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Can I say "we are expecting a baby" when my wife is pregnant or does that sound funny to native English speakers, saying it as a man? (In German, the phrase has become somewhat common, but it stills sound a bit funny to some. Some use it, some don't.)

I don't like the sound of "my wife is expecting a baby" - it sounds too distant, like I don't care, but that's an intuition of a non-native speaker.

What other (not overly formal) ways are there to express that one is becoming a family?

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    Well, it certainly sounds a lot better to say that you are both expecting than that you are both impregnated. :)
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 13:33
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    @tchrist: have you not encountered proud fathers-to-be who say "We're pregnant"? Being polite, I try not to laugh out loud.
    – Tim Lymington
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 14:01
  • @TimLymington: But you agree with Dan that "we are expecting a baby" is not considered funny to say for a man, or have accepted prematurely?
    – DCS
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 14:04
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    As GEdgar said, anybody can expect a baby, just as anybody can expect a rainshower. Parents, unsurprisingly, use the phrase most often. Dan was correct, but could have explained better.
    – Tim Lymington
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 14:11
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    I love that phrase, it makes it sound like it might not be a baby "Were expecting a baby, but it might be a velociraptor"
    – user38984
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 16:56

5 Answers 5

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Yes, in English the idiom is for both parents to say "we are expecting [our first/a baby...]".

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    Indeed, if there are (old enough) children in the family, they too may say "we are expecting a baby". If Grandma is living in the house with this family, even she may say it.
    – GEdgar
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 14:04
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    It's fine. Just don't say "We are pregnant".
    – user24964
    Commented Mar 13, 2013 at 16:51
  • I've heard couples say "we are pregnant".
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Dec 27, 2019 at 14:52
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A native English speaker will know what you mean when you say "we are expecting". The baby part is a little redundant.

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We can even use it to ask our friends who are having a baby. It's an amusing way of asking; for example my male best friend's wife is pregnant, and I ask him "When are we having the baby?"

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'We are expecting'. That is enough as I see in the UK. (I am not native or I don't have good English, just heard this phrase a lot. )

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You could also say 'My wife's due [for whatever month]. You could also use the words 'gravid,' or 'conceived,' if you choose to be succinct.

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