Talking about Friends and Friendship in English: Useful Vocabulary

Talking about friends and friendship in English is useful for everyday conversations, speaking exams and personal writing. We often talk about the people we are close to, how we met them, why we trust them, and how our relationships change over time. In this lesson, you will learn practical vocabulary, phrases and collocations for describing different types of friends, explaining how friendships begin, talking about friendship problems, and expressing your ideas more naturally in English.

Friendship is one of the most common and meaningful topics in everyday English. We talk about our close friends, old friends, best friends, people we get on well with, and sometimes people we have drifted apart from.

When we are young, we often have a wide circle of friends. As life goes on, that circle may become smaller, but deeper. If we are lucky, we keep a few close friends who truly matter.

In this lesson, you will learn useful vocabulary for talking about friends and friendship in English. You will learn words and phrases for different types of friends, how friendships begin, how they change, and how to describe friendship problems naturally.

For adjectives such as loyal, supportive, trustworthy, encouraging and thoughtful, see our separate lesson on adjectives to describe a friend.

For idioms such as through thick and thin, a shoulder to cry on and get on like a house on fire, see our separate lesson on friendship idioms in English.

Types of Friends in English

A close friend

Meaning: a friend you know very well and trust.

• Sarah is one of my closest friends. I can talk to her about almost anything.

A best friend

Meaning: your closest and most important friend.

• Tom has been my best friend since primary school.

An old friend

Meaning: someone you have known for a long time.

• I had lunch with an old friend from university yesterday.

A childhood friend

Meaning: someone who was your friend when you were a child.

• Emma is a childhood friend. We grew up in the same street.

A lifelong friend

Meaning: a friend you have had for most of your life.

• They met when they were six and became lifelong friends.

A family friend

Meaning: someone who is a friend of your whole family.

• Mark is an old family friend. He has known my parents for years.

A mutual friend

Meaning: a friend that two people both know.

• Apparently, we have several mutual friends on social media.

A casual friend

Meaning: someone you like, but are not very close to.

• We sometimes meet for coffee, but we are only casual friends.

An acquaintance

Meaning: someone you know, but not very well.

• I know him through work, but he is just an acquaintance.

A work friend

Meaning: someone you are friendly with at work.

• I have a few work friends, but we do not usually meet outside the office.

A school friend

Meaning: someone you became friends with at school.

• Many people lose touch with their school friends as they get older.

An online friend

Meaning: someone you know through the internet.

• Online friends can become real friends, especially if you communicate regularly.

How Friendships Begin

Make friends

Meaning: to become friends with someone.

• It can take time to make friends when you move to a new country.

Become friends

Meaning: to start being friends.

• We became friends when we worked on the same project.

Meet someone through a friend

Meaning: to meet a new person because another friend introduces you.

• Many people meet their partners or close friends through mutual friends.

Get to know someone

Meaning: to spend time with someone so that you learn more about them.

• At first, I thought he was quiet, but once I got to know him, I realised he was very funny.

Start talking

Meaning: to begin a conversation or relationship.

• We started talking after class and soon became friends.

Have something in common

Meaning: to share similar interests, opinions or experiences.

• It is easier to make friends when you have something in common.

Share the same interests

Meaning: to like the same activities or topics.

• We share the same interests, especially books and travelling.

Talking About Good Friendships

Be close to someone

Meaning: to have a strong emotional relationship with someone..

• She is close to only a few people, but those friendships are very strong.

Get on well with someone

Meaning: to have a good relationship with someone.

• She gets on well with almost everyone because she is friendly and easygoing.

Trust someone

Meaning: to believe that someone is honest and reliable.

• It is hard to have a real friendship if you cannot trust each other.

Rely on someone

Meaning: to depend on someone for help or support.

• I know I can rely on Anna when I have a problem.

Support someone

Meaning: to help or encourage someone during a difficult time.

• Real friends support each other, even when life is difficult.

Be there for someone

Meaning: to be available when someone needs help, comfort or support.

• A true friend is someone who is there for you, not only when things are easy.

Keep in touch

Meaning: to continue communicating with someone.

• It is much easier to keep in touch nowadays because of social media.

Stay friends

Meaning: to continue being friends.

