Collocations for Discussing Relationships and Social Life
To communicate effectively and naturally in English, it’s important to learn about collocations.
These are pairs of words that often go together, like “make friends” or “keep in touch.”
By mastering these phrases, you can sound more fluent and self-assured when talking about relationships and social situations.
Whether you’re chatting about family, friendships, love, or social events, using the right collocations can really help your conversations flow better.
In this post, I’ll teach you some key collocations that are useful for talking about relationships and social life.
I will discuss phrases related to building, maintaining, and managing relationships, as well as how to socialize and deal with various situations in our everyday lives.
1. Making Friends and Building Relationships
When it comes to starting new relationships or meeting new people, there are specific phrases we use to describe the process.
Here are some collocations that can help:
Make friends – To meet new people and start a friendship.
“It’s always a good idea to make friends with your classmates.”
Form a relationship – To start a romantic or close relationship with someone.
“They formed a relationship after working together for a year.”
Meet new people – To encounter unfamiliar individuals in various settings.
“I enjoy meeting new people at social events.”
Get to know someone – To spend time with someone and learn more about them.
“We should get to know each other better over lunch.”
Hit it off – To quickly become friends with someone because you like each other.
“We hit it off as soon as we started talking.”
Become close (to someone) – To develop a strong, intimate connection with someone.
“They became close after working together for a long time.”
Strike up a conversation – To begin talking with someone.
“She struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to her.”
Break the ice – To start a conversation in a way that makes people feel more comfortable.
“He used a funny joke to break the ice at the party.”
2. Maintaining Relationships
Once you have started a relationship or friendship, it’s important to nurture it.
Here are some useful collocations for maintaining healthy relationships:
Keep in touch – To stay in contact with someone.
“We’ve kept in touch ever since high school.”
Stay in contact – Similar to “keep in touch,” but often used in more formal settings.
“I stay in contact with my old boss through LinkedIn.”
Keep a relationship going – To continue to develop and maintain a relationship.
“They worked hard to keep their relationship going despite the distance.”
Stay close – To remain emotionally or physically near to someone.
“Even though we live far apart, we try to stay close.”
Build a bond – To develop a strong emotional connection.
“They built a strong bond over their shared interests.”
Grow apart – To become less close or distant from someone over time.
“We grew apart after college because we moved to different cities.”
Drift apart – Similar to “grow apart,” but often used in the context of relationships or friendships weakening gradually.
“They drifted apart after the argument.”
3. Romantic Relationships
When discussing romantic relationships, there are specific collocations to describe feelings, actions, and events.
These include:
Fall in love – To start having romantic feelings for someone.
“They fell in love after spending a few months together.”
Have a crush on someone – To like someone in a romantic way, usually without them knowing.
“She has a big crush on her colleague.”
Go out with someone – To date someone or have a romantic relationship with them.
“They’ve been going out for six months.”
Break up with someone – To end a romantic relationship.
“He decided to break up with her after they had an argument.”
Get engaged – To formally agree to marry someone.
“They got engaged last summer during their vacation.”
Get married – To legally unite with someone in marriage.
“They’re planning to get married next year.”
Tie the knot – A casual way to say “get married.”
“They decided to tie the knot after five years of dating.”
Fall out of love – To stop being in love with someone.
“They fell out of love after many years of marriage.”
4. Dealing with Conflicts and Problems
In any relationship, there may be disagreements or problems.
Here are some collocations that can help you describe these situations:
Have an argument – To disagree or fight with someone in a heated way.
“They had an argument about where to go on vacation.”
Have a disagreement – To have a difference of opinion.
“They had a disagreement over how to handle the project.”
Make up – To resolve a conflict or misunderstanding with someone.
“They fought, but they made up the next day.”
Patch things up – To repair a relationship after a fight or argument.
“They decided to patch things up after their argument last week.”
Fall out – To stop being friends or get into a conflict.
“They fell out after a big argument.”
Settle a dispute – To resolve a disagreement or fight.
“They hired a mediator to settle the dispute between them.”
5. Socializing and Group Activities
In addition to relationships, collocations for socializing and group activities are essential for describing your social life.
Here are some common phrases:
Hang out with friends – To spend time with friends in a relaxed way.
“I like to hang out with my friends on weekends.”
Throw a party – To organize or host a social gathering.
“They’re planning to throw a party for their anniversary.”
Go out for a drink – To leave the house and go somewhere to have a drink.
“We went out for a drink after work.”
Catch up with someone – To talk to someone and exchange news.
“Let’s catch up soon over coffee.”
Invite someone over – To ask someone to come to your house.
“I’m going to invite my friend over for dinner tomorrow night.”
Join a group – To become a part of a club, team, or social group.
“I joined a book club to meet new people.”
Socialize with others – To engage in activities that involve meeting people and talking to them.
“It’s important to socialize with others to maintain good relationships.”
Go on a date – To meet someone for a romantic or casual outing.
“They went on their first date to a movie last weekend.”
6. Describing Social Life and Activities
Finally, it’s useful to have expressions to describe your social life and the kinds of activities you engage in.
These collocations can help:
Lead an active social life – To be involved in many social activities and events.
“He leads an active social life, always attending parties and gatherings.”
Be part of a community – To be involved in a group of people with shared interests or goals.
“She’s part of a local community group that organizes charity events.”
Have a busy social life – To attend many social events or gatherings.
“They have a busy social life with many dinner parties and outings.”
Keep a low profile – To avoid drawing attention to yourself or to stay out of social events.
“After the breakup, he decided to keep a low profile for a while.”
Conclusion
Learning these phrases for talking about relationships and social life can make you sound more natural and confident.
Whether you’re chatting about making new friends, handling romantic relationships, or just hanging out with others, using the right words will help you sound more fluent and interesting.
So, try using these expressions in your talks, and you’ll find it easier to discuss personal connections.
