Spanish Phrases Mexican Women Use to Show Affection

Marina Serrano
5 min readJul 14, 2021

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Spanish is a romance language. It was derived from Latin, which was the language of the Romans. Hence, romantic language.

But it’s also romantic in the more modern sense, in that it’s useful for the expression of intimate affection.

Despite being the second most widely-spoken native language in the world behind only Mandarin, there are still a lot of people who don’t understand a word of Spanish.

Now, a lot of people can get by without ever speaking Spanish, but when you are looking to date Mexican women, that lack of fluency can be a bit problematic for the relationship.

But it can also be hard on the courtship since a few declarations of affection might go unnoticed because the beautiful words fell on ears for which they have no meaning. So it’d be helpful for a lot of guys to know what a few Spanish phrases mean should a Mexican woman ever utter them.

Te amo

Might as well start with the big one. Te amo translates to I love you. Now, it’s used in families as an expression of familial and platonic love, but a lot of Spanish speakers also use the phrase as an expression of very strong romantic feelings as well.

If a Mexican girl uses this phrase when with a guy, then that guy is basically winning. The girl is in love with him if she says these words and all that’s left is what he’s going to do with that information.

Te deseo

Sometimes, a Mexican woman can like a guy a lot and there might even be the potential for her to fall in love with him at some point in the future. Sometimes, she might just think that a guy is attractive.

Te deseo and te quiero both roughly translate to I want you. But the main difference is that the former is pretty platonic in nature and the former has more romantic connotations behind it. So if a girl utters te deseo to the guy that she’s with, then it’s a sign that the relationship is trending in a romantic direction.

Te adoro

There are times when simply desiring someone isn’t enough. There are times when a Mexican woman doesn’t just desire her man, there are times when she adores him. During those times, she might use the phrase te adoro, which translates to I adore you.

Eres mi media naranja

A lot of people believe in the concept of a soul mate, a twin flame, a perfect match. There are some women in Mexico who share this belief. The above phrase translates to you are my half orange, but is used more as a declaration of being soul mates than anything related to the fruit.

Me encantas

There’s times when a Mexican woman might want to express how much she likes, but not quite loves, someone without being so forward as to say te deseo. Me encantas is used when a person really likes a person romantically but isn’t ready to say that they’ve fallen in love. But it’s an encouraging sign when these words are spoken out loud.

Te extraño

Sometimes, the men who date women in Mexico don’t live in Mexico. They may come to the country for a little bit of time so they can spend that time with their lover, but there’s a deadline on their time together.

In between their little times together, they’re going to communicate and it’d be bittersweet if she says the words te extraño. Those words mean I miss you. Now, that phrase speaks to the depth of her feelings, which is a good thing. But it’s not a good thing that her man leaves, which is what makes her miss him in the first place.

No puedo esperar a verte

Related to the above, some women in Mexico won’t just say that they miss their man, they’ll express explicitly their desire to see him again.

Pienso en ti

Another phrase that can get thrown around by Mexican women when they’re away from their lovers is pienso en ti. Roughly translated, it means I’m thinking about you a lot.

Te necesito

This phrase translates to I need you. It might sound a little dramatic, but in the context of a romantic relationship or a courtship, it’s a really good sign for someone to say to the other person.

Now, when this phrase is used, it’s a decidedly romantic thing. A person can need oxygen and food and even another person if they’re dependent on them. But to use this phrase means to need another person in a visceral and romantic way.

Mi amor

A pet name that a lot of Spanish speakers use when referring to their significant others is mi amor, which translates directly to my love. If this term of endearment is used with sincerity, then that means the relationship is going well.

Mi cariño

Spanish has plenty of other pet names other than the above and one of them is mi cariño, which translates to my darling. This is another of those phrases that, if uttered, indicate that the relationship is going very well.

Novio or Pareja

Not so much a term of endearment as it is a title, it’s still a pretty important word in a committed relationship. Novio translates to boyfriend, which is undoubtedly a title that a guy dating a Mexican woman would like to have. If a Mexican girl calls her man this, then her feelings are decidedly romantic.

Pareja means partner and is a bit more gender-neutral but no less romantic, especially not in a relationship.

Romance languages, contrary to their name, aren’t inherently more romantic than any other language. But Spanish has plenty of phrases to express romantic feelings and many Mexican women, when they feel like it’s right, aren’t going to be shy about using these phrases when they’re with their men.

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