Common Phrasal Verbs When Talking About People and Relationships

Photo by Leah Newhouse: https://www.pexels.com/photo/couple-holding-each-others-hands-2914629/

Phrasal verbs are special phrases made by combining a verb (the action word) with one or more little words called particles. These particles can be prepositions or adverbs, like "up," "down," "in," or "out." When we put them together, we get new meanings that aren't always easy to guess.

Phrasal verbs are very common in spoken English wherein we often use shorter, more casual expressions to express ideas more efficiently, which is crucial in fast-paced conversations. Below are some of the phrasal verbs that are frequently used whenever we are talking about how we relate to other people.

1. Get along (with someone) - To have a good relationship or rapport (pronounced as /ra-pawr/) with someone.

• My neighbor and I really get along well. We have similar interests and enjoy each other's company.
• Do you get along well with your colleagues?

2. Make up (with someone) - To reconcile or resolve a conflict with someone.

• After their big argument, they finally made up with each other and apologized for their harsh words.

3. Break up (with someone) - To end a romantic relationship with someone.

• They decided to break up after realizing their differences in priorities will always get in the way.

4. Fall for (someone) - To develop strong romantic feelings for someone.

• She fell for him when she saw him speak so eloquently at the conference.

5. Settle down - To establish a stable, long-term relationship or marriage.

• Now that their business is doing well, they're ready to settle down and start a family together.

6. Hang out (with someone) - To spend time together casually or socially.

• Let's hang out this weekend at our favorite café and you can tell me all about your new job.

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7. Hit it off (with someone) - To immediately establish a good connection or friendship with someone.

• They met at a party and instantly hit it off, sharing stories and laughter throughout the night.
• She hit it off with everyone when she met her partner's family for the first time at the family reunion.

8. Go out (with someone) - To date or be in a romantic relationship with someone.

• Example: He used to go out with one of his colleagues, but they broke up when he changed jobs.

9. Ask (someone) out  - To invite someone on a date or to start a romantic relationship.

• Have you ever thought about asking your coworker out for a friendly lunch?
• She regrets not saying 'yes' when he asked her out, and now he's with someone else.

10. Break it off (with someone) - To end a romantic relationship or engagement.

• Realizing they'd grown apart, they decided to break it off and remain friends.
• She broke it off with her ex last year when she realized that he'll never change. 

11. Get over (someone) - To move on and stop having strong feelings for someone after a breakup.

• It took a while, but she eventually got over her ex-boyfriend and started dating again.

12. Make amends (with somebody/for something) - To apologize and resolve a dispute or conflict with someone.

• Making amends  with the people you have hurt is often a necessary step to move forward.
• He wanted to make amends for his awful behavior at the party by doing all the chores this week.

13. Give (someone) space - To allow someone to have time and distance in a relationship.

• Sometimes, in a relationship, it's important to give your partner space to do their own thing.
• When someone is feeling overwhelmed, it's a good idea to give them space and time to process their thoughts and emotions.

14. Put up with (someone) - To tolerate or endure someone's behavior or quirks.

• She could put up with the noisy parties of her roommate but she what she couldn't put up with was the fact that she often left the kitchen and other rooms in the house dirty. 
• Why do you put up with his frequent tardiness and procrastination?

15. Let (someone) down - To disappoint someone in a relationship or friendship.

• I feel like I let my team down when I failed to get approval for this project. 
• She let me down when she didn't come to my event as she had promised. 

16. Move on (from someone) - To emotionally detach from a past relationship and look toward the future.

• It took her five years to move on after their messy divorce. 

​17. Split up (with someone) - To separate or break up with someone.

• They split up after realizing they had different long-term goals.

18. Patch things up (with someone) - To repair or mend a damaged relationship.

• The business partners had a terrible argument about what direction to take but they managed to patch things up and are looking for a compromise. 

19. Get to know (someone) - To spend time with someone to become better acquainted.

• In some traditional work cultures, people get to know each other by going out for drinks after work. 
• It actually takes a long time to really get to know a person--even married couples keep finding new things about each other decades into a marriage. 

20. Take a break (from a relationship) - To temporarily pause a romantic relationship to evaluate or reevaluate it.

• The celebrity couple made an official statement that they're taking a break from their relationship after tabloids reported that one of them moved out of their house.