Marriage

Question

What is the correct usage: 'marriage of A with B' or 'marriage of A to B'?

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

I think I'd most likely say "marriage of A and B".

(However, of the two options you mention, I prefer "to".)

CalifJim · Answer

After A marries B, A is married to B, and B is married to A.

We don't use married with (someone) in English.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

CalifJim We don't use married with (someone) in English.

In AmE, it's very common among Hispanic immigrants.

CalifJim · Answer

AvangiIn AmE, it's very common among Hispanic immigrants.

Duh.

That's SpE (or AzE), not AmE nor BrE.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

I didn't know how to say it.

CalifJim · Answer

How to say what? "common among immigrants" or "married to"?

CJ

Mr Wordy · Answer

CalifJimThat's SpE (or AzE),

What's "Aze"?

CalifJim · Answer

Arizona English. Sorry. In-joke for those of us in the USA. Here's the background.

The state of Arizona, which shares a border with Mexico, has a large Hispanic population. They recently passed a law which created a big kerfuffle. Apparently the citizens of Arizona now have to carry documents that prove that they are Americans -- not illegals that have slipped over the border from Mexico. Anyone who is found "indocumentado" (without papers) will be arrested and turned over to the immigration officials and, presumably, deported. The new law is so unpopular in some quarters that some local governments in California have even threatened to stop doing any business with the state of Arizona. Illegal immigration has been a problem in the US for years and years. The current estimate is that there are about 12 million illegal immigrants living in the US. We have a sort of schizophenic approach to it. We tolerate it and decry it at the same time.

CJ

By the way, just so this post isn't completely off-topic, in Spanish the preposition is "with" (con), not "to" with "married" (casado). So Spanish speakers commonly make the mistake of translating literally from "casado con" to "married with". We recently had a poster who seemed very puzzled that you could say that a man was "married with children" because in his language that would be "casado con" children, which is "married to" children. If you don't know some of these mistakes based on the poster's own language, you can sometimes miss the whole point of their having asked the question!

The preposition "with" in that context is probably used in many other languages as well. I don't mean to imply that only Spanish uses that formulation.

CJ

Tanit · Answer

CalifJimThat's SpE (or AzE), not AmE nor BrE.

I think it's also ItE.

I still remember the first time I read something along the lines of "He's married with a three-year-old baby"...

CalifJim · Answer

Of course! How could I forget ItE?

CJ

Marriage

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions