Romantic and flirty Spanish for couples: pet names, messages and what you say in private
For couples: what partners call each other in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina, how to say you miss or want someone, the messages people send, and the warm and playful things said at home. For first messages and asking someone out, see dating in Spanish.
Pet names inside a relationship
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| my love | mi amor, amor | All four. The default. Amor on its own is as common as mi amor |
| my life | mi vida | All four. Warm and very common |
| my heaven, sweetheart | mi cielo, cielo | All four |
| my heart | corazón, mi corazón | Mexico, Spain, Colombia |
| darling | cariño, cari | Spain. Cari is the short, younger form |
| my king, my queen | mi rey, mi reina | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and parts of Spain |
| baby | bebé, bebe | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. Bebe, stressed on the first syllable, is the Argentine form |
| love (short) | mor | Colombia. Clipped from amor |
| chubby one | gordo, gorda, gordi | Argentina above all, also Colombia and Mexico. Nothing to do with weight |
| skinny one | flaco, flaca | Argentina. Mi flaca is affectionate |
| my girl, my boy | mi niña, mi niño | Spain, Colombia |
| sweetie (jokey) | churri | Spain. Jokey and a little silly |
| handsome, gorgeous | guapo, guapa | Spain, as a way of addressing your partner: hola, guapa |
| little love | amorcito | All four. Diminutives make any name softer |
Diminutives are how couples make a name private: amorcito, cielito, gordita, mi vidita.
Negro and negra, and negrito and negrita, are used as pet names in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, whatever the partner’s skin colour. They are affectionate there. A learner does not need them, and outside those countries people can take them as an insult.
Mami and papi between partners are common in Colombia and heard in Mexico. Because they also mean mum and dad, save them for when you are alone.
Saying you miss someone
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I miss you | Te extraño. | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina |
| I miss you | Te echo de menos. | Spain |
| I miss you so much | Te extraño muchísimo. / Te echo muchísimo de menos. | |
| I miss you already | Ya te extraño. / Ya te echo de menos. | The text after you part |
| I feel your absence | Me haces falta. | All four. Me hacés falta in Argentina. Deeper than te extraño |
| I can’t wait to see you | Tengo muchas ganas de verte. | All four |
| I can’t wait to see you | No veo la hora de verte. | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina |
| I’m counting the days | Cuento los días. | |
| The bed feels empty without you | La cama se siente vacía sin ti. | Private, for a partner away |
Wanting someone, level by level
In this table you go from liking to loving, roughly in order.
| Level | Spanish | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Me gustas. | I like you, I fancy you |
| 2 | Me encantas. | I really like you. Warm and a little flirtatious |
| 3 | Me vuelves loco. / Me vuelves loca. | You drive me crazy. Me volvés loco in Argentina |
| 4 | No puedo dejar de pensar en ti. | I can’t stop thinking about you |
| 5 | Te quiero. | I love you. The everyday one |
| 6 | Te adoro. | I adore you |
| 7 | Te amo. | I love you, the serious one. Less common in speech in Spain |
| 8 | Eres el amor de mi vida. | You are the love of my life. Sos in Argentina |
For desire, keep it light. In Spain people say Tengo ganas de ti, I want you. It is suggestive, and nothing in it is explicit. Te deseo, I desire you, is heavy and sounds like a film. Me tienes loco and me tenés loca in Argentina, you have me crazy, are flirty and safe.
Romantic messages and texts
| You want to write | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning, my love | Buenos días, mi amor. | Buen día, amor in Argentina |
| Did you get home? | ¿Ya llegaste? | Latin America. ¿Has llegado ya? in Spain |
| Text me when you get there | Avísame cuando llegues. | Avisame in Argentina |
| I was thinking about you | Estaba pensando en ti. | en vos in Argentina |
| This made me think of you | Me acordé de ti. | Send it with a photo or a song |
| I can’t wait to see you tonight | Qué ganas de verte esta noche. | |
| Sleep well | Que descanses. | The usual good-night text |
| Sweet dreams | Dulces sueños. | |
| Dream of me | Sueña conmigo. | Playful. Soñá conmigo in Argentina |
| A big kiss | Un besote. or Un beso enorme. | |
| Kiss (the sound) | Muak. | Written as the sound of a kiss |
| You make me very happy | Me haces muy feliz. | Me hacés in Argentina |
| Just so you know, I love you | Solo para recordarte que te quiero. |
Checking that your partner got home safe, with ¿ya llegaste?, is common, especially at night.
