After wading through an endless list of negative words and expressions (TT, Oct. 2), it’s time, as the old song goes, “to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the alternative and don’t mess with Mr. In-between.”
So, for all of you sweet-tempered souls out there, here is a catalog of kindness, courtesy and consideration.
Remember again that to use an adjective or noun to describe someone in Spanish, it is first necessary to decide whether to use ser or estar, that is whether or not it is an innate characteristic or a product of circumstances:
¡Estás muy enamorado! (You are really in love!)
Eres muy enamorado. (You are a very romantic person.)
There are a number of verbs that can express pleasure, approval and love. One of the most commonly used to express love or fondness toward another person, an animal and even a thing is querer (a). This is confusing to the English speaker because the basic meaning of querer is “to want,” and to say “I want you” in English means something entirely different:
Te quiero mucho. (I love you very much. I am very fond of you.)
El Dr. Martínez quiere a todos sus pacientes.(Dr. Martínez cares about all his patients.)
The word amar (to love), on the other hand, may also be used, but it is a more intense expression of love than querer and is usually reserved for special relationships such as marriage partners, parents, children and, of course, lovers.
To express sexual desire, the verb of choice is desear, or there’s always “Quiero hacer el amor contigo” (I want to make love to you).
Here are some other upbeat verbs:
adorar – to adore
alegrarse de/que – to be happy about/that, e.g. Me alegro de su buena suerte (I am happy about your good luck), Se alegró que fuera niña (He was glad it was a girl) caer bien a – (literally, to fall well to) to make a good impression on, e.g. Su esposa me cayó bien (His wife made a good impression on me; I liked his wife)
encantar – to enchant, a way to say you love or are crazy for someone or something, e.g. Me encanta el cine (I love the movies)
encariñarse – to become fond of, e.g. La niña se encariñó con el cachorro (The little girl became fond of the puppy)
estar de maravilla – to feel great
estar loco/a por – to be crazy about
fascinar – to fascinate, a way to say you love or are crazy for someone or something, e.g. Me fascina Costa Rica (I love Costa Rica)
disfrutar – to enjoy, to have the benefit of, to make the most of
divertirse – to have a good time
gozar – to take pleasure in
gustar – to be pleasing to (use for “like”),e.g. ¿Te gustan los gatos? (Do you like cats?)
quedar bien a – to come out well, to look good (to)
ser muy gente – to be a nice person
ser los ojos de alguien – to be the apple of someone’s eye
tener mucha chispa – to be a livewire, to be witty
verse bien – to look good
Here are some nouns and adjectives you can use to make someone happy. You probably already know some of them, but it’s nice to have others in reserve:
acogedor (adj) – cozy
agradecido/a (adj) – grateful
alegre (adj) – cheerful
amable (adj) – nice, kind
amigable (adj) – friendly
amor (n) – love, also used as an affectionate nickname
bella gente (n) – nice person
belleza (n) – beauty
bondad (n) – goodness
bonito/a (adj) – pretty
buena gente (n) – nice person
cariño (n) – affection, used as an affectionate nickname
cielo (n) – heaven, used as an affectionate nickname
confiable (adj) – trustworthy
corazón (n) – heart, used as an affectionate nickname
culto/a (adj) – cultivated, educated
dichoso/a (adj) – fortunate, blessed
digno/a (adj) – worthy
diosa (n) – goddess, said of a beautiful woman
divertido/a (adj) – comical, fun
divino/a (adj) – divine
dulce (adj) – sweet
educado/a (adj) – polite, well-bred
encantador/a (adj) – charming
fantástico/a (adj) – fantastic
ganador/a (n) – winner
genial (adj) – brilliant, great
gozo (n) – deep pleasure, joy
gracia (n) – charm, grace (also religious sense)
gracioso/a (adj) – charming, attractive
grandioso/a (adj) – great, wonderful
guapo/a (adj) – good-looking, handsome
gusto (n) – pleasure, taste
hermoso/a (adj) – beautiful
honrado/a (adj) – honest, honorable
humilde (adj) – humble (a much honored trait here)
inteligente (adj) – intelligent
lindo/a (adj) – pretty, also used as an affectionate nickname
listo/a (adj) – ready, bright, clever
mamita, mamacita (n) – “baby” (referring to a woman)
maravilloso/a (adj) – wonderful
papito, papacito (n) – “baby” (referring to a man)
precioso/a (adj) – darling, also used to address a beloved person
reina (n) – queen, used to address a beloved woman
simpático/a (adj) – likable, congenial
tierno/a (adj) – tender, sensitive, loving
tuanis (adj) – “cool”
vacilón/a (n, adj) – joker, humorous
valiente (adj) – brave, courageous
Some exclamations:
¡Felicidades! – Congratulations!
¡Qué lindo (bonito, etc.)! – How pretty (nice, wonderful, etc.)!
¡Qué dicha! – How lucky!
¡Qué chiva! – How beautiful or handsome (slang used in opposite sense)!
¡Muy amable! – How nice of you!
¡Con mucho gusto! – With much pleasure! You’re welcome!
