Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"
how to describe relationships in English- friends sitting in field

Do you get along well with your neighbors?

Are there people that you don’t really get along with?

We’re looking at how you can talk about people that you are friendly with.

We’re going to look at the different ways to express that you get along with somebody, and why this is so important in your conversations.

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We have a listener question about how to use the phrase “get along with” with some other words.

Pablo Duque asked, “what is the difference between get on with/get on well/get along with ?”

Understanding This Aspect of Conversation

You might not realize it, but being able to talk about your relationships can be quite important.

So when we look at this phrase, it is a big part of this.

If you look at saying “get on with it” or “get on well,” that tends to sound more like British English.

You won’t hear many American English speakers using either of these phrases, so we’re not going to focus on them.

The phrase that you will likely hear the most in American English is “get along with.”

To get along with someone means to have a good relationship with them.

The two of you get along well, you are friendly and nice with each other, and it’s a great dynamic.

You would talk about how you get along with somebody.

You might say “I really get along with my roommates.”

You can also just say “get along” if you aren’t saying it with someone.

In this instance, you might say “I like my roommates. We really get along!”

So it’s really more about the grammar and how you use it in a sentence.

Talking about getting along with somebody is a topic that will come up quite often in conversation, so you want to be prepared to use such a phrase.

Other Ways To Express A Good Relationship

So you see that this phrase works well, but there are other options too.

There are several ways you can talk about having a good friendly relationship with somebody.

As you can imagine, this is very important because talking about relationships or connections will always be a topic of conversation.

Here are a few other ways that you can talk about having a good relationship with someone.

  • Have a good rapport: This is definitely more formal and may even be used exclusively in professional settings. This speaks to having a good relationship, but is definitely a more elaborate way of saying it. You might say “I know her. In fact we have a really good rapport.”
  • To be friendly with: This is a bit more formal and it speaks to somebody that you know but maybe not particularly well. You may get along with them, but not know them as a close friend. So you would say that you are friendly with them, and that means that you get along just fine. It also works well when you are referring to a group. You could say “I am really friendly with my coworkers.”
  • To be buddies with someone: This is a different twist on a relationship or friendship. You are very friendly and you likely spend some time with one another. You might say something like “I’m buddies with my doctor.”
  • Get along with: It’s worth mentioning it here because it’s slightly different. You can get along with someone and not necessarily be close. This phrase can mean a lot of different thigns, but mostly that you don’t have a problem with that person. You can also say the opposite when you talk about somebody that you “don’t get along with.” You could say something like “Him and I are just very different people. I don’t really get along with him well.”

There is a rather significant difference between British and American English when you talk about getting along with somebody.

These phrases outlined here are all quite common and you are likely to hear them often in American English.

Roleplay To Help

This is one of those phrases that you may have to see or hear to understand fully.

In this roleplay, Lindsay and Michelle are interviewing potential roommates.

Lindsay says: “So did you like Sarah?”

Michelle says: “Yeah she was nice. I think we’d get along with her.”

Lindsay: “Yeah I think so too. Do you think we’d be friendly with her? It would be nice to all hang out.”

Michelle: “Umm yeah, why not? I know her schedule is busy but she seems really ice. It would be nice to have a good rapport with her.”

Lindsay: “Do you think we’d all get along even though she’s not used to having pets around?”

Michelle: “She seemed open to it.”

Lindsay: “Okay let’s choose her!”

Takeaway

It’s important to discuss relationships and how well people get along.

It can help with storytelling, giving feedback at work, and even building and maintaining connections.

Try using these phrases and see how they help you in your conversations.

There are different types of relationship in your life, and knowing how to talk about them can be a really great conversational skill.

If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.

We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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