Spanish Phrases For Dating in Mexico

Despite the fact that they share a fairly large land border, Mexico and the United States are very different from one another. Part of it is that they were run by competing colonial powers, with Mexico being taken by Spain and the original thirteen colonies of the United States being English.

This extends to the language spoken. Mexicans speak Spanish and English is the most used language in the United States, though it should be noted that America has a large Hispanic population that can speak Spanish fluently, particularly in the southwest of the country thanks to the Mexican-American war.

Still, not every American is going to be able to speak Spanish. This can be problematic for a lot of guys who are trying to date Mexican women because language barriers get in the way of romance quite a bit.

Luckily, there are a few phrases that a person who doesn’t know Spanish can use when they’re trying their hand at finding love in Mexico or some other Spanish-speaking country.

Te extrano

One of the most useful phrases for a man in a long-distance relationship with a Latin American woman is Te extrano, which translates to I miss you. This might be important for you because, well, you’re going to actually miss her if you’re in a relationship with her. Sure, distance is going to keep you two apart, but you can at least let her know how much you miss her.

Mi Amor

This is more of a pet name than anything else. It translates to my love, and it’s something that a lot of Spanish speakers use when referring to people they care about. Parents say this to their children and couples often say this to one another.

If you’re in a relationship and she calls you this, or you call her this, then that’s a pretty good indicator for your relationship as a whole.

Yo te invito

Because traditional masculinity is prevalent in Mexico and Latin America as a whole, there are certain expectations foisted upon men who date women. One of those is that they’ll be the one to pay. You te invito translates to I’ll pay, so it’s going to be an important phrase that you’ll need when dating in Mexico.

Te invito a tomar algo?

Another useful phrase for dating is Te invito a tomar algo, which translates to Can I buy you a drink? This will be very useful for a guy who’s just starting out and hasn’t made any kind of approach yet. This is a great way to open up and make an approach.

Como te llamas

Como te llamas translates to what’s your name?, if offering to buy her a drink isn’t your preferred method of making an approach. Plus, she might actually give you her name which gives you an opening to give her yours and start a conversation from there.

Te gustaría bailar

This translates to do you want to dance? The answer will probably be yes. So if you do come out with this phrase when you’re on a date, then you better have your dancing shoes at the ready.

If it’s noisy where you are and you want to dance, just shout bailemos, which means let’s dance. She’ll understand what you’re saying.

Te estas disfrutando

This phrase will show that you’re being considerate and thinking of your date. It translates to are you having a good time? This shows that you’re thinking about her and that whether or not she’s having a good time is something that is a priority for you.

Como vas

Another way for you that you can make your approach to start with como vas, which translates to how you doing? It’s a pretty casual and relaxed way to greet someone, but being relaxed and casual can be beneficial for you since it can encourage the woman you’re trying to chat up to relax.

Te Quiero

This phrase can be useful for when you have romantic feelings for someone, but those feelings aren’t strong enough for you to want to marry her or make anything close to that type of commitment yet. Te quiero translates to I like you, which can help you express romantic feelings without giving someone the wrong idea about how deep those feelings are.

Novia

The word itself may not be all that useful, but since it translates to girlfriend, you may find that you’re going to need it quite a bit. This is going to come up frequently when you’re referring to the woman that you’re dating, particularly if you’re at the point where terms like girlfriend and boyfriend are the appropriate thing to refer to someone by.

Mi media naranja

But for when terms like girlfriend and boyfriend aren’t appropriate anymore because things have moved past that, mi media naranja is going to work just fine. The term translates literally to my half-orange, but is used more akin to my soulmate or my better half.

Te ves muy bien

One more phrase that you can use not just at the dating stage but also for when you’re already with someone is te ves muy bien, which translates to you’re very good-looking. A lot of guys fail to compliment their partners, especially later in the relationship. Having this phrase in your back pocket will help you avoid being one of those guys.

Language is a very funny thing. People like to believe that love is a universal language, that you can express how you feel about someone without words.

But the gestures that are read as romantic can vary from culture to culture, so until you learn more about Mexican culture, you’re going to want to learn some Spanish to convey your feelings.

Spanish may be taught in a lot of public schools and widely spoken in the United States, but it’s not something that every person in the country can speak with enough fluency that they can go down to Mexico to start dating someone there. But there are a few useful phrases you can put in your pocket so you can stand a better chance at finding love south of the border.