Lingua
At a bilingual wedding, the moment people remember is rarely the longest speech. It is the moment the bride or groom turns to the other family and says two sentences in their language. It does not have to be perfect, and it should not be long. It has to be prepared.
This guide gives four lines for each of the ten languages LinguaPair teaches: a greeting for your partner's family, one line of vows, a toast and a thank-you to the guests. Pick the ones you need, say them well, and stop.
Key points
- Four short lines said with confidence beat a page read off a phone. Aim for thirty seconds.
- Politeness is part of the phrase: parents-in-law get the respectful form in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian and German, even if you call your partner by a pet name.
- Rehearse out loud with your partner, slowly, every day for a week or two. The words are easy; saying them under pressure is the skill.
How to prepare a short speech
- Choose your moments. A greeting for the family, one sentence for your partner and a toast are enough. The thank-you line works at the end of any speech.
- Ask your partner to check the register. Each family has its own habits: some German in-laws switched to du years ago, some Korean families expect formal speech from everyone.
- Write each line in the script and in a reading you trust. Mark the stress or the long vowels, and the pauses.
- Practise the hardest word alone, then the sentence with your partner. Record yourself and compare; minimal pairs and feedback work for a toast as well as for a lesson.
- Say it slowly. Nerves make everyone fast, and a slow sentence in a foreign accent is understood; a fast one is not.
Key phrases in ten languages
English
| Moment | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Family | Thank you for welcoming me into your family. |
| Vows | I promise to love you and stand by you, in good times and in bad. |
| Toast | Please raise your glasses: to love and to family! Cheers! |
| Thanks | Thank you all for being here with us today. |
German
| Moment | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Danke, dass ihr mich so herzlich aufgenommen habt. | Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. |
| Vows | Ich verspreche dir, dich zu lieben, in guten wie in schlechten Zeiten. | I promise to love you, in good times and bad. |
| Toast | Lasst uns die Gläser erheben: auf das Brautpaar! Prost! | Let us raise our glasses: to the couple! |
| Thanks | Danke, dass ihr heute alle hier seid. | Thank you all for being here today. |
If you still say Sie to your parents-in-law, the first line becomes Danke, dass Sie mich so herzlich aufgenommen haben.
Spanish
| Moment | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Gracias por recibirme en la familia con tanto cariño. | Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. |
| Vows | Prometo amarte y respetarte todos los días de mi vida. | I promise to love and respect you every day of my life. |
| Toast | ¡Brindemos por los novios! ¡Vivan los novios! | Let's toast the couple! Long live the couple! |
| Thanks | Gracias a todos por estar hoy aquí con nosotros. | Thank you all for being here with us today. |
French
| Moment | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Merci de m'avoir accueilli dans votre famille. | Thank you for welcoming me into your family. |
| Vows | Je te promets de t'aimer, dans les bons comme dans les mauvais moments. | I promise to love you, in good times and bad. |
| Toast | Levons nos verres aux mariés ! Vive les mariés ! | Let us raise our glasses to the couple! |
| Thanks | Merci à tous d'être là aujourd'hui. | Thank you all for being here today. |
A bride writes accueillie; it sounds the same.
Italian
| Moment | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Grazie per avermi accolto nella vostra famiglia. | Thank you for welcoming me into your family. |
| Vows | Prometto di esserti fedele e di amarti, nella gioia e nel dolore. | I promise to be faithful and to love you, in joy and in sorrow. |
| Toast | Un brindisi agli sposi! Viva gli sposi! | A toast to the couple! |
| Thanks | Grazie a tutti di essere qui con noi oggi. | Thank you all for being here with us today. |
A bride says accolta.
Japanese
| Moment | Phrase | Reading and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | 温かく迎えてくださって、ありがとうございます。これからどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。 | Atatakaku mukaete kudasatte, arigatō gozaimasu. Korekara dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. Thank you for welcoming me; I ask for your kindness from now on. |
| Vows | 健やかなるときも、病めるときも、あなたを愛し、支えることを誓います。 | Sukoyaka naru toki mo, yameru toki mo, anata o aishi, sasaeru koto o chikaimasu. In health and in sickness, I vow to love and support you. |
| Toast | 皆様、ご唱和ください。乾杯！ | Minasama, goshōwa kudasai. Kanpai! Everyone, together please: cheers! |
| Thanks | 本日はお忙しい中、お集まりいただき、誠にありがとうございます。 | Honjitsu wa oisogashii naka, oatsumari itadaki, makoto ni arigatō gozaimasu. Thank you sincerely for coming today despite your busy schedules. |
At a Japanese reception the kanpai is usually led by a chosen guest, and the couple's own words come near the end, so the thank-you line is the one you are most likely to say.