• Although they no longer work together, they have stayed friends.

Spend time together

Meaning: to do things together.

• Close friends do not always have to talk a lot. Sometimes it is enough to spend time together.

Friendship and Communication

Have a chat

Meaning: to have an informal conversation.

• I had a long chat with my friend last night.

Talk things over

Meaning: to discuss a problem or situation carefully.

• If something is bothering you, it is better to talk things over.

Open up to someone

Meaning: to talk honestly about your feelings.

• A good friend makes you feel safe enough to open up.

Confide in someone

Meaning: to tell someone a secret or personal problem because you trust them.

• She often confides in her best friend.

Give advice

Meaning: to tell someone what you think they should do.

• Sometimes I do not need advice; I just need someone to listen.

Listen without judging

Meaning: to listen kindly without criticising someone.

• A real friend listens without judging.

Share secrets

Meaning: to tell each other private information.

• When we were teenagers, we shared all our secrets.

Friendship Problems

Not all friendships are perfect. Sometimes people argue, change, or grow apart. Here is useful vocabulary for talking about friendship problems in English.

Fall out with someone

Meaning: to have an argument and stop being friendly for a while.

• She fell out with her best friend over a misunderstanding.

Have an argument

Meaning: to disagree angrily with someone.

• We had an argument, but we made up the next day.

Misunderstand someone

Meaning: to think someone means something different from what they really mean.

• I misunderstood her message and thought she was angry with me.

Hurt someone’s feelings

Meaning: to make someone feel sad or upset.

I did not mean to hurt her feelings.

His careless comment hurt my feelings.

Let someone down

Meaning: to disappoint someone by not doing what you promised.

• He let me down when he forgot my birthday.

Break someone’s trust

Meaning: to do something that makes someone stop trusting you.

• She broke my trust when she told everyone my secret.

Drift apart

Meaning: to slowly become less close to someone.

• We used to be close, but we drifted apart after university.

Lose touch

Meaning: to stop communicating with someone.

• We lost touch for years, but then we found each other online.

Grow apart

Meaning: to become different from someone over time and no longer feel close.

• People change, and sometimes friends grow apart naturally.

End a friendship

Meaning: to stop being friends with someone.

• She decided to end the friendship because it had become unhealthy.

Repairing a Friendship

Make up

Meaning: to become friendly again after an argument.

• We argued last week, but we have made up now.

Apologise

Meaning: to say sorry because you have done something wrong.

• He apologised for being rude.

Forgive someone

Meaning: to stop feeling angry with someone who has hurt you.

• She forgave him because she knew he was truly sorry.

Clear up a misunderstanding

Meaning: to explain something so that people understand the truth.

• It is better to clear up a misunderstanding quickly before it becomes a bigger problem.

Rebuild trust

Meaning: to make someone trust you again after trust has been damaged.

• It took time to rebuild trust between them.

Give someone another chance

Meaning: to allow someone to try again after they have made a mistake.

• She gave him another chance because he seemed genuinely sorry.

Useful Friendship Collocations

A close friendship

Meaning: a strong friendship between people who know and trust each other well.

• A close friendship needs honesty and respect.

A strong friendship

Meaning: a friendship that is emotionally solid and difficult to damage.

• Their strong friendship helped them through a difficult year.

A lasting friendship

Meaning: a friendship that continues for a long time.

• Shared experiences often create lasting friendships.

A deep friendship

Meaning: a very meaningful and serious friendship.

• They developed a deep friendship over the years.

A healthy friendship

Meaning: a friendship that is good for both people.

• In a healthy friendship, both people feel respected.

A toxic friendship

Meaning: a friendship that is emotionally harmful.

• She finally realised she was in a toxic friendship.

A one-sided friendship

Meaning: a friendship where one person gives much more than the other.

• A one-sided friendship can make you feel unappreciated.

A long-distance friendship

Meaning: a friendship between people who live far away from each other.

• We live in different countries, but we have maintained a long-distance friendship for years.

Natural Sentences about Friends and Friendship

Here are some natural sentences you can use when talking about friends and friendship in English.

