Basic Valentine’s Day Vocabulary

Valentine’s Day, known as “Día de San Valentín” or simply “Día del Amor y la Amistad” in Spanish-speaking countries, is a day celebrated worldwide to honor love and affection. Whether you’re in a romantic relationship or celebrating friendship, it’s a day filled with gestures of love, kind words, and thoughtful gifts. Here’s a guide to some essential Valentine’s Day vocabulary for Spanish learners.

Valentine’s Day nouns

These are common people, places and things that you see all around Valentine’s Day! You can use these as great conversation starters, or maybe even drop hints to a special someone in your life.

• Amor- love: You could even specify romantic love (“amor romántico”) or platonic love (“amor platónico”).
• Corazón- heart
• Rosas- roses
• Tarjeta- card: This is a short card that you can buy at the store and write a sentence or two.
• Carta de amor- love letter: If you’re trying to really tell someone how you feel, you’d use carta instead of tarjeta. A carta is longer, and something where you would pour your heart out!
• Regalo- gift: You might also hear the diminutive regalito, which literally means little gift.
• Beso- kiss
• Cupido- Cupid: Did you know that in mythology, Cupid (“Cupido”) is the god of desire, love, and affection.
• Cena romántica- romantic dinner
• Compromiso- Commitment

Romantic adjectives

If you want to describe yourself or someone else, keep these adjectives in mind. They can really help you level up your descriptions!

• Enamorado/a- in love: If you’re smitten with someone, you’re “enamorado” (male) or “enamorada” (female). This adjective is always followed by the connecting word de. For example, you could say “Estoy enamorado de ella.“
• Dulce- sweet: This is most often used for describing sweet foods, like chocolates or pastries.
• Amable- kind
• Especial- special
• Apasionado/a- passionate: “Apasionado” (masculine) or “apasionada”.
• Afectuoso/a- affectionate: “Afectuoso” (masculine) or “afectuosa” (feminine).

Warm and fuzzy verbs

Whether you’re giving gifts, expressing love, or celebrating with loved ones, these verbs will help you communicate effectively on this special day.

• Regalar- to give a gift or present
• Enamorarse (de)- to fall in love (with): Just like the adjective enamorado/a, you always use this verb with the preposition de. For example, you could say “Me enamoré de mi mejor amigo” to say “I fell in love with my best friend!“
• Celebrar- to celebrate
• Abrazar- to hug
• Elogiar- to praise