The Romance languages—Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, etc.—have millions of speakers worldwide. In the Americas alone, there are approximately 400 million Spanish speakers and that number will continue to grow.
Romance languages are often associated with love and passion. But are romance languages really romantic?
The truth: Romance languages are referred to as that because they are derived from Latin, the main language spoken in Rome around 1,000 BC. Due to the geographic origin of these languages, these languages have nothing to do with being romantic in the modern sense of “love”—they are only roman(t)ic in a geographical sense.
Knowing that Romance languages aren’t related to love, it’s possible that non-Romance languages may actually seem more romantic to you. The reason why a language sounds romantic is subjective. Each person has different tastes in what they think sounds romantic, whether it’s Spanish, Chinese, French, or Swahili.
Let your Valentine know you love them in another language! Whether you already have the perfect present or need a special way to express your love, a fun and special way is to say “I love you” in a foreign language. Watch this video to learn how to say “I love you” in 60 languages.