goá vợ
Definition
- Adjective:
- Widowed (of a man): Describes a man whose wife has died and who has not remarried. This term specifically indicates the marital status resulting from the death of a spouse.
- Bereaved of a wife: Emphasizes the state of having lost one's wife through death.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Ông ấy đã goá vợ được ba năm. (He has been a widower for three years.)
- Người đàn ông goá vợ ấy sống rất cô đơn. (That widowed man lives very lonely.)
- Sau khi goá vợ, ông ta dành cả thời gian cho con cháu. (After being widowed, he devoted all his time to his children and grandchildren.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "goá vợ" is used exclusively for men. The equivalent term for a woman whose husband has died is "goá chồng."
- It functions primarily as an adjective but can be used in a nominalized form (e.g., meaning "a widower").
Variants and Related Words
Goá chồng (adj): Widowed (of a woman); a woman whose husband has died.
- Bà ấy là một người goá chồng. (She is a widow.)
Goá phụ (n): A more formal or literary term for a widow.
- Câu chuyện kể về một goá phụ trẻ. (The story is about a young widow.)
Quả phụ (n): A formal term for a widow, often used in official or legal contexts.
- Chính sách hỗ trợ cho các quả phụ. (Policies to support widows.)
Synonyms
- Widowered: Having become a widower (less common).
- Bereaved husband: A man whose wife has died.
Notes on Usage
- "Goá vợ" is a compound word from "goá" (widowed) and "vợ" (wife). It is important to use the complete term to specify the gender.
- In English, the direct translation is "widowed" for the adjective form or "widower" for the noun form referring to the man himself. The context of the sentence determines the best translation.
- This term describes a permanent state unless the person remarries.