Flirting in Spanish: 80 Romantic Phrases and Pet Names for Charming Your Crush

They say that pillow talk is the absolute best way to learn a language, and it makes sense. 

I would even go so far as to encourage you to use dating apps to practice your Spanish skills. 

Ah, but dating in another language isn’t without some struggle.

In this post, you’ll learn over 80 vocabulary words and phrases to help you coquetear  (flirt) in Spanish and perhaps even find love.

Contents

Getting Started with Flirting in Spanish

Casual Ice-Breakers

flirt in spanish

First things first, you need to nab the person you’re interested in. You need to get their attention, break the ice and get the conversation started. Here are some conversation starters:

1. ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from? 

This is the first question you’ll almost undoubtedly be asked when you’re in a restaurant or bar.

You can respond with:

Soy de los Estados Unidos / de Inglaterra / de Canadá etc.
(I’m from the USA/England/Canada etc.)

If you get bored of answering the above question (I know I do), just lie:

Soy de aquí.
(I’m from right here.)

Follow it with:

Te lo juro, ¡soy de aquí!
(I swear, I’m really from here!)

Tengo un acento un poco raro porque un mono me enseñó a hablar.
(My accent is a little strange because a monkey taught me to speak.)

2. ¿Qué estás tomando? — What are you drinking? 

You see that handsome person sipping a drink and you want to approach them. But what should you say?

You could try offering to buy them a drink with this question!  

The smoothest, dream answer is:

Lo mismo que tú.
(The same as you.)

The more likely answer is something like:

Cerveza o vodka con cola
(Beer or vodka and coke)

In the worst-case scenario, they simply ignore you or say:

No es asunto tuyo.
(It’s none of your business.)

3. ¡Qué calor / frío / lluvia! — It’s so hot / cold / rainy!

In the next scenario, the person of your dreams catches your eye on a bus or train, and you want to talk to them but don’t know how.

In this case, you should probably start with this classic line about the weather. It’s not terribly exciting but will do nicely. Then you can ask them:

¿A dónde vas?
(Where are you going?)

Just hope they don’t say:

Lejos de ti.
(Far away from you.)

4. ¿Te conozco de antes? — Do I know you?

This is another sneaky way to get someone talking in either situation.

If you want to go really cheesy, and if they say “no,” you can reply with: 

Debo haber soñado contigo entonces.
(Then I must have been dreaming of you.)

Romantic Pick-Up Lines

If you’d like a more direct approach, then these pick-up lines might help you, from classic cheesy lines to funny ones:

SpanishEnglish
Perdí mi número de teléfono, ¿me darías el tuyo? I lost my phone number, can I have yours?
Disculpa, ¿sabes qué hora es? Es que desde que te vi, perdí la noción del tiempo. Excuse me, do you know what time it is? It’s just that since I saw you, I lost track of time.
¿Eres mago?, porque cada vez que te miro, todos los demás desaparecen. Are you a magician? Because whenever I look at you, everyone else disappears.
Disculpa, estoy perdido... en tus ojos. Excuse me, I'm lost ... in your eyes.
¿Eres brujo?, porque cada vez que te miro, quedo hechizado. Are you a witch? Because every time I look at you, I'm enchanted.
Si el amor fuera delito, yo sería tu cómplice. If love were a crime, I'd be your accomplice.
¿De qué reino vienes, príncipe? What kingdom do you come from, prince?
Disculpa, estoy buscando... una excusa para hablarte. Excuse me, I'm looking for ... an excuse to talk to you.
Lo siento, iba a decirte que me gustas, pero la verdad es que me encantas. I'm sorry, I was going to tell you I like you, but the truth is, I really like you.
Disculpa, pero tenía que venir a decirte que tu sonrisa ilumina toda la habitación. Excuse me, but I had to come over and tell you that your smile lights up the whole room.

Note: Make sure to change the nouns and adjectives in these lines to match your gender and your potential date’s:

  • mago (masculine) →  maga  (feminine)
  • perdido (masculine) → perdida  (feminine)
  • brujo (masculine) → bruja  (feminine)
  • hechizado (masculine) → hechizada  (feminine)
  • príncipe (masculine) → princesa  (feminine)

You can also check out this guide for more pick-up lines.

