Valentine's Day vocabulary

As Valentine's Day approaches, understanding the charming world of love-related words is a must, as love is an international language.

These romantic words and phrases can help you communicate with your English lover. You'll feel more comfortable expressing your feelings in English after learning and practising them!

Whether you're just starting your English language learning or you've been on this path for a little while, this blog post is ready to expand your vocabulary!


To flirt:

To act in a way that shows you like someone romantically. This can involve smiling, joking, giving compliments, or just finding excuses to talk to them. Flirting is a way to get someone's attention and let them know you are interested in them more than just as a friend. It involves being playful and using body language as well as your words. Flirting is often done subtly rather than being too obvious.

"Look at Peter flirting with Emma. It’s so obvious he likes her."

To serenade:

To sing or play music for someone to show affection or deep feelings. A serenade is often a romantic song performed for a lover. It is a way to express your love and emotions through music.

"On their anniversary, Peter decided to serenade his partner with a heartfelt song on the guitar, creating a memorable moment.

To admire:

To regard someone or something with respect, appreciation, and positive regard due to their qualities, achievements, or attributes. To admire someone means that you look up to them, respect them and in some cases love them.

You can admire your significant other, parents or famous people for many different reasons.

"I admire your dedication to helping those in need."

To propose:

Proposing is when someone asks their partner to marry them. This is a big moment called "proposing marriage". There are other ways to say someone has proposed. You can say they "popped the question". This means they surprised their partner by asking "Will you marry me?"

Another way to say it is "they got down on one knee". This describes how someone often kneels down on one knee when they ask their partner to marry them. Getting on one knee is a romantic tradition for proposals.

"I proposed Rose last summer during our holidays"

To adore

To adore someone means you have very strong feelings of admiration and affection for them. It is more than just liking someone. When you adore someone, you deeply care about them and respect who they are.

"The kids adore their teacher Mrs. Smith, who makes learning fun"

XOXO

Hugs and kisses: When we use "xoxo" in a message, it means hugs and kisses. The "x's" are for kisses, and the "o's" are for hugs. People might use different combinations or just "x's" to represent kisses. This is usually done in writing, texts, or chats, and not spoken out loud, except when reading a letter or message. It became famous as the sign-off used by the anonymous blogger in the TV series "Gossip Girl."

Having a crush

If you have a crush on someone, it means you really like them and want to be more than friends. This term is often used among young people or when someone is attracted to a celebrity, known as a "celebrity crush." You can also say you're "crushing on" someone, which means the same thing.

Asking someone out

If you really like someone and want to spend more time with them, you can use the phrase "Will you go out with me?" It can refer to going on a date, like having dinner or watching a movie, but it's also used among younger people to express the desire to start a relationship.

Getting engaged

If you are ‘engaged’ it means that your partner has asked you to marry them and you have said yes.

Butterflies in your stomach:

Having "butterflies in your stomach" is an expression that means feeling nervous, anxious, or excited about something. It's characterised by a fluttery, slightly queasy sensation in the stomach, similar to the feeling of butterflies moving around. If you like someone, you might feel butterflies in your stomach when you see or think about them.

Love

"Love" is a verb and noun. When "like" is not enough, "love" expresses deeper, stronger feelings. Some people write "luv" in texts or online chatting. This is casual but not correct English.

I love Valentine's Day! It's great to celebrate all the love in your life.

Bouquet

A bouquet is a bunch of flowers arranged together. It's a common Valentine's Day gift. 

What a beautiful bouquet of flowers!

Secret admirer

On Valentine's Day, you may get a gift that says "from your secret admirer." A secret admirer is someone who likes you but wants to remain anonymous (unknown).

‘Someone sent me flowers but didn't sign the card.'
'Oooh, you've got a secret admirer!’

Fiancé / Fiancée

A fiancé is the man someone is engaged to marry. Fiancée is the woman. These French words sound the same but are spelled differently.

My parents are meeting my fiancé for the first time tomorrow. I'm so nervous!

This blog contains few C1-C2 level words