Not sure if this is the right place to post this but I was wandering what Mahal means? Can anyone give me a Filipino translation of the words fiance and spouse? Very much appreciated.
"Dear", in the same sense. Someone can be "dear", ie, mahal ko, my dear, or can be expensive: a diamond is mahal. Of course, you can have a mahal mahal, an expensive wife
Yeah I always found it funny that 'mahal ko' translated to 'my dear' and that 'mahal', 'dear' and 'expensive' were synonymous, unusual that the word has the same dual meaning as the English equivalent
'mas mahal' or possibly as Bob mentioned 'mas mahal mahal' Google suggests 'labis mahal' but 'sobra mahal' might work as well.
thank you all, I have tried google translate but wanted to be sure to get a closer meaning, trying to attract more clients from the Philippines so thinking of ways to be more user friendly, "mahal" seems to be a word that springs up often. Just trying to stand out from the rest of the competition out there!!
Rather slangy Chinese but 大大, Taitai,(literally," Greatly Significant) means "She Who Must Be Obeyed"
Not sure about fiance but spouse in Tagalog is 'asawa'. Mahal depends on whether it being used as a noun, adjective etc. I would guess in the context you're looking to use it though it means 'love'. 'Mahal ko' for example is 'my love'. Mahal kita = I love you.
Tagalog / Filipino does not have gender, so "asawa" is "spouse" and there are no other words for "wife" and "husband" I don't think there is a precise word for fiance /fiancee but "nobiyo" and "kasintahan" are proposed by Google Translate....
In fact, it appears that Filipino does not distinguish between "living in sin" and the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Which, for a nation in which 80+ % call themselves Catholic, and 40+% go to Mass weekly, is remarkable.
Basically, it's what used to be called Common Law wife - accepted by the community as husband and wife but without the legal stuff that comes with Common Law spouses, which I think ended in the 1700s in ther UK. Weddings are horrendously expensive in the Philippines, and the church expects its cut, of course so many people don't marry in church. Plus, with no divorce, it's often the only way people can stay together.
Yes, it is largely ritualistic. This is actually not that surprising when you think that it was an alien implementation by colonisers. They were never just going to develop into Catholics like the Spain were Catholics.
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