Spanish is a beautiful language that is spoken around the world. Not only is it the official language in more than 15 countries, but it’s also very popular among language learners. Maybe because it is a very rich language: there are many different Spanish accents, and it has a wide vocabulary.
For example: to express love you can say either te quiero or te amo. Though the first one is not as intense as the second one, it still connotes love. This is why it’s important to learn Spanish beyond the grammar rules.
It will help you understand all the different ways you have to express your thoughts and feelings. You’ll recognize the nuances of the Spanish language.
One of the most common things that we like to communicate to other people is affection, in any language. We all have a significant other whom we want to show our love for. It can be a friend, a partner, a child, or someone else.
But if Spanish is not our first language, we might only know a few words, like amor, to express our feelings. Well, don’t worry. Here are some Spanish terms of endearment words and phrases to demonstrate your love for someone.
20 Spanish Terms of Endearment Words
- Afecto – Affection
- Amor – Love
- Querer – Want (but in the affection context, the meaning is closer to “like”)
- Apreciar – Appreciate
- Estimar – Appreciate
- Cariñoso – Caring (“caring” as an adjective is cariñoso; “caring” as a verb is cuidando)
- Cariño – Sweetie
- Adorar – Adore
- Amigo – Friend
- Amistad – Friendship
- Pareja – Couple / Partner
- Familia – Family
- Amable – Kind
- Especial – Special
- Tierno – Tender / Cute / Loving
- Buena onda – Cool
- Abrazo – Hug
- Orgulloso / Orgullosa – Proud
- Admirar – Admire
- Juntos – Together
Spanish Pet Names that Demonstrate Love
It’s pretty common to call our loved ones by a nickname as a way of affection. When we talk to friends, we usually use funny nicknames. When it’s a family member we tend to use cute names. And when it’s a partner, the pet names usually show love and warmth.
The English language has different ways to call our loved ones, but the Spanish language is no exception to the rule. Here are some common pet names in Spanish to show love:
Cariño
Cariño is a noun, synonym of love. For example, Él le tiene mucho cariño a su perro (He has lots of love for his dog). But it can also be a form of calling your kids or partner. For example, ¡Ten un gran día, cariño! (Have a great day, sweetie!)
Mi amor
This is another nickname, especially for kids and partners. Though some people use it for any person that is close to them, and it’s okay too. Mi amor means “my love”.
Amor
This is simply “love”, but it’s a popular name for your significant other. For example, Cuídate, amor (take care, love). What is a better way to show your love for someone than by literally calling them “love”?
Mi vida
This means “my life”, so you can already see that it’s an intense nickname. It really implies tons of love. As intense as it might sound to call someone “your life”, it is also a sweet nickname. It’s especially used for your partner or kids.
Mami
For family members like mom or dad, there are special pet names, like mami. This is “mommy” in Spanish, and as you already imagine, it’s used for your mom. There are other similar words to call your mom, like mamita or ma.
Papi
This is like mami but for fathers. It means “daddy”. You can also call your father pa.
Abuelita / Abuelito
Have a grandparent that you love and adore? This is the nickname for grandparents. Abuelita means “grandma”, and abuelito means “grandpa”.
Corazón
This is usually used for partners and kids. It means “heart”.
Bebé
This means “baby”, and though it can be used as a sweet nickname for your babies, it’s especially used for partners.
These are just some of the many common pet names that exist in Spanish. As you can see most of the pet names in Spanish are for kids and couples. The reason why there are not many nicknames for friends is that they’re usually called by specific pet names that already exist for their names.
For example, ff your best friend is named José, then you would most likely call him “Pepe”. Or if his name is Joshua, you would call him “Josh”. You can also call your friends by any other creative nicknames that you choose for them.
22 Spanish Terms of Endearment Phrases
Here are some Spanish terms of endearment phrases that you can use with any person you care about:
1. Te amo
This is one of the most famous ones. It means “I love you”.
2. Te adoro
It means “I adore you”.
3. Te quiero
This is like “I love you”, but it implies less intensity. If you want to add another level of querer, you can add mucho: te quiero mucho (I like/love you very much). You can also say, te quiero un montón (I like/love you very much).