Korean
| Moment | Phrase | Reading and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | 아버님, 어머님, 따뜻하게 맞아 주셔서 감사합니다. 앞으로 잘 부탁드립니다. | Abeonim, eomeonim, ttatteutage maja jusyeoseo gamsahamnida. Apeuro jal butakdeurimnida. Father, mother, thank you for welcoming me; please take care of me from now on. |
| Vows | 평생 당신을 사랑하고 아끼며 곁을 지키겠습니다. | Pyeongsaeng dangsineul saranghago akkimyeo gyeoteul jikigetseumnida. I will love and cherish you and stay by your side all my life. |
| Toast | 신랑 신부의 행복을 위하여! 건배! | Sillang sinbuui haengbogeul wihayeo! Geonbae! To the happiness of the groom and bride! Cheers! |
| Thanks | 바쁘신 와중에도 와 주셔서 진심으로 감사드립니다. | Bappeusin wajungedo wa jusyeoseo jinsimeuro gamsadeurimnida. Thank you sincerely for coming despite your busy schedules. |
Portuguese
| Moment | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Obrigado por me receberem na família com tanto carinho. | Thank you for welcoming me into the family so warmly. |
| Vows | Prometo te amar e te respeitar, na alegria e na tristeza, todos os dias da minha vida. | I promise to love and respect you, in joy and in sorrow, every day of my life. |
| Toast | Um brinde aos noivos! Viva os noivos! | A toast to the couple! |
| Thanks | Muito obrigado a todos por estarem aqui hoje. | Thank you all very much for being here today. |
A bride says obrigada. The vow above is Brazilian; in Portugal it becomes prometo amar-te e respeitar-te.
Russian
| Moment | Phrase | Reading and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Спасибо, что приняли меня в свою семью. | Spasibo, chto prinyali menya v svoyu semyu. Thank you for accepting me into your family. |
| Vows | Я обещаю любить тебя и быть рядом в радости и в горе. | Ya obeshchayu lyubit tebya i byt ryadom v radosti i v gore. I promise to love you and be by your side in joy and in sorrow. |
| Toast | Давайте поднимем бокалы за молодых! | Davayte podnimem bokaly za molodykh! Let us raise our glasses to the newlyweds! |
| Thanks | Спасибо всем, что пришли и разделили с нами этот день. | Spasibo vsem, chto prishli i razdelili s nami etot den. Thank you all for coming and sharing this day with us. |
Be ready for Горько! (gorko, "bitter!"): when the guests shout it, the couple is expected to kiss.
Vietnamese
| Moment | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Con cảm ơn bố mẹ đã đón nhận con vào gia đình. | I (as your child) thank you, parents, for accepting me into the family. |
| Vows | Anh hứa sẽ yêu thương và ở bên em suốt cuộc đời. | I promise to love you and be by your side all my life (said by the groom). |
| Toast | Xin mời mọi người cùng nâng ly chúc mừng cô dâu chú rể! Một, hai, ba, dô! | Please raise your glasses to the bride and groom! One, two, three, cheers! |
| Thanks | Xin chân thành cảm ơn quý vị đã đến chung vui cùng gia đình chúng tôi. | Our sincere thanks to all of you for sharing our family's joy. |
To your parents-in-law you call yourself con, as their child; in the south they are ba mẹ rather than bố mẹ. The bride's vow swaps the pronouns: Em hứa sẽ yêu thương và ở bên anh suốt cuộc đời.
Rehearse it together
The best coach for these lines is the person you are marrying. Ask your partner to say each line once at normal speed, copy it, and let them correct only the one sound that matters most. Then do it again tomorrow. If your partner's family will be in the room, ask how they actually speak at weddings: a line from a textbook is fine, a line their aunt would say is better.
How LinguaPair helps before the big day
LinguaPair is made for couples learning each other's languages. You invite your partner and your accounts become a pair, so you can follow your own course in short lessons, with the A0 and A1 levels free, while your partner sees your progress. The live translator lets you talk with your partner, or with the family before the wedding, in your own languages on one phone or two, with every line translated as you go, and the words from those conversations go into your vocabulary trainer. Games against each other, such as translation duels and vocabulary races, turn the rehearsal into a contest; they come with Premium, and one subscription covers both of you.
Before the vows comes the simpler question of how to say "I love you" in your partner's language, and for everyday practice, read how to learn a language with your partner.
Before the wedding there is usually another big day: meeting the family. If it is still ahead, start with 30 phrases for meeting Korean parents or 30 phrases for meeting Japanese parents.