Latin Lovers live up to the hype? Photo cred

I only date men, but my expat guy friends have told me some great stories about dating Venezuelan women too (maybe I can talk them into a guest post?!) so this post will really about dating a Venezuelan man.

I have only ever dated two men from the US and neither of those relationships were very serious, but I have dated quite a few Asian and Latino men. This post will focus specifically on Venezuelan men, though there are a lot of overlaps with some Mexican guys I have dated too.

Before I go any further I will state clearly that I love Venezuelan men. I am friends with many Venezuelan guys through my salsa academy I have attended for two years. I am so happy and thankful that I have these guys in my life.

However… there are quite a few things you should know before you start dating a Venezuelan man!

1. Dating a local is the best way to learn the language.
2. Dating a local is an excellent way to immerse yourself in the culture.
3. Misunderstandings will still crop up even if you both share a common language.  Words have different meanings even within Latin America.  Even if you are fluent in your partner’s second language you might not have the cultural understanding that goes along with some words.  I remember a guy I dated saying to me in English, “I love you…the Venezuelan way.” Know that in Spanish there is te quiero (I love you) which is love amongst good friends and te amo (I love you) which is serious love.  Also everyone can be called mi amor (my love)- including the guy at the checkout stand.
4. If he thinks you are his girlfriend he will introduce you to his family. After seeing this Venezuelan guy for about two months I thought I was going to go over to his house to meet his sister.   Little did I know that I would sit down on a sofa in front of his mom and dad AND sister and be interrogated… in a nice way!
5. Dancing leads to sex…if it doesn’t… start taking some Salsa dance lessons! In my experience, if there is chemistry on the dance floor there will probably be chemistry in your personal relationship too!
6. Machismo does exist here. One example I can think of is that women are the ones who will commonly get water and food for the men. Women are also the ones who do most of the cleaning (though to be fair, my guy friends did take out the trash for me a couple of times).  Guys here often think they can get any girl they want.
7. A good way to see how your Latin Lover will treat you is to see how his mom is treated in her house (and how she treats him). Does she do all the cooking and cleaning while his dad sits and watches TV (I’ve seen it)? How does she treat your man? Does she iron his clothes, cook for him, and give him money even though he is a grown man? I met a man who was a couple years older than me in Venezuela and we had to delay our dinner plans because he forgot to tell his mom not to bring over the dinner she had cooked him.
8. Just because you go on a couple dates every week, talk and/or text nearly every day, are intimate for a few months, hang out with his family, and cook each other meals now and then does not mean you are boyfriend and girlfriend. Be very clear with your expectations and define the relationship early-ish if you are looking for something serious.
9. Even if both of you agree that you are in a serious relationship and call each other boyfriend/girlfriend (novios) that doesn’t necessarily mean he will stay monogamous. I have dated quite a few guys here, but I have even more guy friends through my salsa academy, and I have seen first hand how these guys treat their girlfriends.
10. There are good guys out there so don’t give up hope! I can think of one Venezuelan guy I know who treats his girlfriend really well and recently got married. I also just met an American who has three children and married a local.

The good ones are out there, so don’t take things too seriously, but have fun and dance until Mr. Right comes along!

Check out this travel guide about Venezuela  (affiliate link) to learn a little more.