13 Phrasal Verbs for Relationships

13 Phrasal Verbs for Relationships

Hello English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. We will look at 13 phrasal verbs for relationships.Here is the list:

1. Ask out
2. Break up
3. Cheat on
4. Drift apart
5. Fall for
6. Go out
7. Grow apart
8. Hook up
9. Lead on
10. Make up
11. Put up with
12. Settle down
13. Split up

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Ask out

If you want to start a romantic relationship with someone, the first thing you do is to ask them out or to go on a date with you to a place such as a cinema, restaurant or similar.

• I think Brenda likes you. Why don’t you ask her out?
• Brian liked the new girl a lot so he decided to ask her out.

Break up

When people involved in a romantic relationship break up, they end their relationship.

• Jim has been sad all day. He’s broken up with his girlfriend.
• Brian ended up penniless and homeless after his marriage broke up.

Cheat on

If you cheat on your partner, you are having a romantic relationship with someone else.

• Mary cheated on her husband with their friend.
• They broke up because he caught her cheating on him.

Drift apart

If two people involved in a romantic relationship drift apart, they become less close and eventually their relationship ends.

• Over the years, John and his wife drifted apart so they decided to get divorced.
• Lucy and her boyfriend didn’t argue a lot but they drifted apart and broke up.

Fall for

If you fall for someone, you begin to have romantic feelings for them, you fall in love with them.

• Sean fell for his wife when they first met. They’ve been happily married for twenty years now.
• They got divorced because she fell for another man.

Go out

If you go out with someone, you have a relationship with him/her.

• Rupert and I have been going out for three months.
• How long had you been going out when you decided to get married?

Grow apart

Your relationship begins to grow apart when you no longer have the same interests or opinions as your partner.

• As they grew older, Susan and her husband grew apart.
• After two years, they began to grow apart and broke up.

Hook up

This is a bit of informal expression; it means to start a romantic relationship with someone.

• Linda hooked up with a new guy at the office.
• How did you two hook up?

Lead on

If you lead someone on, you make them falsely believe that you love them.

• Martin didn’t really like her. He led her on because she was rich.
• She never really loved him, she was leading him on.

Make up

When you have an argument with someone, you can try to reconcile and be friendly with them.

• They had a small argument but she kissed him and they made up.
• Trevor and his wife rarely quarrel, but when they do, he usually tries to make things up with a romantic dinner in a restaurant.

Put up with

If you put up with someone or something, you tolerate their behaviour, habits, etc.

• When he started seeing another woman, Carla couldn’t put up with him any longer so they broke up.
• George found it difficult to put up with his girlfriend’s violent temper at times.

Settle down

If you settle down, you begin to live a quieter and more peaceful life with your partner in one place.

• After they got married, they settled down in a nice flat in the suburbs.
• Fiona’s parents were happy to see her settle down and have a family of her own.

Split up

To split up means to end your relationship or marriage.

• Have you heard that Jill and Mark split up? She saw him with another woman.
• They split up after six years of being together.

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