So They Call It A Romance Language...

Happy February!  This is the time of year when love fills the air.  Valentine's Day is approaching, sappy cards fill the end caps of every aisle in the grocery store, and it is too cold outside to do anything but snuggle up on the couch to watch a movie with someone special.  But what does this have to do with learning a new language?  Well, in the spirit of the season of love, what better excuse is there to learn how to express your feelings for someone in a new and exciting way?  Read below for a crash course to impress your crush... Introducing Romance Languages 101!

Meeting Someone New 

Let's say you want to reveal your feelings to someone you like, but you are afraid of rejection.  Say it in a foreign language!  Then if the feelings are not reciprocated, you can always blame it on the fact that he or she just doesn't speak your language...

I have a crush on you.

In Spanish:
  • Estoy enamorado de ti. (Male speaking)
  • Estoy enamorada de ti. (Female speaking)
In French:
  • Tu me plais.
*Note: In Spanish and French, there are two different ways to say you: the informal way and the formal way. I am listing the informal ways to talk to someone (using ti and in Spanish and tu in French), but you can also use usted and vous to sound more formal when speaking to someone: Estoy enamorado/a de usted. Vous me plaisez. 

Do you want to go out with me? 

In Spanish:
  • ¿Quieres tú salir conmigo?
In French:
  • Veux-tu sortir avec moi ? 

Can you give me your phone number?

In Spanish:
  • ¿Me puedes dar tu número de teléfono?
In French:
  • Peux-tu me donner ton numéro de téléphone ? 

Keeping the Spark Alive

Maybe you already have someone special in your life, but you still want to impress him or her and find a way to express how much you care.  In Spanish and French, different words are used to express the different degrees of love.  Read below to learn exactly what you want to say to your sweetheart this Valentine's Day. 

How to say "I love you" in Spanish: 

I have always found the Spanish language fascinating and enlightening when it comes to expressing love.  The language recognizes that love is not "one size fits all."  Therefore, in Spanish, there are two different verbs that mean "to love."  The first one, querer, also means to want someone or something.  If you say, "Yo te quiero," it literally can translate to "I love you" or "I want you." This expression of love is generally used for family members or friends.  We generally would not use querer to express a romantic love you have for someone.

To express a deeper and more romantic type of love, you would use the verb amar.  Saying, "Yo te amo" would be the equivalent of saying, "I am in love with you." 

How to say "I love you" in French: 

French is very similar to Spanish in how it expresses different variations of love.  French also uses two different verbs to express love: aimer and adorer.

Aimer is used to express loving or greatly liking someone; it is less intense than using the verb adorer. To say, "I love you" to a friend or family member, you would say "Je t'aime."   To tell someone you really like them, say, "Je t'aime bien."

Using adorer is like saying you adore someone.  This is used for a more serious and romantic feeling of love. In order to express this sentiment of being in love with someone, you can say, "Je t'adore."  Save this one for someone very special!

I hope you all enjoy this season of love with family, friends, and those special people in your life.  After all, as I say in my book, The Perfect Present...

The most important thing is spending time with the people you love.
Lo más importante es pasar el tiempo con las personas que tú quieres.
La chose la plus importante est de passer du temps avec les personnes qu'on aime.