Let’s learn the phrasal verbs from the dialogue.
First, Emily says it looked like the guy was
hitting on Sarah. To hit on someone is to say or do things that demonstrate romantic or sexual interest in that person. It’s usually a combination of comments and gestures as well as the way you look at the other person. Another way to say this is that the guy was
flirting with Sarah.
Sarah says the guy
asked her out – to ask someone out is to invite the person to go on a date (a romantic encounter). We often say “asked her out for…” and then the activity:
- He asked her out for lunch / dinner.
- He asked her out for coffee.
- He asked her out for drinks.
- He asked her out for a movie.
Sarah then says she’s not sure if she likes the guy, and she doesn’t want to
lead him on – this means to provide false hope or expectation to the other person. So if she pretended to be romantically interested even though she really wasn’t, this would be
leading him on.Emily then says that she and her last boyfriend didn’t
hit it off right away – this means they didn’t have a special connection immediately. If you
hit it off with someone, it means you like each other and you have great social “chemistry” from the first moment you meet.
However, with time she began to
fall for him – the phrasal verb “fall for” means “fall in love with.”
Sarah then asks why Emily and her last boyfriend
split up – this means to separate, to end the romantic relationship. You can say
split up or
break up – and
breakup can also be used as a noun.
Emily says that the
breakup was because she and her boyfriend
drifted apart – this means they slowly started to go in different directions over time.
Sarah’s last relationship was a nightmare (which means it was really terrible). It started when she
hooked up with someone at a party. The phrasal verb
hook up with someone can be used a slang expression meaning to have sex with someone, especially someone you just met, or someone you only stay with for one night.
However, in Sarah’s case she stayed with the boyfriend for six months, when they were constantly fighting and
making up – that means reconciling and restoring peace in the relationship after a fight. It was a difficult relationship, and Sarah says she doesn’t know how she
put up with him for so long. The phrasal verb “put up with” someone means to tolerate a difficult, annoying, or unpleasant person.
The relationship ended when the boyfriend
cheated on Sarah – that means he was kissing or having sex with another woman. Sarah discovered him
making out with his ex-girlfriend (kissing her very passionately).
The boyfriend wanted another chance with Sarah, but Sarah knew he was trying to
jerk her around – that means to manipulate her or use her for his own advantage – so she
broke up with him (ended the relationship).
Sarah asks Emily if Emily is
going out with anyone. The phrasal verb
go out with can mean to go out on a date with someone once, or it can mean to be in a relationship for an extended period of time. In this second case, we usually use it in the present continuous – so Sarah is asking if Emily is currently in a relationship.
Emily says she isn’t in a serious relationship because she’s not interested in
settling down yet– in this context,
settle down means to be in a long-term stable relationship (for example, getting married and having kids, and living a “typical” family life).
| Phrasal Verb | Definition in Context |
| hit on someone | demonstrate romantic / sexual interest |
| ask someone out | invite someone for a date (a romantic encounter) |
| lead someone on | give the person false hope or expectations about the relationship |
| hit it off with someone | have a great connection from the first moment you meet the person |
| fall for someone | fall in love with the person |
| split up / break up | separate, end the relationship |
| drift apart | slowly go in different directions over time |
| hook up with | (slang) have sex with |
| make up | reconcile after a fight |
| put up with someone / something | tolerate a difficult, annoying, or unpleasant person or situation |
| cheat on someone | kiss or have sex with another person
(who is not your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend) |
| make out with someone | kiss the person very passionately |
| jerk someone around | manipulate the person or use them for your own advantage |
| go out with someone | 1) go on a date with the person once
2) be in a relationship with the person |
| settle down | be in a long-term stable relationship |
- Write about a time when someone was hitting on you. How did you react?
- Who is a person that you really hit it off with?
- How did your previous relationship end – why did you break up?
- What should a couple do if they begin to drift apart, but they want to save the relationship?
- What is one thing (or one type of person) that you will NOT put up with in a relationship?
- Do you think it’s possible to save a relationship after one person cheats on the other?
- At the moment, are you enjoying the single life, or are you interested in settling down? (Or have you already settled down?