Openers for Online Flirting

flirt in spanish

Let’s say that you decide to go the online route instead. 

A note for you boys, who are generally expected to start conversations: Don’t use just ¡Hola! (Hello!) to start a conversation on dating apps—say something specific!

This is a huge pet peeve of my Spanish-speaking amigas (friends). Show you have something smart to say or something in common.

For example:

¡Veo que a ti también te gusta el buceo!
(I see that you also like scuba diving!)

Soy como en mi foto, pero más alto, guapo e inteligente.
(I’m like in my photo, but taller, more handsome and smarter.)

Tú también, supongo.
(You as well, I suppose?)

¡Parece que ya has visitado la mitad del mundo!
(It seems that you have already visited half of the world!)

¿Adónde quieres ir para el próximo viaje?
(Where are you going on your next trip?)

How to Maintain a Flirty Conversation in Spanish

Getting to Know Each Other

flirt in spanish

Once you’ve started talking, you’ll want to keep the conversation going by asking them all about themselves and winning them over with your wit and charm.

Again, if you don’t have natural wit or charm, you can blame this on the language barrier:

¡Soy muy chistoso / chistosa en inglés!
(I’m really funny in English!) 

There are a few other possible phrases to get things moving. This one is a good way to get anyone talking:

¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?
(What do you like doing in your free time?) 

Once they tell you what they like doing, you can suggest doing the said activity together by asking: 

¿Puedo acompañarte?
(Can I come with you?)

These can help you move things to the dance floor:

¿Sabes bailar?
(Do you know how to dance?)

¿Quieres bailar?
(Do you want to dance?)

If you’d like to try a more direct approach, you could say:

¿Te gustaría salir conmigo?
(Would you like to go out with me?)

Other come-ons include:

¿Vamos a un lugar más tranquilo?
(Shall we go somewhere quieter?)

¿Quieres subir a tomar un café conmigo?
(Would you like to come up for a coffee?) 

Only use the last two if you’re in (a) a noisy place or (b) outside your apartment, respectively. Saying these while you’re having a romantic picnic in the park will only make you look weird.

Giving Affectionate Compliments

flirt in spanish

Showering your potential partner with compliments can up your chances of taking things to the next level.

Pop quiz! When your lovely date makes a grand appearance at the restaurant table, should you deliver the obligatory compliment with ser or estar?

The answer, of course, is estar!

That foxy devil already knows that they are (ser) a beautiful person in the more permanent sense, what they want to hear is that they are (estar) looking fabulous tonight!

Depending on where the Spanish speaker is from, you have:

Estás guapo / guapa.
(You look beautiful — used in Spain).

Estás lindo / linda.
(You look beautiful — very much used in Latin America, but sounds a bit soap opera-y in Spain).

You can also go down the cheesy route and say:

Podría perderme en tus ojos.
(I could lose myself in your eyes.) 

Me encantan tus ojos.
(I love your eyes.)

If you’re already serious, then you can say:

Te quiero.
(I love you.)

Note that it really does suggest love, and not “I want you” (even though the verb querer also means to want, and with a strongly suggestive tone you might be able to make this mean “I want you” in the more physical sense).

If you’d rather express carnal “wanting,” this phrase will do the trick:

Me excitas mucho.
(You turn me on.)

Hopefully, you were told in some Spanish class to be wary of the verb excitar, as it doesn’t indicate our (overused!) Anglo emotion of “to be excited.”

Expressing What You’re Looking For

flirt in spanish

Another important caveat is that you should be clear about what you’re looking for.

Here’s some vocabulary to help you be upfront:

Busco amor.
(I’m looking for love.)

Busco sexo.
(I’m looking for sex.)

Busco algo casual.
(I’m looking for something casual.)

Busco algo sin compromiso.
(I’m looking for something with no strings attached.)

La verdad es que sólo quiero practicar mi español.
(I’m actually just looking to practice my Spanish.)

¿Quieres mostrarme tu ciudad?
(Do you want to show me around your city?)

