¡Conquistado!

They make such a beautiful pareja (couple) don't they? 

If you've never heard the word conquistado, it comes from the verb conquistar and it means "conquered".    But the literal translation doesn't exactly apply for our purposes.  You'll know what it means for our purposes by the end of this post.  For now let's start off by talking about the verb conquistar.

Te voy a conquistar
I'm going to conquer you

This sounds like a threat.  In fact, your Spanish dictionary says the word conquistar means to conquer, and it's right.  But if you're thinking that this translation just doesn't seem appropriate, you're correct.   With that said, the verb conquistar has another usage that you might find surprising.

When it comes to sweeping someone off their feet, conquistar takes on the meaning "to win someone over". 

Let's take another look at our sentence:

Te voy a conquistar
I'm going to win you over

That translation sounds way better for our love birds.   Here's another example:

Te estoy mirando a los ojos para conquistarte
I'm looking into your eyes to win you over

Let's take a look at some vocabulary that you need to help you conquistar someone.

First you need to ligar (hook up) with someone.

Ligar or ligarse  means to hook up, and just like in English it can mean meeting someone for the first time, going on a date with that special someone or even a sexual encounter.  Context is everything.   You also need to make sure you know how it's used  by the person you're talking to.  Each country or region within a country may have a slightly different view on what it means. 

Quiero ligarme a esa chica
I want to hook up with that girl

Quiero ligar con ese chico
I want to hook up with that guy

Pedro se ligó a María
Pedro hooked up with María

Esta noche voy a ligar
I'm going to hook up tonight

By the way, as grammatical side note, it's ligarse a and ligar con.

But enough about grammar, let's get back on track, because I don't think Spanish grammar has ever helped anyone make a love connection.

When you're trying to ligar, make sure you have you best piropos ready, you'll need them to romper el hielo - break the ice.

¿Qué digo para romper el hielo con una chica?
What do I say to break the ice with a girl?

Rompí el hielo con un buen chiste
I broke the ice with a good joke

Let's talk about piropos.   What's a piropo you ask?

Think of a piropo as a pick-up line in this context, but in reality there are many types of piropos - romantícos, groseros and graciosos (romantic, rude and funny).    Take a look at the post I wrote on piropos, tantas curvas y yo sin frenos.  If you're trying to make a good impression, then I recommend using a romantic piropo.

And it won't hurt to tener pegue.  Tener pegue means to have sex appeal or charm.   I wrote about this expression too.  Click HERE to read about it.

Let's get back to conquistando that special someone.

Being a coqueta or coqueto might be helpful.   A coqueto or coqueta is a flirt, and the act of flirting is coquetear.

¿Estás coqueteando comigo? 
Are you flirting with me?

Soy coqueto
I'm a flirt

No seas coqueta
Don't be a flirt

I'm not a flirt, they flirt with me

Now that you've been a bit of a flirt, used your piropos to help you ligar with someone, it's time to salir con alguien - to date or go out with someone. 


Salgo con María
I'm going out with Mary

 ¿Estás saliendo con alguien?
Are you going out with anyone?

A date by the way, is called a cita.  And yes, it also means appointment.

 And sometimes you're not so much going out with someone, but rather you're friends with benefits.

Amigos con derechos or amigos con beneficios

But let's just say things are going well with your relación (relationship).  At some point you might feel like you've found your alma gemela (soul mate), and start to start feel like your pareja (partner) is your media naranja.

If you're thinking your media naranja is an orange sock or half an orange well I can't blame you, because your translator is probably telling you that's what it means.  But it's actually a way to say that person is your better half.

If things don't work out with your media naranja, then you can romper con  or cortar con with them.

Rompí con mi novio ayer
I broke up with my boyfriend yesterday

Corté con mi novia
I broke up with my girlfriend

Susana rompió con Javier
Susana broke up with Javier

 If later on you decide that breaking up was a mistake, then you'll need to reconquistar a or  recuparar a your ex.

And that's it.

If you picked the right place to ligar, used your best piropos to romper el hielo and done everything right, then you may be lucky enough to hear that special someone tell you they've been  "Conquistado!"