Piropos for Valentine’s Day

¡Estas bien enamorado!  You are so in love and you just can’t help it.  You’re feeling those butterflies in your stomach and nothing anyone says can make you change your mind about the object of your affection.  He or she is perfect in every way in your eyes.  From the way they talk, their smile, their smell, the way they laugh… this person has to be the one you’ve been waiting for all of your life!  Let’s face it, you may not have been tirelessly searching all of your life, let alone holding casting calls for a perfect mate over the years, but you know deep down inside you’ve always been hoping your media naranja is just one bad date away.

Only one problem, this person has no idea you exist!  They’ve seen you around.  They might even know your name, but they haven’t a clue about all of those feelings that little heart of yours has been harboring inside for them.

Here’s where a good piropo could be just the icebreaker you’ve been searching for.  On the other hand, and I’m just throwing it out there, it could also be the kiss of death for your platonic relationship.  El chiste es that you have to selectively choose which piropo would be the most appropriate for your crush.  If you’ve been observing this person closely enough to notice their smile, their laugh, and all sorts of other little detallitos – and you know you have – then this definitely should be pretty easy for you.  I’m not calling you out.  I’m just saying.

Now a little history.  There’s no clear actual origin to the piropo, at least not that I was able to track down, which if you’ve been wondering what the hell I’m talking about could best be described as a compliment or come-on intended to flatter a person your interested in – think of it as “putting your game face on” in Spanish.  Nevertheless, most sources online place the beginning of piropeadas either in the Middle Ages or in early Rome as an evolution of our early languages.  Whatever the actual origin, what is true is that piropos are truly most popular in Latin America and among Latinos in general.  So rather than go on and on, let me just share a couple of the most amusing piropos I ran across online in this video.  Enjoy!