A Attraction & flirting

• fancy (someone) – to be romantically attracted to a person.
  Everyone could see that Joe really fancied Cara.
• turn (someone) on – to make someone feel physical attraction or desire.
  His bright blue eyes really turn me on.
• chat (someone) up – to start a friendly conversation because you’re interested in someone romantically.
  The man walked over to Lisa and started chatting her up.
• flirt (with someone) – to behave in a playful, romantic way with someone.
  It was clear that Ann and Greg liked each other – they spent the whole evening flirting.
• fall for (someone) – to develop strong romantic feelings quite quickly.
  It was obvious that Mike was falling for her; he didn’t take his eyes off her all night.
• fall head over heels (for somebody) – to fall completely and deeply in love, very fast.
  John fell head over heels for Mary the first time he met her.

B Dating & romance

• go on a date (with someone) – to meet someone because you’re interested in a romantic relationship.
  The last time we went on a date, he took me to a small Italian restaurant.
• be seeing (someone) – to be in a romantic relationship and not dating other people.
  Harry and Ann have been seeing each other for years.
• two-time (someone) – to secretly have another romantic relationship at the same time.
  Lara was devastated when she found out her boyfriend had been two-timing her.
• split up (with someone) – to end a romantic relationship.
  Nobody could believe that Tim and Nora had split up.
• dump (someone) – to end a relationship suddenly or in a cold way.
  After Kevin dumped her, Nora cried herself to sleep every night.

C Distance & conflict

• drift apart – to gradually lose contact or emotional closeness.
  After Tom moved away, we slowly started to drift apart.
• make up (with someone) – to become friends again after an argument.
  Al and Sara argued last week, but they made up two days later.
• have ups and downs – to go through good and bad periods in a relationship.
  Like any married couple, Sue and I have our ups and downs.
• keep (someone) at bay – to keep someone at a distance so they can’t get too close or affect you.
  After the painful end of her relationship, Val kept most men at bay.
• have it in for (someone) – to seem determined to treat someone badly or make life difficult for them.
  I think the teacher has it in for me – she’s always criticising my work.
• not see eye to eye (with someone) – to have very different opinions; to disagree.
  My dad is very old-fashioned, and we just don’t see eye to eye.

D Admiration & friendship

• worship (someone) – to respect and admire someone very deeply (or to treat them almost like a god).
  Many citizens worshipped the charismatic leader.
• idolise / idolize (someone) – to admire someone too much, sometimes in an obsessive way.
  Sam idolises his older cousin and copies everything he does.
• look up to (someone) – to admire and respect someone, usually older or more experienced.
  You should be kinder to your little brother – he really looks up to you.
• go back (years / a long time) – to have known each other for a long period of time.
  We met in primary school, so our friendship goes back years.
• hit it off (with someone) – to like each other immediately and become friends very quickly.
  Fred and Anna really hit it off – they didn’t stop talking all evening.
• get along (with someone) – to have a good, friendly relationship with someone.
  Despite their differences, Sarah and Tom get along surprisingly well.
• have a lot in common (with someone) – to share many interests, experiences or opinions.
  Lina and Toby get on well because they have a lot in common.

Tip: These phrasal verbs are very common in spoken English. Try to learn them in short phrases (e.g. hit it off with someone, have it in for somebody) instead of as single words.