Learn top 10 marriage proposal lines
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| Hi, everybody! Welcome to Cantonese Top Words. My name is Olivia and today, we are going to do a very romantic topic, top 10 marriage proposal lines. Are you about to propose to your Cantonese-speaking girlfriend or boyfriend in their native tongue? That is so thoughtful. So let us help you. Here we go! |
| 1. 你願意嫁俾我嗎？ (nei5 jyun6 ji3 gaa3 bei2 ngo5 maa3?) "Will you marry me?" |
| So 嫁 (gaa3) is the verb “to marry someone” for female. If you are a guy and you marry a female, you use the verb 娶 (ceoi2). If a girl is proposing to a guy, she will say 你願意娶我嗎？ (nei5 jyun6 ji3 ceoi2 ngo5 maa3?) “Are you willing to marry me? / Will you marry me?”. |
| So if a guy asks a girl, it will be . 你願意嫁俾我嗎？ (nei5 jyun6 ji3 gaa3 bei2 ngo5 maa3?). I’m not sure about guy to guy or girl to girl, I guess either will work. So if you know, please let us know in the comment section. So this is the most common proposal line. Let’s see what’s the next one. |
| 2. 你願唔願意做我老婆？ (nei5 jyun6 m4 jyun6 ji3 zou6 ngo5 lou5 po4?) "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" |
| So a girl will ask a guy - 你願唔願意做我老公？ (nei5 jyun6 m4 jyun6 ji3 zou6 ngo5 lou5 gung1?) “Are you willing to be my husband? / Would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”. Yeah, in Hong Kong, most people are pretty traditional so only a guy would propose to the girlfriend. It would be very weird for a girl to propose to a guy because the only way they do it is keep nagging until the guy finally propose. So let’s go on with the list. |
| 3. 我成世人就係等緊你嘅出現。 (ngo5 seng4 sai3 jan4 zau6 hai6 dang2 gan2 nei5 ge3 ceot1 jin6.) "You are the one I've been waiting for my whole life." |
| So 成世人 (seng4 sai3 jan4) is “the whole life / my whole life”, 我成世人 (ngo5 seng4 sai3 jan4) is “my whole life”. So 成世人 (seng4 sai3 jan4) is “whole life” and 我成世人 (ngo5 seng4 sai3 jan4) is “my whole life”. 等緊 (dang2 gan2) “to wait”, 你嘅出現 (nei5 ge3 ceot1 jin6) is “you appearing”. 出現 (ceot1 jin6) is “appearing / appearance”. Your appearance, you appearing is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life. That’s kind of romantic. It’s like you’re born to be each other’s spouse. |
| 4. 我想永遠同你一齊。 (ngo5 soeng2 wing5 jyun5 tung4 nei5 jat1 cai4.) "I want to be with you forever." |
| 永遠 (wing5 jyun5) is “forever” so 同你一齊 (tung4 nei5 jat1 cai4) is “to be together with you”. 一齊 (jat1 cai4) means “together” so 同你 (tung4 nei5) “with you”, 一齊 (jat1 cai4) “together” so 永遠同你一齊 (wing5 jyun5 tung4 nei5 jat1 cai4) “to be with you forever”. |
| 我想永遠同你一齊。 (ngo5 soeng2 wing5 jyun5 tung4 nei5 jat1 cai4.) "I want to be with you forever." |
| Forever is kind of a strong word, but I guess when you’re proposing, you should use it. |
| 5. 我想同你過埋下半世。 (ngo5 soeng2 tung4 nei5 gwo3 maai4 haa6 bun3 sai3.) "Let’s spend the rest of our lives together." |
| So 上半世 (soeng6 bun3 sai3) is “the life that I’ve already lived” and 下半世 (haa6 bun3 sai3) is “the rest of my life” so 上 (soeng6), 下 (haa6), “up” and “lower.” So 上 (soeng6), 下 (haa6). We don’t usually say 上半世 (soeng6 bun3 sai3). We usually just say 下半世 (haa6 bun3 sai3), but there is such a term. |