What couples say in private
These are the warm, playful lines of a couple at home. None of them is crude.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Come here | Ven aquí. / Ven acá. / Vení acá. | Spain / Mexico, Colombia / Argentina |
| Give me a kiss | Dame un beso. / Dame un besito. | |
| Hug me | Abrázame. | Abrazame in Argentina |
| Don’t go | No te vayas. | |
| Stay a bit longer | Quédate un ratito más. | Quedate in Argentina |
| Five more minutes | Cinco minutitos más. | Said in bed on a work morning |
| I’d eat you up with kisses | Te comería a besos. | Common and affectionate |
| You smell so good | Qué rico hueles. / Qué bien hueles. | Rico in Latin America, bien in Spain |
| You look gorgeous | Estás guapísimo. / Estás guapísima. | Estás divino / divina in Argentina |
| You’re dangerous | Eres un peligro. | Teasing. Sos un peligro in Argentina |
| You’re my favourite person | Eres mi persona favorita. | |
| Silly (fondly) | ¡Ay, tonto! / ¡Ay, tonta! | With a smile, after a compliment or a joke |
| Do you love me? How much? | ¿Me quieres? ¿Cuánto? | ¿Me querés? in Argentina. The answer is muchísimo or hasta el cielo |
| Are you jealous? | ¿Estás celoso? / ¿Estás celosa? | Teasing |
Cuddling, by country
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To cuddle, show affection | apapachar | hacer mimos | consentir | hacer mimos |
| Cuddles, affection | apapachos | mimos | mimos | |
| Wanting affection | Quiero apapachos. | Estoy mimoso / mimosa. | Quiero que me consientas. | Estoy mimoso / mimosa. |
| To snuggle up | acurrucarse | acurrucarse | acurrucarse or arruncharse | acurrucarse |
| To spoon | hacer cucharita | hacer la cucharita | hacer cucharita |
Apapachar comes from Nahuatl. It means to hold someone close with affection. Consentir in Colombia means to pamper, and consiénteme is a request for attention and cuddles.
Lines that land, and lines that do not
The lines people like are simple and specific. Me encanta tu risa, I love your laugh. Contigo el tiempo se pasa volando, time flies with you. Me gusta estar contigo, I like being with you. In Spanish, as in English, people like short, true lines better than long poetic ones.
What sounds creepy or ridiculous:
| Line | The problem |
|---|---|
| Eres mía. / Eres mío. | “You are mine.” Possessive, and it sounds controlling outside a love song |
| Quiero hacerte mía. | Telenovela villain. Heavy, and read as sexual |
| Te amaré por siempre after a month | Too big, too soon, and very telenovela |
| Mamacita or mami from a man you barely know | Street-harassment vocabulary in all four countries |
| Estás buena / Estás bueno | About the body and crude outside a long relationship |
| ¿Te dolió cuando caíste del cielo? | “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” A translated pickup line. Cheesy |
| ¿Crees en el amor a primera vista o paso otra vez? | “Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk past again?” The same |
Between partners you can use the cheesy ones, as a joke you both know is a joke. Piropos, the compliments men used to call out to women in the street, are now widely seen as harassment. Between a couple, an old-fashioned piropo can be sweet: Si la belleza fuera delito, tendrías cadena perpetua, if beauty were a crime, you’d get life.
What the family hears, and what stays private
In front of your partner’s family, keep to mi amor, amor, cariño in Spain, gordo or gorda in Argentina, and first names. These are normal at a family lunch. Mi vida and mi cielo are fine too.
Keep private: mami and papi between partners, bebé in front of older relatives, anything from the private table above, and any line about wanting someone.
A quick kiss or a hand on the shoulder is normal in front of family in all four countries. Kissing in parks and on the street is common in Buenos Aires and Madrid. At a first family lunch, it is better to be the one who holds back.
The words in real sentences
- Buenos días, mi vida. ¿Dormiste bien? Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?
- Te echo de menos, cariño. Vuelve pronto. I miss you, darling. Come back soon. (Spain)
- Me hacés mucha falta, gordo. I really miss you, love. (Argentina)
- ¿Ya llegaste, mor? Avísame. Did you get home, love? Let me know. (Colombia)
- Ven acá, dame un apapacho. Come here, give me a cuddle. (Mexico)
- Quédate un ratito más, no te vayas. Stay a bit longer, don’t go.
- Te comería a besos. I could eat you up with kisses.
- Me encanta cuando te ríes así. I love it when you laugh like that.
- Qué ganas de verte esta noche. I can’t wait to see you tonight.
- Que descanses, amor. Sueña conmigo. Sleep well, love. Dream of me.
Questions people ask
What do Spanish couples call each other? Mi amor, mi vida and cariño in Spain. In Latin America, mi amor, mi vida, mi cielo and bebé, with gordo and gorda in Argentina and mor in Colombia.
What does “gordo” mean between couples in Argentina? It is a term of endearment, like “honey”. It has nothing to do with weight.
What does “apapachar” mean? To cuddle or hold someone with affection, in Mexico. Un apapacho is a hug full of affection.
What is the difference between te extraño and me haces falta? Both mean I miss you. Me haces falta is closer to “I need you here” and feels deeper.
How do you say “I want you” in Spanish without being crude? Tengo ganas de verte, I really want to see you, or in Spain tengo ganas de ti. Me vuelves loco is flirty and safe.
Is “mami” romantic? Between partners in Colombia and Mexico, it can be. From a stranger in the street it is harassment. In front of your partner’s mother, avoid it.
What is a piropo? A flirtatious compliment, traditionally called out by men to women in the street. That use is now widely seen as harassment. Between partners, a cheesy piropo can be a joke you share.
Practise these words
amor, vida, cielo, cariño, corazón, reina, beso, abrazar, extrañar, falta, encantar, loco, soñar. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.