The short answer
English says married to a person: “She is married to an engineer.”‘Married with’ is correct in exactly one pattern — “married with children”— where ‘with’ describes what the couple has, never who the partner is.
Why do we say ‘married with’?
Hindi says uski shaadi ek doctor se hui — and semost often translates as ‘with’. Bengali, Marathi, and Tamil use similar forms. So the sentence comes out as ‘she is married witha doctor’ — a perfect translation of the grammar of the mother tongue, applied to English.
English, however, treats marriage as a bond directed towards a person. Direction takes to — exactly like engaged to, devoted to, loyal to, and attached to. Learn it as a family and the preposition stops feeling random.
The three patterns — learn all three
Pattern 1 — the verb takes NO preposition
“He married Priya in 2020.”
'Marry' is transitive. 'He married to Priya' is wrong — no preposition with the verb.
Pattern 2 — the state takes TO
“He is married to Priya. / She got married to an engineer.”
'Be married to' and 'get married to' describe the state or the event.
Pattern 3 — WITH only for what the couple has
“They are married with two children.”
'With' introduces the children, not the partner. This is the only correct 'married with'.
10 preposition traps in the same family
‘Married with’ is one member of a large family: adjectives and verbs whose preposition in English differs from the one your mother tongue suggests. These are the ones exams test most.
| Wrong ✗ | Correct ✓ |
|---|---|
| married with a doctor | married to a doctor |
| angry on him | angry with him |
| afraid from dogs | afraid of dogs |
| good in English | good at English |
| depends of the weather | depends on the weather |
| consists in five parts | consists of five parts |
| superior than others | superior to others |
| prefer tea than coffee | prefer tea to coffee |
| died with cancer | died of cancer |
| congratulate on winning ✓ | congratulate on winning ✓ (correct as it is) |
Exam tip — SSC CGL / CHSL / IBPS
The examiner's favourite version of this trap uses the verb form: “She married to a rich businessman last year.”The error is ‘married to’ — as a verb, marry takes no preposition at all: “She married a rich businessman.”
So the exam actually tests both directions: adding ‘to’ where the verb needs nothing, and using ‘with’ where the state needs ‘to’. Check which form of ‘marry’ the sentence uses before choosing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it 'married to' or 'married with'?+
It is 'married to'. In English you are married TO a person: 'She is married to a doctor.' 'Married with' followed by a person is incorrect. The only standard use of 'married with' is in the fixed pattern 'married with children', where 'with' introduces what the couple has, not the partner.
Why is 'married with' wrong?+
Because English treats marriage as a bond directed towards a person, and direction takes 'to' — the same way you are 'engaged to', 'devoted to', or 'attached to' someone. Many Indian languages use an instrumental form (Hindi 'se', as in 'shaadi kisi se hui') that translates naturally as 'with', which is why the error is so common.
When is 'married with' actually correct?+
Only when 'with' introduces something the couple has — most commonly in the phrase 'married with children' or 'married with two kids'. Here 'with' does not point to the partner; it describes the family situation. 'She is married with three children' is correct; 'She is married with a doctor' is not.
Do you 'marry to' someone or just 'marry' someone?+
The verb 'marry' takes no preposition at all: 'He married Priya in 2020' — not 'married to Priya in 2020' as a verb. 'To' appears only with the adjective/passive form 'be married to' or 'get married to': 'He is married to Priya.' So: marry someone (verb), be married to someone (state).
Read Next
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Verbs that need no preposition — discuss, order, attack and more
Why Is 'Order For' Wrong?
Another transitive verb wrongly given a preposition
Prepositions — Grammar RuleBook Chapter
All the preposition rules examiners test, in one chapter
Prepositions Trap Guide
The complete SSC preposition strategy guide