Quiero hacer nuevas amistades.
(I want to make new friendships.)

Soy gay / lesbiana / bisexual.
(I’m gay/lesbian/bisexual.)

Soy asexual.
(I’m asexual.)

Soy poliamoroso / a.
(I’m polyamorous.)

Tomemos una copa y ya veremos.
(Let’s get a drink and we’ll see.)

Busco una pareja de baile.
(I’m looking for a dance partner.)

What to Say After the Initial Stages 

Describing Your Relationship in Spanish

flirt in spanish

So things are moving along! Here’s how you can recount your romantic adventures to your buddies in Spanish.

Here the exact extent of the romantic activity is unclear but gets the point across:

Nos enrollamos.
(We hooked up. — used in Spain)

Ligamos anoche.
(We hooked up last night.)

If you have some other type of relationship status, you can use:

Salimos juntos.
(We’re going out together.)

Somos novios.
(We’re boyfriend/girlfriend — this one is usually pretty serious and sometimes also means fiancés.)

Pololo / Polola
(Chile) (Boyfriend/girlfriend)

Somos amantes.
(We’re lovers.)

Estamos casados.
(We’re married — it seems strange, but this info is delivered with that indicator of short-term states, estar!)

Es mi ex.
(He/she is my ex.)

Estamos divorciados.
(We’re divorced.)

Tenemos una relación abierta.
(We’re in an open relationship.)

Somos amigovios.
(We’re friends with benefits, or kind of friends, but kind of dating.)

In Chile, there’s a system for recounting the “grade” of sexual activity you have achieved with someone, somewhat like the American allusion to baseball (“she got to second base last night!”).

Note that the stages are divided up differently, though (and remember, this is only for Chile):

Grado uno
(Grade one — kissing, with perhaps mildly intimate touching) 

Grado dos
(Grade two — kissing with lots of intimate touching)

Grado tres
(Grade three — sex)

Grado cuatro
(Grade four — some sort of hyperbole for kinky sex. Hilariously, Chileans themselves never seem to know quite what this means.)

Flirting with Spanish Pet Names

Have you moved through all the challenges? Snagged and wedded your Spanish-speaking lover? Congratulations, because now you never need to use his or her name again.

Here are just some of the ways to say “darling” in Spanish, listed along with some of their more literal meanings in English:

SpanishEnglish
Querido / Querida Beloved
Adorado / Adorada Adored
Predilecto / Predilecta
Preferido / Preferida
Favorite
Amor Love
Cielo Heavens
Cariño Cuddle, affection
Amado / Amada Beloved
Encanto Delight
Corazón Heart

If you want to know how to naturally use these pet names, as well as the flirty words and phrases above, watch native speakers use them in context, with the help of subtitled Spanish-language movies and TV.

For example, the language learning program FluentU has Spanish-language videos.

As you immerse yourself in Spanish as native speakers use it, you’ll learn more about Spanish flirting culture while simultaneously picking up new words to improve your chance at romance.

Cultural Tips for Flirting in Spanish

To flirt successfully in Spanish, being familiar with the culture can go a long way.

Since there are so many Spanish-speaking places—including Spain, Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic—dating customs for Spanish speakers are pretty diverse, but there are still some trends:  

  • Pet names are used pretty often in Spanish, even with friends and grandparents, so it’s handy to know at least a few. For example, once you’re closer to someone, you can use affectionate terms like corazón (heart).
  • In a lot of Spanish-speaking countries, public displays of affection aren’t unusual, from holding hands and hugging to even kissing. Some countries even have kissing friends on the cheek as a norm (but make sure to check on this before attempting it).
  • Family plays an important role in Spanish-speaking culture. Many Spanish speakers are close to their families, and potential partners are even introduced sometimes in family gatherings (such as in Mexico and Argentina).

In any case, being able to at least speak some Spanish is a benefit. And if you get serious with someone, you’ll have more of a motivation to pick up the language!

May you find sweet, lifelong love, or at the very least some fun, silly adventures worth dishing about in Spanish.

And One More Thing…

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU.

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

learn-spanish-with-videos

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

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Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.

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Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

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The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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