Since Spanish has two forms of "to be", ser and estar, it's common for people new to the language not to know which verb to use or when to use one or the other when complimenting someone on their looks or personality. This post will clear this up for you easily.

Since estar is more for temporary situations use it when complimenting someone at that particular time.

If you want to tell a woman that she looks beautiful right now or today or this evening you can say:

You are beautiful. (You look beautiful right now)
Estás hermosa.
eh-STAHS ehr-moh-sah.

To compliment a guy:

You are handsome. (You look handsome right now)
Estás guapo.
eh-STAHS gwah-poh.

If you want to tell someone they are a beautiful woman or a handsome man, use ser instead:

You are beautiful.
Eres hermosa.
eh-rehs ehr-moh-sah.

You are handsome.
Eres guapo.
eh-rehs gwah-poh.

Here's a mistake to avoid.
 
If you've learned some Spanish you probably know that the translation of the word "of" is de and the word "about" can be acerca de or sobre.
 
When you're dating someone it's popular to tell them that you've been thinking "about" or "of" them.
 
I've been thinking about you.
 
I always think about you.
 
I think about you all the time.
 
In Spanish when it comes to "thinking about you" or "thinking of you" the literal translation isn't used. Instead of translating the word "about" or "of" the word en is used. En means "in" or "on" but in these examples it's the correct translation.
 
So:
 
I've been thinking about you.
He estado pensando en ti.
eh ehs-tah-doh pehn-sahn-doh ehn tee.
 
I always think about you.
Siempre pienso en ti.
see-ehm-preh pee-ehn-soh ehn tee.
 
I think about you all the time.
Pienso en ti todo el tiempo.
pee-ehn-soh ehn tee toh-doh ehl tee-ehm-poh.

There are two ways to say "I miss you" in Spanish that are the most common. Which one you will hear more depends whether you are in Spain or Latin America.

The most common way to say "I miss you" in Latin America uses the verb extrañar:

I miss you.
Te extraño.
teh ehks-trahn-yoh.

The most common way to say "I miss you" in Spain uses the verb echar:

I miss you.
Te echo de menos.
teh eh-choh deh meh-nohs.

Here are two more ways to say it that aren't as common as the above phrases:

I miss you. / I need you.
Me haces falta.
meh ah-sehs fahl-tah.

The literal translation of the above phrase doesn't translate very well to English. It uses the word falta which means "lack." It translates more to "I need you" but it is commonly used to say "I miss you" and means basically the same thing.

Here is another way to say "I miss you":

I miss you. / I long for you.
Te añoro.
teh ahn-yoh-roh.

The above phrase is not very common but says "I miss you" with a little more flair. It's like saying "I long for you."

I'll mention a couple mistakes to watch out for.  

Remember if you are talking about “missing” a bus or plane because you did not make it on time use the verb perder instead of the above verbs:

I missed the plane because I woke up late.
Perdí el avión porque yo me desperté tarde.
Pehr-DEE ehl ah-vee-OHN pohr-keh meh dehs-pehr-TEH tahr-deh.

If you want to say you “missed out” on some event like a party or soccer game you can use the reflexive version of perder which is perderse:

I missed out on the party.
Me perdí la fiesta.
Meh pehr-DEE lah fee-esh-tah.

There is nothing like being in love.  You know, that special feeling you get when you just think about that special someone or how your heart might skip a beat (or two) when they walk in the room. 

When you are in love, you want to be able to express your feelings to that person through not only what you say but how you say it.  

Love is a universal feeling, but the phrases and expressions can vary from language to language.  Spanish love phrases and expressions of love are no different.  

Think about how you might address someone that you love in English.  “My love,” “my darling” and "my dear" are three common ways of addressing the one you love.

These all mean basically the same thing in Spanish....“You are the one I care about.”  Do you typically use a nick name or pet name?  What are some nicknames that you use?

The word vida (VEE-dah) is often used in Spanish love phrases.  By itself, vida simply means life. Calling someone Mi vida (mee VEE-dah) means you are saying that they are a significant part of your life.  You can say “love life” like this:

Love life.
Vida sentimental.
VEE-dah sehn-tee-MEHN-tahl.

Here are three Spanish love phrases you can start off with:

You are the love of my life.
Eres el amor de mi vida.
EH-rehs ehl ah-MOHR deh mee VEE-dah.

I'm in love with you.
Estoy enamorado/a de ti.
EHS-toy ehn-ah-moh-RAH-doh/ah deh tee.

My love for you never ends.
Mi amor por ti nunca se acaba.
mee ah-MOHR por tee NOON-kah seh ah-KAH-bah.

Expressing your love and feelings is the same in any language, but knowing how to say it naturally in someone else’s native tongue can really make a difference. 

What are some of the typical Spanish love phrases or English love phrases that you use? We would love to hear some ideas for love phrases from all you love birds palomitos (pah-loh-MEE-tohs) out there!

As with any language, there can be more than one way to say certain things in Spanish. An example of this is how to say “I love you.” There are two main ways to say “I love you” in Spanish.

Te amo.
teh AH-moh.

or…

Te quiero.
teh kee-YEHR-oh.

In some areas, they mean exactly the same thing. However, in other areas they mean two different levels of love. In this instance, te quiero is not as strong of a sentiment as te amo. Te quiero is used more for friends and relatives whereas te amo is reserved more for boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife relationships. Te amo is also a strong sentiment expressed between children and their parents in some areas.

Te quiero is often used to express "I want you," but using the phrase te deseo (teh deh-SEH-oh) would probably be better so that you are not mistakenly expressing “I love you” in Spanish instead of "I desire you."

A good way to remember the difference is when you talk about someone falling in love or being in love. For example:

They are in love.
Están enamorados el uno del otro.
eh-STAHN ehn-AH-moh-rah-dohs ehl OO-noh dehl OH-troh.

The word enamorados contains the word amo.

What expressions do you use to express “I love you” in Spanish? Do you use te amo and te quiero interchangeably or do you use them separately depending on the relationship?