2

I recently saw a magnet which read:

Yo ❤ a mi perro

I realized that I'm unsure how the heart symbol would be read. In English, the most common readings would be love or, as a metonym, heart. I could come up with workable translations for Spanish, but I'm curious about what the most common reading(s) in Spanish is/are for this.

If region or dialect matter for the answer, I can't give good details. Where I live, Mexican Spanish is the most common I've encountered but far from the only variety. Worse, the magnet seemed like a mass-produced item and may relate to any region.

Improve this question
3
  • 1
    Just "amo a mi perro"
    – DGaleano
    Commented Sep 17, 2020 at 19:38
  • I'm the only freak who reads "Yo-corazón-mi perro" ha ha
    – FGSUZ
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 15:27
  • My mind’s ear goes silent for a beat: I hear “Yo __ a mi perro.” Instead I process the meaning of the heart visually. I still get all the information though.
    – gen-ℤ ready to perish
    Commented Sep 19, 2020 at 21:43

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

The literal translation would be "Yo amo a mi perro", but you can skip the personal pronoun "I" and it would be "Amo a mi perro".

Also, "love" can be translated as "me encanta" (I like so much), but in the context that you have put it, this translation seems not to be the one because in that case the preposition "a" is skipped: "Me encanta mi perro". Additionally, the verb "amar" has different connotations in different places, you can read What is the difference among “querer”, “amar” and “adorar”? for more info.

Improve this answer
9
  • 1
    In Spain, amar in this context sounds quite strange. Related: What is the difference among “querer”, “amar” and “adorar”?
    – fedorqui
    Commented Sep 18, 2020 at 8:32
  • 1
    Thanks, I've edited the answer.
    – Álvaro Mondéjar
    Commented Sep 18, 2020 at 11:21
  • Thank you for your answer, but could you clarify if you are reading the symbol as would be done in a Spanish-speaking area, or are translating the meaning of the magnet? As I mentioned in my question, perhaps not very clearly, translating the English meaning into Spanish isn't so challenging; I'm interested in the way that the heart symbol itself is most often read.
    – Upper_Case
    Commented Sep 18, 2020 at 14:28
  • Emoticons symbols are an anglosaxon invention. Spanish speakers could read it as "Yo amo a mi perro", "Yo quiero a mi perro", "Adoro a mi perro" o "Me encanta mi perro", or even associating the symbol with the English word "love", but emoticons are not read in Spanish language.
    – Álvaro Mondéjar
    Commented Sep 18, 2020 at 14:54
  • If that's the case, would you consider updating your answer with that information? I understand that a heart symbol isn't a Spanish language character, and so doesn't have a pronunciation (it's the same in English). But I gave two examples of how an English speaker would read the sentence on the magnet aloud-- love or heart, and other readings might express the same idea but would be very unusual, sometimes to the extent of being "wrong". If the heart symbol has no colloquial reading, then that is the answer to my question.
    – Upper_Case
    Commented Sep 18, 2020 at 17:07

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.