# having a baby



## DarrenClark

If a man says to a woman, "Gusto ko na ang aking sanggol"
would it be understood to mean "I want you to have my baby" (as in "become pregnant with my child")
or
"I want you to take possession of (perhaps adopt) my baby"

or both?

Thanks for your help


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## 082486

hi... welcome 

If you want to have a baby, you can say...
"Gusto ko nang magka-anak."


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## DarrenClark

Hi, thanks for your reply.

However, what I would like to know is how to say
"I want you to have my baby(child)"

rather than "I want to have a baby".

Thanks in advance for your help


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## jenny_lo

DarrenClark said:


> Hi, thanks for your reply.
> 
> However, what I would like to know is how to say
> "I want you to have my baby(child)"
> 
> rather than "I want to have a baby".
> 
> Thanks in advance for your help



Hi DarrenClark, you can say: "Gusto kong maging ina ka ng aking (mga) anak." which means "I want you to become the mother of my child(ren)."

I hope this one helps


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## DarrenClark

Hi Jenny,

Thanks a lot for your input. That should work.

However, is it not possible to construct a more direct translation of "I want you to have my child"
perhaps using "magka-anak"?


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## 082486

hi...
It's better if you use the one that Jenny suggested...


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## jenny_lo

DarrenClark said:


> Hi Jenny,
> 
> Thanks a lot for your input. That should work.
> 
> However, is it not possible to construct a more direct translation of "I want you to have my child"
> perhaps using "magka-anak"?



I believe the direct Filipino translation of _"I want you to have my child"_ sounds unusual. It goes something like, _"Gusto kong maging iyo ang aking anak."_ Yes, it also means that you want the woman to have your child as hers but I think that this Filipino sentence is hardly used nowadays. 

I suggest that you stick with _"Gusto kong maging ina ka ng aking (mga) anak." _In a Filipina's point of view, it sounds clearer and sweeter.

Do the rest of Filipinos agree with me? What do you think?


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## DotterKat

I agree with Jenny's suggestion. In the proper context, the line _"Gusto kong maging ina ka ng aking (mga) anak" _will be clearly understood as the speaker wanting the female interlocutor to bear his biological children. However, as an isolated line it could be construed as the speaker wanting the female interlocutor to _become_ the mother of his pre-existing children (let's say he is widowed and he desires another woman to _become_ not just his wife but also the mother of his and his deceased wife's children)._ I want you to have my child _will not quite resonate in the same way as it does in English, but if you wish to use _magka-anak  _as you've indicated in your third post then you might actually be closer to the sentiment you wish to express. You could say something like:

"Gusto kong tayong dalawa ay magka-anak."_ I wish / want that the two of us would have children._ This line veers off your original text but it addresses your thought more directly, in that it says that you want the two of you to have children in the future. This discounts the possibility of pre-existing children that the woman might have to adopt as her own upon marrying the man, cements the idea that the future children will be theirs _together_ but does not quite close the possibility of them jointly adopting children together. As I said the English line will not resonate directly to Tagalog. For that, the Tagalog line will become too graphic -- it would translate to something along the lines of _I want you to become pregnant with my children _and I think that may not be the line you wish.


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## DarrenClark

082486, Jenny, and DotterKat

Thanks so much for your help and explanation. 
I'm sure every language has distinct nuances that cannot be translated perfectly into other languages.

I really appreciate all of you taking time to respond to my question.


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## rempress

jenny_lo said:


> I believe the direct Filipino translation of _"I want you to have my child"_ sounds unusual. It goes something like, _"Gusto kong maging iyo ang aking anak."_ Yes, it also means that you want the woman to have your child as hers but I think that this Filipino sentence is hardly used nowadays.
> 
> I suggest that you stick with _"Gusto kong maging ina ka ng aking (mga) anak." _In a Filipina's point of view, it sounds clearer and sweeter.
> 
> Do the rest of Filipinos agree with me? What do you think?



Agree. Perfect.


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