Piropos: The Art Spanish Pick-up Lines

In the world of love and romance, piropos are the Hispanic culture's answer to the pick-up line.


Piropos, the Spanish language of romance (iStockphoto)
Piropos, the Spanish language of romance (iStockphoto)

If you have been to a bar, bets are you've heard them all: "Your legs must be tired because you've been running through my mind all night." Or how about, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Pick-up lines have existed as long as men have tried to capture a woman's attention with wit and poetry. And when it comes to love, this type of interaction can be found across languages and cultures.

In Spanish-speaking countries, those admiring statements men say to pretty young women are called piropos. And while in the US men usually need to have a couple of drinks in order to approach a woman and toss her a witty line, in Latin America they're usually heard aplenty everywhere from public streets to a town's plaza as girls make their rounds and boys sit appreciating the view.

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Pick-up lines can be flowery or elaborate at times, but most piropos are actually small poetic verses that rhyme. Theme-wise, some can be bawdy or even cheesy, but these bits of popular romance have remained in our culture through generations either as traditions or comical reflections on love.

Here are some of our favorite Spanish piropos. Try one on your amor today:

¡Qué adelantada está la ciencia que hasta los bombones caminan!
Look how science has advanced; even candy can walk!

En tus ojos bonitos leo mi suerte, porque si tú me olvidas será mi muerte.
My fate is in your eyes; if you forget me, I'll die

¡Tú con tantas curvas y yo sin frenos!
Look at all your curves, and me with no breaks.

Me gustaría ser micrófono para que puedas susurrar esas canciones tan bonitas que solo tú sabes cantar.
I would love to be a microphone so you can whisper to me the songs you sing.

Si los mares se juntan con los ríos, ¿por qué tus labios no se juntan con los míos?
If the river touches the sea, why can't your lips touch mine?

Si amarte fuera trabajo, no existiría el desempleo.
If loving you were work, there would be no unemployment.

Si amarte fuera pecado, tendría el infierno asegurado.
If loving you were a sin, I'd go to hell for sure.


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