Spanish Abounds With Words for Love

I love you. I love strawberries. The score is love all. They made love. I would love to see you. Does love mean the same thing in all of the above sentences? Obviously not. So it shouldnt come as a surprise that there are many words in Spanish that can be translated as love. Use the verb amar or the noun amor to translate all the above sentences, and youll sound foolish at best. The idea that almost any word in one language can be translated into just one or two words in another language can lead to serious mistakes in vocabulary. Similarly, the fact that literally dozens of words can be used to translate even a simple word such as love is one thing that makes computerized translation so maddeningly undependable. Understanding context is one key to effective translation. Before you go further, see how many words you can come up with that can accurately translate love as a noun, verb, or part of a phrase. Then compare your list with the list below. ‘Love’ as a Noun aficià ³n (enthusiasm): Tiene aficià ³n por las cosas de su tierra. (She has a love for the things of her land.)amado/a (sweetheart): Mi amada y yo estamos tan felices. (My love and I are so happy.)amante (sweetheart, lover): No quiero que seas mi amante. (I dont want you to be my love.)amistad (friendship)amor (pure love, romantic love): Y ahora permanecen la fe, la esperanza y el amor, estos tres; pero el mayor de ellos es el amor. (And now remain these three: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of them is love.)caridad (charity): Si yo hablase lenguas humanas y angà ©licas, y no tengo caridad †¦ . (If I speak in tongues of humans and angels, and have not love †¦ .)carià ±o/a (sweetheart):cero (score in tennis): Cero a cero. (Love all.)pasià ³n (passion, not necessarily romantic): Tiene una pasià ³n por vivir, una pasià ³n por saber. (He has a love of living, a love of knowledge.)querido (sweetheart)recuerdos (regards): Mà ¡ndale recuerdos mà ­os. (Send him m y love.) ‘Love’ as a Verb amar (to love, to love romantically): Te amo. (I love you.)encantar (indicating strong like): Me encanta escribir. (I love to write.)gustar mucho (indicating strong like): Me gusta mucho este sofà ¡. (I love this sofa.)querer (to love romantically, to want): Te quiero con todo el corazà ³n. (I love you with all my heart.) ‘Love’ as an Adjective amatorio (pertaining to love): Me escribià ³ muchas carta amatorias. (He wrote me many love letters.)amorosa (pertaining to affection): Las aventuras amorosas pueden ser estimulantes y excitantes, pero tambià ©n pueden ser perjudiciales y dolorosas. (Love affairs can be stimulating and exciting, but they also can be harmful and painful.)romà ¡ntico (pertaining to romance): El King compuso numerosas canciones romà ¡nticas a lo largo de sus 20 aà ±os de carrera. (The King wrote numerous love songs throughout his 20-year career.)sexual (pertaining to sexuality): Los juegos sexuales son una buena forma de mantener la pasià ³n. (Love games are one good way of maintaining passion.) Phrases Using ‘Love’ amarà ­o (love affair)amor a primera vista (love at first sight)amor mà ­o (my love)carta de amor (love letter)enamorarse (to fall in love with): Me enamorà © de una bruja. I fell in love with a witch.estar enamorado (to be in love): Estoy enamorada de à ©l. (I am in love with him.)flechazo (love at first sight): Fue flechazo. (It was love at first sight.)hacer el amor (to make love)historia de amor (love story)lance de amor (love affair)me quiere, no me quiere (she loves me, she loves me not)mi amor (my love)no se llevan bien (there is no love lost between them)no se tienen ningà ºn aprecio (there is no love lost between them)periquito (love bird or parakeet)por el amor de (for the love of): Por el amor de una rosa, el jardinero es servidor de mil espinas. (For the love of a rose, the gardener is the servant of a thousand thorns.)por nada del mundo (not for love nor money)por pura aficià ³n (for the pure love of it, just for the love of it): Toca el piano por pura aficià ³n. (She plays the piano just for the love of it.)prenda de amor (love token): Hoy te doy este anillo como prenda de mi amor. (Today I give you this ring as a token of my love.)relaciones sexuales (love making)vida sexual (love life)