Being in a relationship in Chinese 谈恋爱
tánliànài
Be in a relationship in Chinese is 谈恋爱 (tán liàn ài).
Also searched for as: in a relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, couple, dating someone, taken.
Officially a couple: now what? 15 essential being in a relationship words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
To be in a relationship in Chinese is 谈恋爱 (tán liàn ài), literally "to talk love". Once you're a couple, a whole vocabulary opens up: 男朋友 (nán péng you) and 女朋友 (nǚ péng you), the more neutral 对象 (duì xiàng) for "partner", and fun slang like 秀恩爱 (xiù ēn ài) for couples who show off online, or 撒狗粮 (sǎ gǒu liáng), scattering "dog food" for the singletons watching.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 谈恋爱 | tán liàn ài | to be in a relationship |
| 男朋友 | nán péng you | boyfriend |
| 女朋友 | nǚ péng you | girlfriend |
| 对象 | duì xiàng | partner; other half |
| 情侣 | qíng lǚ | couple |
| 情侣装 | qíng lǚ zhuāng | matching couple outfits |
| 秀恩爱 | xiù ēn ài | to show off one's relationship |
| 撒狗粮 | sǎ gǒu liáng | to flaunt your love in front of singles |
| 甜蜜 | tián mì | sweet; loving |
| 纪念日 | jì niàn rì | anniversary |
| 热恋 | rè liàn | to be head over heels; honeymoon phase |
| 官宣 | guān xuān | to go public (lit. official announcement) |
| 恋爱脑 | liàn ài nǎo | love-brained; obsessed with one's partner |
| 黏人 | nián rén | clingy |
| 陪 | péi | to keep company; to spend time with |
Usage tips
- 对象 (duì xiàng) is the word older relatives use when asking about your love life: 有对象了吗 (yǒu duì xiàng le ma)? It's gender-neutral, a little old-fashioned and very common.
- 撒狗粮 (sǎ gǒu liáng) links to 单身狗 (dān shēn gǒu), the jokey term for a single person: couples being affectionate in public are said to be feeding the single "dogs".
- 官宣 (guān xuān), "official announcement", is borrowed from formal news language and now means publicly confirming you're a couple, usually on social media.
Common mistakes
- Learners use 女朋友 (nǚ péng you) for any female friend, but it only means "girlfriend". For a friend who happens to be a woman, say 朋友 (péng you) or 女性朋友 (nǚ xìng péng you).
- 谈恋爱 (tán liàn ài) is a verb-object phrase, so "I'm going out with him" is 我在跟他谈恋爱 (wǒ zài gēn tā tán liàn ài), not 我谈恋爱他.
Mini dialogue
- A你在谈恋爱吗？朋友圈全是你们的照片。Nǐ zài tán liàn ài ma? Péng you quān quán shì nǐ men de zhào piàn.Are you seeing someone? Your Moments are full of photos of you two.
- B嗯，我们去年就官宣了。Èn, wǒ men qù nián jiù guān xuān le.Mm, we went official last year.
- A你们天天秀恩爱，别再撒狗粮了！Nǐ men tiān tiān xiù ēn ài, bié zài sǎ gǒu liáng le!You show off every day. Stop rubbing it in!
- B哈哈，下周是我们的纪念日，还要秀一次。Hā hā, xià zhōu shì wǒ men de jì niàn rì, hái yào xiù yī cì.Haha, next week's our anniversary, so there's one more to come.
Example sentences
- 你在谈恋爱吗？Are you seeing someone?
- 这是我男朋友。This is my boyfriend.
- 你女朋友是哪里人？Where's your girlfriend from?
- 你有对象了吗？Have you got a partner?
- 周末公园里全是情侣。The park is full of couples at weekends.
- 他们穿着情侣装。They're wearing matching outfits.
- 他们天天在朋友圈秀恩爱。They show off their relationship on Moments every day.
- 别撒狗粮了，单身狗受不了！Stop rubbing it in, us singles can't take it!
- 他们俩好甜蜜啊。They're so sweet together.
- 明天是我们的恋爱纪念日。Tomorrow's our anniversary.
- 他们正在热恋中。They're in the honeymoon phase.
- 我们终于官宣了！We've finally gone official!
- 她一谈恋爱就变成恋爱脑。As soon as she's in a relationship, she loses her head.
- 我男朋友特别黏人。My boyfriend is really clingy.
- 周末我想多陪陪你。I want to spend more time with you at the weekend.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Being in a relationship speaking island has 8 everyday questions about being in a relationship to prepare your own answers to.