Names for your significant other

I've always hated how infantile it seems for adults to refer to each other as a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” I'm not too crazy about any of the alternative terms in that article either. I sort of like the word “companion,” but it seems a little bit awkward too. I propose that we borrow the Spanish words “novio” and “novia,” but I'm not holding my breath for that to catch on.

There's something else that's a little awkward about “girlfriend”: whenever I hear a female talk about having a “girlfriend,” I frequently wonder whether she's talking about a platonic friendship or a lesbian relationship (In my experience, it's usually the first one, but occasionally it's the second). This seems especially odd since I don't think I've ever heard a heterosexual male talk about having a “boyfriend.”

Agreed, EF. We keep revisiting this question from time to time on the show, but it's tough to find a word that really works.

Come to think of it, borrowing some Spanish words could also clear up some of the ambiguity surrounding “girlfriend.” We could use “amiga” to describe a platonic female friend and “novia” to describe a romantic/sexual partner. Again, I'm not holding my breath for this to happen.

Esperanto makes nice names Koramiko or Koramikino is a heart-friend male or female and Karulo or Karulino, a dear-one, male or female.
In English, most available alternatives are more or less embarrassing and/or ambiguous!