Inklingo

How to Say "infatuated" in Spanish

English → Spanish

enamorado

eh-nah-moh-RAH-dohena.moˈɾa.ðo

adjectiveA2general
Use this word when someone is deeply in love, often in an intense and possibly fleeting way, similar to the English 'in love'.
A person smiling brightly and looking joyful, with three stylized pink hearts floating around their head, symbolizing the state of being deeply in love.

Examples

¿Estás enamorado de tu nueva vecina?

Are you in love with your new neighbor (f.)?

Mi hermana está enamorada de la música clásica.

My sister is in love with classical music.

Parecen tan enamorados cuando se miran.

They look so in love when they look at each other.

Use with 'Estar' (To Be)

To say someone IS in love, always use the verb 'estar' because it describes a current, often changing, emotional state, not a permanent part of their personality.

Required Preposition

You must follow 'enamorado' with the preposition 'de' (of) to say who or what someone is in love with. It does not use 'con' (with).

Using 'Ser'

Mistake: “Él es enamorado.”

Correction: Él está enamorado. (This corrects the mistake of treating 'in love' as a permanent quality using 'ser'.)

templado

tem-PLAH-dohtemˈplaðo

adjectiveB1general
Choose this term to describe someone who has a romantic interest or is quite smitten with another person, indicating a budding or developing affection.
A person looking at a heart-shaped flower with a dreamy expression.

Examples

Juan está muy templado de su compañera de clase.

Juan is very smitten with his classmate.

Se nota que estás templada por él.

It's obvious that you have a crush on him.

clavado

klah-BAH-dohklaˈβaðo

adjectiveB2informal
Use this informal term when someone has a strong, almost obsessive, crush or is intensely focused on someone or something, like being 'hooked' or having a 'hard crush'.
A person happily surrounded by many books and a magnifying glass, looking closely at a butterfly.

Examples

Juan está muy clavado con esa nueva serie de Netflix.

Juan is really hooked on that new Netflix series.

No me hables de él, estoy muy clavada.

Don't talk to me about him, I'm really infatuated.

Se quedó clavado con el problema de matemáticas hasta que lo resolvió.

He got obsessed with the math problem until he solved it.

Using 'con' vs 'de'

Use 'con' for things or hobbies (con el fútbol) and 'de' or 'con' for people you like.

Too formal

Mistake: “Estoy obsesionado con ella.”

Correction: In a casual chat with friends, 'Estoy clavado' sounds much more natural and less clinical.

Confusing 'enamorado' with 'templado'

Learners often mix up 'enamorado' and 'templado'. Remember that 'enamorado' implies being truly 'in love', a stronger and deeper feeling than 'templado', which suggests a more casual romantic interest or being 'smitten'.

Related Translations

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