B1 Vocabulary — Relationships
Words and expressions to talk about friends, partners and how our relationships start, change and end.
B1 Intermediate
People & lifestyle
Relationships
1. People around you
- acquaintance = someone you know a little, but not very well. We work in the same building, but he’s only an acquaintance.
- close friend = a friend you trust and see often. Sara is a close friend; I can tell her anything.
- best friend = your closest friend, almost like family. I’ve known my best friend since primary school.
- colleague / co-worker / workmate = a person you work with (colleague is more formal). I sometimes go for lunch with my colleagues.
- flatmate = someone who shares a flat or apartment with you. My flatmate and I share the kitchen.
- couple = two people in a romantic relationship. They’re a really happy couple.
2. Romantic partners
- wife = a married woman. He lives in London with his wife and children.
- husband = a married man. Her husband travels a lot for work.
- partner = the person you are in a serious relationship with (married or not). I’m going to the party with my partner.
- ex = a person you were in a relationship with before (ex-boyfriend, ex-wife, etc.). I’m still friends with my ex.
- date = the person you meet for romance, or the meeting itself. I’ve got a date tonight.
- blind date = a date with someone you have never met before. We first met on a blind date.
3. Getting to know people
- get to know someone = slowly learn about a person’s life and personality. It took a few months to get to know my new neighbours.
- get on (well) with someone = have a good relationship. I get on well with my flatmates.
- hang out (with) = spend relaxed time together. We usually hang out at the café after work.
4. Romance: from crush to marriage
- have a crush on someone = feel a strong, usually secret, romantic interest. I had a crush on my classmate at school.
- go out with someone = be in a romantic relationship; date. She’s been going out with Max for a year.
- propose (to) = ask someone to marry you. He proposed to her on holiday.
- get married = become husband and wife / partners. They got married last summer.
5. Problems in relationships
- break up (with) = end a romantic relationship. They broke up after three years together.
- have an affair = have a romantic or sexual relationship with another person while you are already in a relationship. She left him when she discovered he was having an affair.
- fall out (with) = have a serious argument that damages the relationship. I fell out with my brother and we didn’t speak for weeks.
6. Keeping contact
- keep in touch (with someone) = continue to communicate (by messages, calls, visits, etc.). We moved to different cities but we still keep in touch.
- lose touch (with someone) = stop communicating over time. I lost touch with many school friends.
Try to remember the whole phrase, not just the verb: get on with someone, keep / lose in touch, fall out with someone. This will help your English sound more natural.
7. Mini tip
- Use the present simple for facts: We get on really well.
- Use the present continuous for something happening now: We’re going out at the moment.
- Use the past simple for finished relationships: We broke up last year.
Exercises:
Relationships
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
I see him at the gym and we just say “hi”, but we’re not close. He’s just an
.
Correct:
An acquaintance is someone you know a little but is not a close friend.
2
I tell her my problems and we spend a lot of time together. She is a
, not just someone I know.
Correct:
A close friend is a person you know very well and trust.
3
I have many friends, but Maria is the one I trust the most. She is my
.
Correct:
Your best friend is your number one, most important friend.
4
We work for the same company, but in different teams. He is my
, not my friend from school.
Correct:
A colleague is a person you work with.
5
In American English, a person who works with you in the same office is often called a
.
Correct:
A co-worker is another word for “person you work with”, especially in American English.
6
In British English, an informal word for a friend from work is
.
Correct:
A workmate is an informal word for someone you work with.
7
I share an apartment with Tom. He is my
.
Correct:
A flatmate is a person you live with in the same flat or apartment.
8
They are boyfriend and girlfriend and live together. They are a happy
.
Correct:
A couple is two people in a romantic relationship.
9
Paul is married. His
is called Maria.
Correct:
A wife is a married woman.
10
Sara is married. Her
is an engineer.
Correct:
A husband is a married man.
11
They live together but they are not married. He introduces her by saying, “This is my
.”
Correct:
A partner is a person you have a romantic relationship with, married or not.
12
We broke up five years ago. He isn’t my boyfriend now, he’s my
.
Correct:
Your ex is a person you had a romantic relationship with in the past.
13
We were a couple for two years, but we never got married. Now he is my
.
Correct:
An ex-boyfriend is a man who was your boyfriend in the past.
14
We went out for a year at university. Now she is my
, not my partner.
Correct:
An ex-girlfriend is a woman who was your girlfriend in the past.
15
We were married for ten years, but now we are divorced. He is my
.
Correct:
An ex-husband is a man who was your husband in the past.
16
We don’t live together now. She used to be my wife, but she is my
now.
Correct:
An ex-wife is a woman who was your wife in the past.
17
I’m meeting someone for coffee tonight because we might start a romantic relationship. I have a
this evening.
Correct:
A date is a meeting with someone you may like romantically.
18
My friend showed him my photo and gave him my number. We will meet for the first time and we have never seen each other before. It’s a
.
Correct:
A blind date is a date with someone you have never met in person before.
Relationships
Match the sentences with the words
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