Si algunos de ustedes have taken Spanish en la escuela, you probably learned the phrase "I love you" as being "Te amo." Cuando I actually arrived in Latin America and lived in various regions por dos años más o menos, I heard many family members say to each other "Te quiero" en vez de "Te amo."
These two phrases basically significan la misma cosa in Spanish. Sin embargo, if you translate "Te quiero" literally al inglés, it means, "I want you" which has un significado muy diferente than "I love you." I would never say "I want you" to a family member in English a menos que I had a very strange upbringing.
Un ejemplo de esto is when I recently went to a show at Disneyland and they were telling chistes about people who live way in the back hills and are sort of out of touch con la realidad. They are the sort of gente who might say the "direct" English translation of "te quiero" to a family member. Uno de los actores in the show jokingly said, "If we get a divorce, does that mean you're still mi hermana"? (Para que sepan, this is a funny chiste, but that type of relationship no es común here in the U.S.)
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Now on a more serious note, hay un poco de diferencia entre "te quiero" and "te amo" in Spanish (los dos significan "I love you" not "I want you.") A native speaker me explicó que "te quiero" is a more casual expression of love and that "te amo" is a more heartfelt, deep love that may be used entre una pareja casada por ejemplo.
Si alguno de ustedes native Spanish-speaking subscribers have more insight en este area, please enlighten us. Also, how is love expressed en su parte del mundo? Latin people are usually very affectionate y generalmente dicen "I love you" easily y regularmente to family members.
In the U.S. cuando gente are dating and they want to show that they are very serio us acerca de la otra persona, they say "I love you;" this takes la relación to a whole new level. Like Latin people, many familias Americanas also regularly hug each other y dicen "I love you." A mi entender in places like Japan, the phrase "I love you" isn't commonly said entre miembros de la familia or husband and wife. Please visit our blog to share your thoughts! Click here!
Moral of the Story: En diferentes partes del mundo, love may be expressed differently, but it is still usually the same feeling - unless you live deep in the back hills of America.
Sneak peek at next week: "Final research on language and the brain: the effects of learning langauge and slowing old-age i llnesses."
Vocabulario de la semana - Vocabulary of the Week
si algunos de ustedes - if any of you
en la escuela - in school
cuando - when
por dos años más o menos - for about two years
en vez de - instead of
significan la misma cosa - mean the same thing
sin embargo - however
al inglés - into English
un significado muy diferente - a very different meaning
a menos que - unless
un ejemplo de esto - an example of this
chistes - jokes
con la realidad - with reality
gente - people
uno de los actores - one of the actors
mi hermana - my sister
para que sepan - Just so you know
no es común - isn't common
hay un poco de diferencia entre - there is a bit of a difference between
los dos significan - both mean
me explicó que - explained to me that
entre una pareja casada - between a married couple
por ejemplo - for example
si alguno de ustedes - if any of you
en este area - in this area
en su parte del mundo - in your part of the world
y generalmente dicen - and generally (they) say
y regularmente - and regularly
cuando gente - when people
acerca de la otra persona - about the other person
la relación - the relationship
familias Americanas - American families
y dicen - and (they) say
a mi entender - as I understand it
entre miembros de la familia - between members of the family
por favor - please
manden sus comentarios - send your comments
en diferentes partes del mundo - in different parts of the world
Written by David S. Clark - President of Visual Link Spanish who says...
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