What do you call your ‘husband’ if you’re not married

[Seaseasea]

Been with DP 7 years, 2 DCs together... not married.

I cringe at saying ‘boyfriend’ and feel pretentious saying ‘partner’... what do you say?

I find myself pausing everytime I mention him to someone who doesn’t know his name

My love-terrier.

The Prince of Punani.

"I don't have an issue with the word partner, but I have a cousin who calls whoever she is with her partner immediately. "This is my partner, we met last week" . Partner implies you are connected by more than just sex to me.

In an unrelated point, I don't quite understand why you would be happily unmarried, but refer to your partner as your husband - isn't that a bit contradictory?"

Agree on both points.

LOL so many options (a lot of them crass)...

My Beau
Bae
The Mister
My Guy
My Soulmate
My Beloved
My Squeeze
My Fancyman

...really the choices are endless

I just call him my husband to the children I teach. I have done for a while now. Most the time I just say his name and assume people know who I mean! I cringe at partner and he’s not my boyfriend. Fiancé seems like something you only say when it’s recent but we’ve been engaged ages.

My Dad calls my Mum is current wife or his first wife. They've been married 40 years but he still finds it hilarious.

I always get flummoxed with this. I don’t like to use partner as that has business connotations fir me as well as being my job title.
Can’t use boyfriend as he is not a boy, he is a man.

He calls me his missus but there is no equivalent in my mind.

I end up using either partner or other half (he is the other half of this relationship) but because I can’t think of a better alternative.

I say partner but I might use swain and I really like bidey in!

It's hard! I said partner but often also thought people thought I was a lesbian or that he wasn't the children's bio father.

Now we're married I still struggle to call him my husband.

It confuses other people too! I got a letter recently calling me both MrsHopeishere and MissHopeishere!!

I used other half. Not sure what is so bad about it. Agree better half is dire.

I say partner or use his name. As a bisexual the getting mistaken for a lesbian is fine by me and probably part of the attraction to the word. I hate hate hate the other half expression.

I hate the word partner. My mum calls him "son in law", he's called me wife, I sometimes call him fiance Infront of other people. Between us, we call each other girlfriend/boyfriend as we do like the term even though we're in out late 30s.

Dh calls me the brains of the operation.

i say partner because we are partners in a business we run partners in life and love too

MIL refers to her friend's bloke as "Joan's Gentleman Friend".
Not too bad, "boyfriend" does sound a bit daft when you are in your 70's.

Not sure what Joan officially calls him tbh, usually just, "My Billy."

'im indoors 😊 i work outside and he works in an office so it works well.

Partner. Been together 23 years. Not that I remotely care, but some people I once worked with were surprised to discover he's male when they met him. I did ask why they assumed my partner was female and was told "well because you say partner, his name could also be female (think charlie) and you've got short hair" I was a bit at this deduction.....

I say partner, although it does slightly make me feel I'm about to embark on a nice game of tennis.

He says girlfriend, which I also find faintly ridiculous as I'm 50 years old.

I might start using swain I think

"The lad"

We live in DP’s apartment so I call him my landlord

There’s an old Scottish term for a partner who lives with someone they’re not married to (as in sexual relationship not housemate ). ‘Bidey- in’ derived from the word bide which means stay. As in this is Jim, my bidey-in.

Call DP my boyfriend/partner. I'm young so can get away with boyfriend. My dad's girlfriend calls my dad her husband because she can't be bothered explaining anything. The first time she said it Infront of me I was thinking I'd missed the wedding

I say partner, we are early 30s with DC and a house, boyfriend doesn't feel right to me.

Have had people assume I'm a lesbian, but I can't say it bothers me much. DP refers to me as his girlfriend I think, doesn't seem to be as much of an issue for men.

A friend refers to her boyfriend as her lover or bed-fellow, which always makes me laugh.

@Confusedfornow I don't really care if you or others with your, frankly bizarre outlook, don't take me seriously, the feeling is mutual.

We're not engaged, don't have any particular desire or intention to get married, don't really see the point. We did talk about a civil partnership at one point but that was a financial thing I think.

My chap or my boyfriend -I don't mind that and I'm over 40. I quite like the idea of being 80 with a boyfriend.

my man. A perfectly good title used in Scotland which refers to both marriage or non marriage partner.