Quick answer
¿Te apetece tomar algo el viernes?
Do you fancy going for a drink on Friday? Tomar algo is the low-pressure invitation everyone uses.
The words
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la cita | the date |
| el novio | the boyfriend |
| la novia | the girlfriend |
| la pareja | the partner |
| el amor | the love |
| el beso | the kiss |
| la relación | the relationship |
| el cariño | the affection |
| los celos | the jealousy |
| la boda | the wedding |
| el compromiso | the commitment |
| la ruptura | the break-up |
| quedar | to meet up |
| enamorarse | to fall in love |
| salir | to go out |
The phrases you will actually say
Worth knowing
The trap is the difference between te quiero and te amo. Te quiero covers everything from close friends and family to a serious partner and is what couples in Spain actually say; te amo is far heavier and, said early, sounds like a film subtitle. Note too that novio and novia mean boyfriend and girlfriend but also bridegroom and bride, which is why pareja is the neutral, adult-sounding word most people use for a long-term partner. Quedar means to arrange to meet and carries no romance at all, so ¿quedamos? is safe. Watch the verb salir con alguien, which does mean dating, and remember estar embarazada means to be pregnant, not embarrassed, a mistake that has ruined many first dates.
Practice
Practise your dating and relationships words
0/8 matched — tap a Spanish word, then its translation
Check yourself
What do couples in Spain normally say to each other?