When you need this
Most of the English around a proposal happens before it, not during it. People ask friends for help, plan a place, worry about the ring size, and talk to family. The question itself is four words. Everything else is planning, nerves and the story afterward.
"Pop the question" is the relaxed phrase everyone uses for proposing. You'll hear it with friends, in movies and at work. "Propose" is the neutral word you'd use with your grandmother. In some families, it's polite to ask the parents first; "ask for their blessing" means asking them to support the marriage, not asking permission to exist.
After the proposal, the story is told in the past: "He got down on one knee," "I had no idea," "She said yes." Those three lines will come up at every dinner for a year, so they're worth knowing.
Phrases
informal: ask someone to marry you
the neutral word for asking someone to marry you
the question itself
the traditional way to kneel when proposing
ask the family to support the marriage
the proposal should fit the couple, not a movie
the big choice: with people watching or alone
the person was completely surprised
the measurement you need to buy a ring that fits
the happy ending of the story
an honest answer when you're too surprised to speak
sudden nerves before a big commitment
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.