ways to say romantic things like this:

If you are really crazy about somebody you can say “Me vuelves loco”

If you want to sound really dramatic you can also say “te necesito” (I need you)

Another one as “mi vida” are “mi corazón” “corazón” “corazonsito”. Of course “cariño” (honey) “cariñito” “amorsito”

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Does the spanish word  Love ..., posted by Georgina on Nov 21, 2003

Thank you, Georgina. Maybe I just missed it (or more likely forgot it, too old, ha ha) but I'm not used to 'gustar' being used with people. I see your example of 'me gusta la chica de pelo largo', and it makes perfect sense and even 'sounds right'....but I don't think you would use it in a romantic sense, would you?

Almost all my experience has been with Mexicans...well, I do have a degree that says I can teach Spanish, which I did for a couple of years, like 25 years ago, and one semester studying at Universidad Autonoma Nacional de Mexico, and those two years I worked for the government as a 'bi-lingual aide' during the Cuban refugee program (and who can understand THEM?) and 16 years with my X, from Costa Rica (who says 'ugh, you sound like a drunk Mexican' and switches back to English).  Please don't think I'm saying 'I'm right because look at all my experience', on the contrary, I'm saying that despite all that experience, I realize that I don't know it all and will never be as good as a native, I rate myself at about 80%

BTW - Te necesito is a good one, Martha says that all the time. She also calls me 'mi bebE'.

[Georgina]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Does the spanish word  L..., posted by Michael B on Nov 21, 2003

Actually I was going to congratulate you for all the good examples you gave in your previous email. Those are things that made me think of the fact that many people say they are fluent in other language, but they aren't. You come across as someone who really understands the language and who can say he is truly fluent in Spanish.

I didn't completely understand your question if I would use "gustar" in a romatic way. I would say yes, you can use it. But, it will less romantic than using "I love". For example, when talking to your soon to be wife you could tell her Me gustan tus ojos o amo tus ojos. If I were she, any of those would sound romantic for me. However, I think telling "amo tus ojos" will have more impact on her.

[Michael B]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Does the spanish wor..., posted by Georgina on Nov 21, 2003

Oh, sure. 'me gusta tu cabello' or other physical feature, or 'me gusta tu manera sinceria'.....yes I actully use that all the time for 'I like (some attribute you have)'. But simply 'me gustas' meant in a romantic way ("I love you')...... yeah, it works, but wouldn't you agree  that it isn't as strong as 'te quierro' and certainly not as strong as 'te amo'? That was my question.

Regarding the other things you said about me, thanks for the complement (but don't let me get the big head).