Introduction
Amar means “to love”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Amar is the verb for loving a person deeply: a partner, a child, a parent. The person loved takes the personal a. Amar + thing means to love something: a place, a book, a song. The thing is the direct object, with no preposition. This page shows amar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife.
Amar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how amar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use amar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo amo a mi mujer.” — I love my wife.
“¿Tú amas a tu familia?” — Do you love your family?
“Mi padre ama su pueblo.” — My father loves his village.
“Nosotros amamos viajar.” — We love travelling.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show amar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.” — I loved my wife from the first day. (preterite)
“Mi padre amaba su pueblo siempre.” — My father always loved his village. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of amar stays the same.
“Nosotros amaremos siempre.” — We will love forever. (future)
“¿Tú has amado alguna vez tanto?” — Have you ever loved so much? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros amáis la música.” — You love music.
“Ellos aman a sus hijos.” — They love their children.
“Yo amo el mar.” — I love the sea.
“Mi madre ama cocinar.” — My mother loves cooking.
Amar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how amar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Ana: “¿Tú amas a tu familia?” — Do you love your family?
Luis: “Sí, yo amo a mi mujer.” — Yes, I love my wife.
Ana: “Nosotros amamos viajar.” — We love travelling.
Luis: “Y ellos aman a sus hijos.” — And they love their children.
Ana: “Vosotros amáis la música.” — You love music.
Luis: “Sí, y mi padre ama su pueblo.” — Yes, and my father loves his village.
A short paragraph
Ana ama a su marido, y su padre ama su pueblo. Nosotros amamos viajar, y ellos aman a sus hijos. Yo amo el mar, y mi madre ama cocinar. Amar is part of every family, because loving a person, loving a place and loving to do something are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with amar
These are the errors learners actually make with amar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo amo mi mujer.” Right: “Yo amo a mi mujer.” Why: Loving a person needs the personal a: amo a mi mujer. Without the a the sentence sounds unfinished to a native speaker.
Wrong: “Ellos ama a sus hijos.” Right: “Ellos aman a sus hijos.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form aman. The singular ama belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as mi padre.
Wrong: “Yo amo a mi mujer ayer.” Right: “Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. For a love that began in the past, the preterite is used with desde: 'Amé a mi mujer desde el primer día'.
Wrong: “Nosotros amas viajar.” Right: “Nosotros amamos viajar.” Why: Nosotros needs amamos. The tú form amas belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos amo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos aman todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form aman, not the yo form amo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: amar in use
Ten questions on amar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la música.” (You love music.)
- (a) amas
- (b) amáis
- (c) amo
Answer: amáis — The vosotros/as form of amar in the present tense is amáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a sus hijos.” (They love their children.)
- (a) aman
- (b) amo
- (c) amas
Answer: aman — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of amar in the present tense is aman.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Yo ______ a mi mujer desde el primer día.” (I loved my wife from the first day.)
- (a) amaste
- (b) amó
- (c) amé
Answer: amé — In the preterite, the yo form of amar is amé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi padre ______ su pueblo siempre.” (My father always loved his village.)
- (a) amabas
- (b) amaba
- (c) amaba
Answer: amaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of amar is amaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ siempre.” (We will love forever.)
- (a) amaremos
- (b) amaré
- (c) amarás
Answer: amaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of amar is amaremos.
6. What does amar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to love
Answer: to love — Amar means “to love”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo amo a mi mujer.
- (b) Yo amo mi mujer.
- (c) Ellos ama a sus hijos.
Answer: Yo amo a mi mujer. — “Yo amo a mi mujer.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I love the sea.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo aman el mar.
- (b) Yo amo el mar.
- (c) Mi madre ama cocinar.
Answer: Yo amo el mar. — “Yo amo el mar.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of amar in the present tense?
- (a) amo
- (b) amas
- (c) amamos
Answer: amamos — The nosotros form is amamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Yo amé a mi mujer desde el primer día.
- (b) Nosotros amaremos siempre.
- (c) Yo amo a mi mujer.
Answer: Yo amo a mi mujer. — “Yo amo a mi mujer.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I love you' in Spanish?
Say 'Te quiero' to family and friends, and 'Te amo' for a romantic partner. Both mean I love you, but te amo is stronger and more formal in tone.
How do you say 'I love travelling' in Spanish?
Say 'Amo viajar'. The infinitive follows directly with no preposition. For music: 'Amo la música'.
Can amar be used for things?
Yes. 'Amo el mar' means I love the sea, and 'Mi padre ama su pueblo' means my father loves his village. For things, amar expresses a deep liking, stronger than gustar.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of amar — every tense of amar in one place.
- Amar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on amar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of amar until they are automatic.