Lu Posted August 4, 2012 at 09:01 AM Report Share Posted August 4, 2012 at 09:01 AM In my ears, 'partner' always sounds too formal, too business-like. People in long-term relationships, possibly with children, but not married are very common in NL as well, but partner is rarely used. Some people continue call their SO 'vriend/vriendin' (boyfriend/girlfriend) but some just go ahead and say 'mijn man/vrouw' (my man/woman, but also meaning my husband/wife). This goes for gay as well as straight couples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andysun731 Posted August 7, 2012 at 06:25 AM Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 at 06:25 AM “基友” is more often used in jokes. If you use gender-neutral terms, they will think you are straight by default. If you don't care about coming out of the closet, "男朋友" or "老公" may be right. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooironic Posted February 5, 2014 at 01:02 AM Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 at 01:02 AM Revisiting this thread, I feel that the conclusion is that 伴侶 can be used in formal contexts, and 我的那位 or 我的另一半 in informal ones. And 基友 as a joke. Though that term seems to be used more among straight guys nowadays. And 對象 should be avoided as it sounds... old-fashioned, I suppose. Also, not sure if it used in Taiwan. Plus it can cause confusion - I once said 我的對象 to a mother of a Chinese friend of mine and she automatically thought I was married. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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