tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post3484620383680466675..comments2008-11-11T12:16:27.327-06:00CancunCanuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12694054388941351498noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-48712383966965785932008-11-11T12:16:00.000-06:002008-11-11T12:16:00.000-06:00Jen- Hi and thanks for the great comment! It's always interesting to see how the language is used in different countries. The good thing is that Hubby does say "I love you" in English frequently, now I just have to push for that elusive "Te amo" more often.<BR/><BR/>IslaGringo- You are very lovable, te quiero mucho! :)<BR/><BR/>Kathy- I like the kiss/sex thing, it just might work, LOL! And yes, I think at this point it is what I need to hear, not what he thinks he is saying.CancunCanuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12694054388941351498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-84911347463989851122008-11-10T19:13:00.000-06:002008-11-10T19:13:00.000-06:00In that case, I think you simply *need* to hear te amo regardless of what it means to him or anyone else.<BR/><BR/>One very effective way might be to tell him that te quiero = peck on the cheek and te amo = sex. See how that flies. :)<BR/><BR/>This is Kathy - I don't know why stupid Google logged me out. ArghAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-28670011323947373872008-11-10T17:45:00.000-06:002008-11-10T17:45:00.000-06:00It might help you to know that men say TQM to men also. My (straight) Mexican male friends say it to me alot. But then, I am a lovable guy!Islagringohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18181198510287530636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-75807892103428733882008-11-10T17:44:00.000-06:002008-11-10T17:44:00.000-06:00It might help you to know that men say TQM to men also. My (straight) Mexican male friends say it to me alot. But then, I am a lovable guy!Islagringohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18181198510287530636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-42607516447682421782008-11-10T16:18:00.000-06:002008-11-10T16:18:00.000-06:00Interesting, the whole te quiero/te amo debate....never really thought about it before. My bf is from Mexico and we use "te amo" most of the time, with the occasional "te quiero" thrown in. His best friend is female and Mexican (I am also good friends with her, they're like siblings) and she's told me she loves him- "lo quiero" etc (it was relevant to the conversation we were having- I mean, she didn't just say it out of nowhere, ha ha). It didn't bug me or anything, I knew what she meant, and she knew I understood. Ella lo quiere, pero yo lo amo ;-)<BR/><BR/>A Chilean friend once told me that "te quiero" is like a way of saying "I care about you very much" but lacks the punch of "te amo"- that's what you reserve for someone you LUUUUUUV. But I also think it varies from person to person.<BR/><BR/>I guess this just goes to show how fluid and flexible language can be- isn't it fascinating? I think it's awesome that there are so many ways to express love/caring/desire in Spanish. In English we love people, we love ice cream, we love our job, we love our new President elect (ha ha).....we're soooo lame, we only have ONE way to express the concept.<BR/><BR/>As long as YOU know exactly what your man means when he tells you "te quiero", that's the only thing that matters! <BR/><BR/>JenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-6370309982967848322008-11-10T13:38:00.000-06:002008-11-10T13:38:00.000-06:00Fned- Thanks for a great group blog, so great to read everyone else's experiences! OPOL is definitely working for us, makes me very happy to see Max embracing both his languages and keeping them separate. The TQM thing has me in a bit of a twist now, time for another talk with Hubby!<BR/><BR/>My Way- Yeah, the TQM thing. Maybe it's just another manly problem of not being able to truly say "I love you". Or, maybe it's just my own insecurities, jealousy and suspicion raising it's ugly head and I should just let it go. I always kind of looked at "te quiero" as a mix of "I love you and I WANT you" which would imply something intimate. "Quiero chocolate" for instance, lol.<BR/><BR/>Minshap- All these TQM comments have got me a bit twisted now, teehee. I like "te estoy amando" (the English teacher in me is all about grammar terms, bring it on!). OPOL works, it works, I know it isn't right for every family, but in our situation it certainly seems to be the most effective method and we've all embraced it. The years ahead will be interesting, I expect some language rebellion at some point but am secretly hoping it never comes. <BR/><BR/>Kathy- I'm still thinking that TQM is perhaps a manly/macho way of not having to say "te amo", avoidance rather than laziness. Listening to his family talk, it does seem like he got the expression from them, I've never heard any of them use "te amo", it's always "te quiero". Ech, can't get myself all twisted up about it I guess!