Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of the Spanish phrase ‘te amo’?
Well, congrats, that’s no small feat!
Hopefully it was uttered by someone you cherish, and if that IS the case, you need to choose the PERFECT words to answer back.
Anyway, you´ve come to the right place, because in this article I’m going to run you through no less than 10 different ways to reply to ‘te amo’ in Spanish!
Sit tight and enjoy the (slightly syrupy!) ride!
‘Te amo’ in English
When studying Spanish, we learn that ‘te amo’ means ‘I love you’.
Simple, right? Well, not entirely …
… you see, the spectrum of love is wide no matter the language and, when it comes to Spanish, there are a variety of expressions used to express affection (including some that don´t really have an English equivalent!).
Close friends and relatives might not choose the phrase ‘te amo’ in their affectionate exchanges and prefer to throw a ‘te quiero’ – which means something like ‘I care about you’ – into the mix.
People who just fancy one another or brand-new couples probably also prefer an alternative to ‘te amo’; in Spanish they tend towards ‘me gustas’ (kinda like ‘I fancy you’) instead.
So, when exactly do we use ‘te amo’?
Well, ‘te amo’ is reserved either for the strongest of love connections, or for special occasions when you’re letting a loved one know that they’re truly appreciated and cherished.
Think of it like the “L” bomb, but bigger. Think nuclear big! This is what ‘te amo’ means in Spanish.
A word of warning: there ARE some instances in which you may hear ‘te amo’ thrown around with less caution.
Particularly in Mexico, you may hear young people saying ‘te amo’ to their best friend, for example. This is perhaps due to the proximity and influence of the United States to Mexico.
Your key to understanding what exactly is meant in these cases should always be intonation and context!
Anyway, that´s more than enough prittle-prattle, let´s get into the list!
1 Yo también a ti – I love you too
When the sentiment is reciprocated, one of the most common responses is ‘I love you too’, which translates to ‘yo te amo a ti también’ in Spanish.
Although you´ll likely find the full phrase in the pages of a romantic novel, you’ll probably hear ‘yo también a ti’, a shorter version, way more often in everyday speech.
You can even get rid of the pronoun ‘ti’ and just say ‘yo también’, without changing its meaning (although it does lose a bit of intensity, depending on intonation).
Una pareja se dice ‘te amo’ por primera vez
Te lo tengo que decir: ¡Te* amo!
¡Yo también a ti!
A couple says ‘I love you’ for the first time
I need to tell you: I love you!
I love you too!
Cris – Yo sé que no te lo digo seguido … Pero realmente te amo.
Marlon – Sabes que yo también. ¡Eres el amor de mi vida!
Cris – I know I don’t say it often … but I really love you.
Marlon – You know I do too. You’re the love of my life!
*Erika´s note – whatever you do, don´t get ‘te’ muddled up with ‘tu’ when uttering ‘te amo’!
I recommend giving our article on ‘te’ vs ‘tu’ a quick once over to dispel any lingering doubts!
2 Y yo a ti – And I (love) you (too)
If we were to translate this phrase word by word, we’d get ‘And I to you’, but it’s really just another way of saying ‘and I love you too’, or ‘me too’.
Te amo, ¿lo sabes, verdad?
Y yo a ti, mi amor.
I love you. You know that, right?
And I love you too, my love.
3 Yo más – I love you more
If you wanna start the back-and-forth beloved of playgrounds everywhere, “I love you more – No, I love you more”, just answer ‘yo más’ (literally, ‘I more’ in English).
Just keep in mind that, as in English, this game can go on for, well, eternity!
Denis – Te amo tanto.
Ariel – Yo más.
Denis – No, yo más …
Denis – I love you so much.
Ariel – I love you more.
Denis – No, I love you the most …
4 Te amo con todo mi corazón – I love you with all my heart
If you wanna get extra romantic, you can impress your significant other with ‘te amo con todo mi corazón’, which is the Spanish equivalent of ‘I love you with all my heart’.
You’re sure to melt the heart of your Spanish-speaking sweetheart if you whip this one out!
Votos en una boda
Te amo, mi amor.
Yo te amo con todo mi corazón.
Wedding vows
I love you, my love.
I love you with all my heart.
Hija – Te amo, mami.
Madre – Te amo con todo mi corazón, cariño.
Daughter – I love you, mommy.
Mother – I love you with all my heart, darling.
5 Te quiero – I care about you
Oftentimes this phrase is translated to ‘I like you’ in English, and one of the definitions of the verb ‘querer’ is indeed ‘to like’ or ‘to want’ … but, in colloquial speech, it’s far more akin to ‘I care about you’.
In every Spanish-speaking country, ‘te quiero’ is an expression used to demonstrate deep affection, especially between friends and relatives.
¡Ojo! (Watch out!): in romantic relationships specifically, ‘te quiero’ may sound less effusive than ‘te amo’, so when your significant other says ‘te amo’, it’s best not to answer with ‘te quiero’!
6 Te adoro – I adore you
If you want to reply to ‘te amo’ with an ‘I adore you’, this can be translated to ‘te adoro’ in Spanish.
It’s very common and it carries the same intensity as ‘te amo’.
¡Te amo, corazón!
¡Yo te adoro!
I love you, sweetheart!
I adore you!
7 Lo sé – I know
Not the most romantic response in the galaxy, but if you feel as confident in your relationship as Han Solo did in “The Empire Strikes Back”, it might well do the trick.
En ‘Star Wars: El imperio contraataca’
Leia – Te amo.
Han – Lo sé.
In ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’
Leia – I love you.
Han – I know.
8 Yo también, pero como amigo/a – I love you too, as a friend
This is your classic soul crushing, heartbreaking go-to phrase if you wanna welcome someone to the friendzone.
La verdad es que … Te amo, Alexis.
¡Ay, Zuri! Yo también, pero como amigo.
The truth is … I love you, Alexis.
Aw, Zuri! I love you too, but as a friend.
9 Te ha mordido un perro – Love you … Just kidding!
This phrase literally means ‘you’ve been bitten by a dog’, but since it shares the sounds of the first three syllables of ‘te amo’ (i.e., ‘te ha’), it’s also a word-play prank, particularly popular amongst Mexican kids.
Wanna use it as a response to ‘te amo’?
Well, it’s like flipping a coin: your beloved one may burst out laughing … or they may stop speaking to you entirely.
Good luck!
Te amo, Noa.
Te amo … ¡Te ha mordido un perro!
I love you, Noa.
I love you too … psyche!
10 Sí, cómo no – Yeah, sure
Looking for a sarcastic response?
‘Sí, cómo no’ should be your go-to; it literally translates as ‘yes, how not’ but it’s really more similar to ‘yeah, sure’ in English.
Lamar – No lo quise hacer, perdóname. ¡Yo te amo!
Milán – Sí, cómo no*. ¡Se nota a leguas!
Lamar – I didn’t want to do it, forgive me. I love you!
Milán – Yeah, sure. It´s sooo obvious that you do!
Erika´s note – head on over to our article on the various meanings of ‘cómo no’ if you´d like to know more about this super common Mexican expression!
Final thoughts
And that’s it for now: a rather sickly-sweet list of ways to respond to ‘te amo’ (with a few bittersweet exceptions, of course!).
Hopefully you’ll now know exactly the right response for almost every scenario. So don’t be shy and answer right back to that ‘te amo’ … even if you’re already blushing.
Oh, and if you need the perfect pet name for your newfound love, be sure to check out our article on the ever-popular ‘mi cielo’ (you can thank me later!).