| So 我想同你過埋下半世。 (ngo5 soeng2 tung4 nei5 gwo3 maai4 haa6 bun3 sai3.). 過 (gwo3) is like “to spend” so 我想同你過埋下半世。 (ngo5 soeng2 tung4 nei5 gwo3 maai4 haa6 bun3 sai3.) "I want to spend the rest of my life together with you." |
| 6. 有你喺我身邊我嘅世界先算完整。 (jau5 nei5 hai2 ngo5 san1 bin1 ngo5 ge3 sai3 gaai3 sin1 syun3 jyun4 zing2.) "Having you by my side is what completes me." |
| So 完整 (jyun4 zing2) is “complete”. What is that movie? Jerry Maguire, “You Complete Me” |
| 你令到我完整。 (nei5 ling6 dou3 ngo5 jyun4 zing2.). It’s kind of cheesy, but I guess when you’re proposing, you’re allowed to be cheesy. |
| “You make my life complete.” 你令到我嘅生命完整。 (nei5 ling6 dou3 ngo5 ge3 sang1 ming6 jyun4 zing2.) |
| “You make my world complete.” 你令到我嘅世界完整。(nei5 ling6 dou3 ngo5 ge3 sai3 gaai3 jyun4 zing2.) |
| 7. 我想將所有嘢都畀晒你，但係我希望呢隻戒指已經代表晒一切。 (ngo5 soeng2 zoeng1 so2 jau5 je5 dou1 bei2 saai3 nei5, daan6 hai6 ngo5 hei1 mong6 ni1 zek3 gaai3 zi2 ji5 ging1 doi6 biu2 saai3 jat1 cai3.) "I wish I could give you everything, but I hope that this ring is enough." |
| So you say this when you’re presenting the engagement ring, the ring. Yeah, I wish I could give you everything, my whole life, my mind, my future, but I hope this ring represents everything. It’s kind of long, but maybe some people will like it. |
| 8. 而家我知道我哋係注定喺埋一齊。 (ji4 gaa1 ngo5 zi1 dou3 ngo5 dei6 hai6 zyu3 ding6 hai2 maai4 jat1 cai4.) "I now know that you and I are truly meant to be together." |
| So 而家 (ji4 gaa1) “now”, 我知道 (ngo5 zi1 dou3) “I know”, 我哋 (ngo5 dei6 ) “us / we”, 係注定 (hai6 zyu3 ding6) is “meant to be / fateful to”, 喺埋一齊 (hai2 maai4 jat1 cai4) “to be together”. So we are meant to be together, star-crossed lovers. It’s fate [*] (*) it’s fate. |
| Next... |
| 9. 識咗你之後，我先知道原來我之前嘅生活係幾咁空虛。 (sik1 zo2 nei5 zi1 hau6, ngo5 sin1 zi1 dou3 jyun4 loi4 ngo5 zi1 cin4 ge3 sang1 wut6 hai6 gei2 gam2 hung1 heoi1.) "Before I met you, I never realized how empty my life was." |
| So it doesn’t have to be a proposal line, but that’s sweet, but you can also say it when you’re confessing your love. So after you meet someone, you realize they turn your life over and you really appreciate it. So you can say that - 識咗你之後 (sik1 zo2 nei5 zi1 hau6) “after I meet you”, 我先知道 (ngo5 sin1 zi1 dou3) “I then realized”, 原來我之前嘅生活係幾咁空虛 (jyun4 loi4 ngo5 zi1 cin4 ge3 sang1 wut6 hai6 gei2 gam2 hung1 heoi1) “my life before has been so meaningless”. 空虛 (hung1 heoi1) is like “empty / meaningless”. So yeah, life have meaning after I met you. That’s the most straightforward way to say it. |
| 10. 我哋係命中註定嘅。 (ngo5 dei6 hai6 ming6 zung1 zyu3 ding6 ge3.) "We are meant to be together." |
| 命中註定 (ming6 zung1 zyu3 ding6), 命 (ming6) is like “fate”, 中 (zung1) is “inside” so in fate, 註定 (zyu3 ding6) is like “meant to be” so we are meant to be together. It’s fate. You have to love me. It’s fate for you to be in love with me. |
| So that’s it for today. Today, we talked about top 10 marriage proposal lines in Cantonese. We hope you will succeed in your proposal. All the best and I’ll see you next time. Bye-bye! |
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