• My best friend and I have known each other for years.
• We became friends at school and have stayed close ever since.
• I do not have a huge circle of friends, but I have a few people I can really rely on.
• As I have got older, I have realised that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to friends.
• I find it easier to make friends with people who share my sense of humour.
• A good friendship is based on trust, honesty and mutual respect.
• I used to be close to her, but we drifted apart over time.
• We lost touch for a few years, but recently we started talking again.
• I think every friendship needs effort from both sides.
• A real friend should be there for you in difficult times, not only when everything is going well.

Example Paragraph: Talking About a Close Friend

My closest friend is someone I have known since secondary school. We became friends because we had a lot in common and shared the same sense of humour. Over the years, our friendship has become much stronger. I know I can rely on her, and she is always there for me when I need advice. We do not see each other every day, but we keep in touch regularly and always feel comfortable when we meet. For me, a close friendship is based on trust, honesty and the ability to talk openly.

Example Paragraph: Talking About Friendship in General

I think friendship changes as we get older. When we are young, we often want to have a large circle of friends, but later we realise that close friendships are more important. A good friend is someone you can trust, rely on and talk to honestly. Of course, friendships are not always easy. People sometimes fall out, drift apart or lose touch. However, a strong friendship can survive difficult moments if both people are willing to communicate and forgive each other.

B2 First and C1 Advanced Speaking Practice

You can use this vocabulary in Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced speaking exams when discussing relationships, personal experiences, communication, feelings and social life.

Try answering these questions.

1. Is it easy for you to make friends?
2. What qualities do you value most in a friend?
3. Do you think it is better to have many friends or a few close friends?
4. How can people maintain long-distance friendships?
5. Why do some friends drift apart?
6. Do you think online friendships can be as strong as face-to-face friendships?
7. What should people do after they fall out with a friend?
8. Is honesty always important in friendship?
9. How do friendships change as people get older?
10. What makes a friendship last?

Practice Exercise

Choose the best word or phrase to complete each sentence.

1. I met Anna at university, and we quickly became __________ friends.
2. We used to be very close, but we slowly __________ apart.
3. I know I can __________ on my best friend when I have a problem.
4. They had an argument, but they soon __________ up.
5. I lost __________ with many of my school friends.
6. A friendship where only one person makes an effort is called a __________ friendship.
7. If you tell someone’s secret, you may break their __________.
8. We still __________ in touch even though we live in different countries.
9. She apologised, and I decided to give her another __________.
10. A healthy friendship should be based on trust and mutual __________.

Answer Key: 1. close, 2. drifted, 3. rely, 4. made, 5. touch, 6. one-sided, 7. trust, 8. keep, 9. chance, 10. respect

Conclusion

Learning vocabulary for talking about friends and friendship in English helps you express yourself more naturally in everyday conversation, writing tasks and speaking exams.

Instead of only saying my friend is nice, you can talk about close friends, lifelong friends, mutual friends, healthy friendships, one-sided friendships, and people you have lost touch with or drifted apart from.

Friendship is a simple word, but it describes something very rich. A good friendship can bring comfort, laughter, honesty and support — and, as the old-fashioned wisdom says, good friends are worth keeping.

Related posts:

Adjectives to Describe a Friend in English 

English Idioms about FRIENDSHIP 

Adjectives to Describe People’s Character 

24 Compound Adjectives to Describe a Person 

Idiomatic English for Writing and Speaking 

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FAQ 

What is useful vocabulary for talking about friendship in English?

Useful vocabulary for talking about friendship in English includes close friend, best friend, lifelong friend, mutual friend, make friends, keep in touch, drift apart, lose touch and rely on someone.

How can I talk about my best friend in English?

You can say: “My best friend and I have known each other for years. We get on well, keep in touch regularly and support each other when life is difficult.”

What does “drift apart” mean?

“Drift apart” means to slowly become less close to someone. For example: “We used to be close, but we drifted apart after university.”

What is the difference between a friend and an acquaintance?

A friend is someone you know well and have a personal relationship with. An acquaintance is someone you know, but not very well.

What are common friendship collocations in English?

Common friendship collocations include close friendship, strong friendship, lasting friendship, deep friendship, healthy friendship, toxic friendship and one-sided friendship.