Love.....

[Wintertime1973]

If a man tells you he loves being with you is this the same as him telling you he loves you?

If you ask someone ( a partner ) if they love you but hesitate to answer that is an obvious no?!

I would say love being with someone and being in love with someone is two different things

Agree, two different things.
I wouldn't ask someone if they love me if they have never actually volunteered that information. I occasionally ask my dh but only cos I know he does and just want to hear it. I never asked him in the beginning. Apart from anything else you should never ask a question unless you are genuinely happy whatever the answer. It also puts someone on the spot which is a crap thing to do. If someone is falling in love but doesn't yet feel ready to say it, being asked would be rubbish. It's a question that's really hard to say no to without inviting a while dissection if the relationship or awkward conversation, so should never be asked.
If you're a year in and it's never been said yet, you're probably barking up the wrong tree

Not the same thing at all. Just because it’s the same word, love has so many different meanings in different circumstances.

Love spending time with you is akin to “I love this song” or “I love that dress”. It’s a compliment of course but doesn’t really have any feeling behind it.

No not remotely the same.

It doesn't mean the same. Moreover, these are just words. Someone might say they 'love' being with you because they do, or because they feel it is a polite gesture. Someone might tell you they 'love' you because they do, or they could just say that to get sex, attention, favours or whatever they want. Actions always speak more than words, in my experience.

@Cas112

I would say love being with someone and being in love with someone is two different things

I agree with this. Try not to read too much into it.

No

No they are different .
I would never ask - do you love me? because you say it when you feel it and need to express it.
Hearing “ yes” is not the same as a spontaneous “ I love you”

"I love being with you" could be a kind of pre-test for saying "I love you" without freaking you out, if you've only been together a short while.

It could equally be a way of fobbing you off from asking awkward questions. Unfortunately that sounds a possibility from your second paragraph :(

If you have to ask someone if they love you, they don’t

Men will declare their love. If they don’t, they don’t love you- they aren’t being shy.