4. Gracias por todo
Remember that affection can also be shown with gratitude. And this phrase is perfect to show someone that you’re aware of all their love and what they’ve done for you. It means “thanks for everything”.
5. ¡Eres increíble!
It means “you’re incredible!”.
6. Te aprecio mucho
This means “I appreciate you very much”.
7. Te estimo
This means that you appreciate someone. It’s acknowledging and liking all of their qualities and the person in general without being as intense as an “I love you”. That’s why it’s not often used with partners.
8. Te extraño
Feeling affection for someone also means missing them when they’re not around. And if you express that feeling to your loved ones, they’ll feel the love even from afar. This is “I miss you”.
9. Me haces falta
This is like “I miss you” and “I need you”.
10. Estoy muy orgullosa/orgulloso de ti
This means “I’m very proud of you”.
11. Eres lo máximo
This is “you’re the best”.
12. Nadie como tú
This means “(there’s) no one like you”, but the no hay (there’s not) is implicit. But if you want you can also add it, and the phrase would be, No hay nadie como tú (there’s no one like you).
13. Nunca cambies
This means “never change”.
14. ¡Vales mil!
Literally, this is “you’re worth a thousand”. Maybe you could wonder “a thousand what?” But that’s how the expression goes. It suggests that someone is worth a lot. It’s usually used among friends, or even with someone that did a favor for you.
15. Eres buena onda
This means “you’re cool”. If you think someone is extra cool, you can add mucho (very) or súper (very). So, it would be: Eres muy buena onda or eres súper buena onda (you’re very cool).
16. Me caes muy bien / Me caes súper bien
This means that you like someone very much because they’re very cool.
17. Me alegra ser tu amigo/amiga
This means “I’m happy to be your friend”. If you want to tell someone else that you’re happy for them, just change the word amigo (friend).
So you can say, me alegra ser tu esposa (I’m happy to be your wife). Or, me alegra ser tu nieta (I’m happy to be your granddaughter).
18. Eres un/una gran…
This means “you’re a great…” You can use this phrase with anyone, just add at the end the word that describes them the best. That word can be what they are to you (a friend, your mom, or anything else); or it can be a nice adjective.
For example, Eres un gran papá (You’re a great dad), or eres un gran estudiante (you’re a great student). Complimenting someone else it’s a form of showing your affection.
19. Ojalá existieran más personas como tú
This means “I wish more people like you existed”. You can also just say, Más personas como tú, por favor (more people like you, please). In this case, the ojalá existieran would be implicit. And it’d be like asking the universe the favor of sending more people like your loved one.
20. Eres muy divertido/divertida
This means “you’re very funny”.
21. Te admiro mucho
This means “I admire you very much”.
22. Eres muy especial para mí
This means “you’re very special to me”. You can also say, eres muy especial (you’re very special).
Other Ways to Show Affection
Remember that affection can be demonstrated in many ways, through actions and words. Always make sure that your words speak the same things as your actions. If not, people won’t believe that you truly love them.
In terms of nice actions, you can invite your partner to their favorite restaurant. You can offer your little brother help with their homework. You can take your mom to a beach getaway. No matter how big or small your actions are, everything you do speaks about the affection you have for a person.
You don’t need to buy the most expensive gift; little details also count. Like organizing a picnic in the park for your friend’s birthday.
In terms of words, you can use any of the Spanish terms of endearment above to express your love. But if you want to keep learning more vocabulary to show affection and appreciation for people, we can help you. With TruFluency Spanish classes you’ll learn useful everyday vocabulary and expressions, so you can say all your thoughts and feelings.
We have native teachers that will help you sound like a local. Remember that many native Spanish speakers are very affectionate. So they’ll be thrilled if you know different common Spanish phrases to express your love. But our tutors will also teach you vocabulary for many other situations.
All of our classes are completely online and based on the Bellieu Method, created to achieve language fluency. So you will speak in every class! There’s no better way of learning.
Choose your own schedule and get started start now, or you can sign up for a 2 hour trial class for only $49!