<BR/><BR/>Momto3- Glad you got a giggle out of it, I suspected that other mommies would totally get that part of the post, lol! And yes, I better be hearing some "te amo" really soon!CancunCanuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12694054388941351498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-35931693394356537682008-11-08T19:13:00.000-06:002008-11-08T19:13:00.000-06:00OMG!! Im laughing so hard that I almost wake up the girls!!!! I have tears running down my cheeks, specially with the last line... That is sooo typical in my house: <B><I>C-A-N-D-Y... Que?? D-U-L-C-E-S, oh Candy! </I></B>... I cant stop laughing... One thing I know is that Max and the 3 Little Flowers will be winning spelling bees VERY soon!!!! As for I love you, I think he needs to smoke the pedo and tell you Te amo... =) <BR/>BTW, if you see Santo Domingo two times in Sitemeter at the same time, is just because I HAD to tell hubby to read and we were both reading from each computer at the same time...Momto3LittleFlowershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906289830217363397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-48529275579840426122008-11-08T16:00:00.000-06:002008-11-08T16:00:00.000-06:00Te amo! desde el primer momento en que te vi y hace tiempo te buscaba y ya te imaginaba asiiiiiiiii<BR/><BR/>Te amo!!!<BR/><BR/>(well, that is all I can remember and I've probably butchered it)<BR/><BR/>I've always used amo with mis amantes. quiero is much more flojo. But I've never taken a lesson either so a native speaker would be better.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-48387222228263419572008-11-07T23:42:00.000-06:002008-11-07T23:42:00.000-06:00Hmmm, ...'te quiero'. My partner has never said that to me. He has always used "te amo" and I wouldn't like to be told by him "te quiero"; it doesn't sound sincere enough to me. Also, somewhere along the way, we started saying to each other "te estoy amando", and we like that expression the best. When you put it in the present continuous (oops, that's the English teacher in me), there's no misunderstanding - love is, after all, a moment-to-moment experience! <BR/>Good for you sticking to the OPOL method... I think it's the best way to make sure the next generation can use both languages equally well.minshaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04050342629681821437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-53030556249844377562008-11-07T15:15:00.000-06:002008-11-07T15:15:00.000-06:00I decipher the whole TQM thing in sort of the same way as you except I didn't think it was wrong to say TQM to friends. <BR/><BR/>My Mexicano bf's explained to me that TQM can be said to friends but is also acceptable to say it to your significant other. Where it differs is that you should also say Te Amo to your significant other since it is a stronger LOVE. So sometimes I'd get a quick Te Quiero but other times, I would also get a Te Amo.<BR/><BR/>In short, Te Quiero to me IS luv ya, and Te Amo is, I love you as in I am in love with you. <BR/><BR/>But what's most important is that I love ya and if you really want, I shall tell you te amo tambien. <BR/><BR/>One love.<BR/><BR/>Amen.My Wayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07057064339454854292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854196866242970797.post-89974422368006809192008-11-07T12:42:00.000-06:002008-11-07T12:42:00.000-06:00Ah Canucka! An excellent post as always! You and hubby remind me so much of my parents (in a good way!). "Es tu pedo" is probably word by word what my dad would answer my mom in the same situation. LMAO. <BR/><BR/>I think you're doing a great job with Max and sticking to the OPOL method. As you read on Minshap's blog my parents eventually gave in to us and I know some of my siblings had more trouble learning English in their teens than others afterwards. That's so great that Max has already embraced his parents' bilingualism at such a young age! <BR/><BR/>I agree with you on the TQM thing too.. fortunetly in French there is a BIG difference between an "I love you" and an "I like you". It comes in the word of "bien".<BR/><BR/>I love you: "je t'aime"<BR/>I like you: "je t'aime bien". <BR/><BR/><BR/>Oufffff!!!! :)<BR/>Fned.Fnedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193037294286635646noreply@blogger.com