Buzz
More than 200 million individuals worldwide speak Portuguese. If someone you care about is among them, convey your affection by saying eu te amo (yoh tee ah-moh), meaning 'I love you' in Portuguese. This phrase can also be abbreviated to te amo. Additionally, there exist numerous other ways to articulate your love and commitment in the Portuguese language.
Steps to Follow
Showing Affection
Utilize te amo (tee ah-moh) to express your affection. This straightforward phrase for 'I love you' is more prevalent in Brazil than in Portugal. Alternatively, you can use eu amo você (yoh ah-moh voh-say), which conveys the same sentiment.
- If someone expresses their love to you and you wish to reciprocate, you can respond with eu também amo você (yoh tahm-bee mah-moh voh-say), meaning 'I love you too.'
- In European Portuguese, you would say amo-te instead of te amo.
Note: Similar to their English equivalents, these phrases are not limited to romantic contexts. You could also use them to express affection towards friends or family members.
Use eu adoro você (yoh ah-dohr-oh voh-say) to convey 'I adore you.' Like in English, expressing adoration is akin to expressing love. This phrase is common in Brazilian Portuguese. In European Portuguese, you would say adoro-te (ah-dohr-oh tee).
- Eu tenho carinho por você is a similar phrase meaning 'I have affection for you.'
Employ the verb apaixonar (ah-pay-show-nahr) when falling in love. Portuguese has a dedicated verb for falling in love. Apaixonar describes both the action and the sentiment of falling in love with someone.
- If you wish to inform your significant other that you're falling in love with them, you'd say estou apaixonado por você (ish-toh ah-pay-shoh-nah-doh pour voh-say).
- This verb can also be used to express love towards others. For men, it's estou apaixonado (ehs-toh ah-pay-show-nah-doh); for women, it's estou apaixonada (ehstoh ah-pay-show-nah-dah).
- For deeper feelings, consider estou perdidamente apaixonado por você, meaning 'I am head over heels in love with you.'
Nurturing Romance
Consider eu gosto de você to express strong fondness towards someone. If you've recently met someone and aren't ready to say 'I love you,' but want to convey burgeoning romantic feelings, eu gosto de você (yoh gah-stoh gee voh-say) means 'I like you,' offering a subtle way to express affection.
- You could also say eu gosto muito de você, which translates to 'I like you a lot.'
Consider using the verb namorar to formalize your relationship. If you're not yet ready to say 'I love you,' but you want to officially start dating, simply ask Vai namorar comigo? (veye nah-mohr-ah coh-mee-goh)
- This question translates to 'Will you go out with me?' If your romantic interest says sim (meaning 'yes'), you're officially a couple.
Alternatively: The verb ficar denotes a more casual dating scenario. Ficar com suggests exclusive dating, while ficar compriso indicates a non-committal relationship. Saying Quero ficar com você implies a desire to date casually.
Endear your loved one with a sweet nickname. Common pet names in Portuguese include querido (kehr-ree-doh), docinho (doh-seen-yoh), and amorzinho (ah-mohr-zeen-yo). Querido is akin to 'sweetheart' or 'dear' in English. Docinho means 'little sweet,' similar to 'cutie.' Amorzinho means 'little love.'
- Adjust the endings for female recipients. For instance, use querida (kehr-ree-dah), docinha (doh-seen-yah), or amorzinha (ah-mohr-seen-yah).
Embrace o amor da minha vida as a term of endearment. This phrase translates to 'the love of my life' and is commonly used as a pet name in Brazilian Portuguese, especially in long-term relationships.
- Pronounce it as oh ah-mohr dah meen-yah vee-dah.
Express deep affection in a serious relationship with você me completa (voh-say mee cohm-pleh-tah). This phrase means 'you make me feel complete,' conveying immense charm, especially in a committed, long-term relationship where you see the person as your other half.
- You can also use você é tudo pra mim (voh-say eh too-doh prah meem), meaning 'you are everything to me.'
Mastering the Art of Flirting in Portuguese
Impress your romantic interest with a charming compliment. Complimenting is a delightful way to express affection. If your love interest speaks Portuguese, you can captivate them with compliments in their native tongue.
- If your romantic interest is female, you might say você é linda (voh-say eh leen-dah), translating to 'you are beautiful.' For a male, you would say você é lindo (voh-say eh leen-doh), akin to 'you are handsome.'
- You could also say tens um sorriso lindo (tehns uhm sohr-ree-soh leen-doh), meaning 'you have a beautiful smile.' Use linda for females.
- If they crack a joke, you might say és fixe (ehs fee-shee), signifying 'you're so funny.'
Alternatively: In Brazilian Portuguese, you can also tell your romantic interest they are gostoso (if male) or gostosa (if female). This term literally means 'delicious,' yet slangily serves as a flirtatious compliment, similar to calling someone hot or sexy in English.
Express gratitude for the time spent together. In Portuguese, obrigado (oh-bree-gah-doh) means 'thank you.' At the conclusion of a date, ensure to thank your romantic interest and convey that you enjoyed the time spent.
- For instance, you could say obrigado por esta agradável conversa (oh-bree-gah-doh pohr ehs-tah ah-grah-dah-vehl cohn-vehr-sah), indicating 'thanks for a delightful conversation.'
- You might also say gostei muito de estar contigo esta noite (goh-stay moo-ee-toh deh ehs-tahr cohn-tee-goh ehs-tah no-eet), meaning 'I had a wonderful time tonight.'
Arrange for more quality time with your crush. If you've developed strong feelings for someone, you likely desire to see them again. You could say gotaria de passar mais tempo com você (goh-stahr-ee-uh deh pahs-sahr meyes tehm-poh cohm voy-say), conveying 'I would like to spend more time with you.'
- You could also be more specific. For example, you might say gostaria de levá-lo para jantar (use levá-la if addressing a female), meaning 'I would like to take you out for dinner.'
Express your desire with eu te quero (yoh tee kehr-roh). This phrase, eu te quero, translates to 'I want you.' It's typically used in a romantic or intimate context. You might also consider eu te desejo, meaning 'I desire you.'
