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B2 vocabulary: relationships, family and personality

B2 relationships vocabulary helps you talk about family, friends and personality, with phrasal verbs and collocations such as get on well with, fall out with and have a lot in common. This page is part of our B2 vocabulary guide and gives you 48 items with original examples, false friends like sympathetic and familiar, and exam-style practice.

By Eleanor BennettLast updated:

Why relationships vocabulary matters

People are at the centre of the exam. In Speaking Part 1 you talk about your family and friends; in Part 2 you compare photos of people doing things together; in Writing you might describe a person who influenced you in an article, or give advice to a friend in an email. Many of the most useful words here are phrasal verbs (get on with, look up to, grow apart), and many are false friends for European learners.

Learn the groups below, then continue with idioms for informal expressions about people and education vocabulary for teachers and classmates.

Relationships vocabulary: words and collocations

Use it to…Phrases
Nouns: family and relationships
  • relative / relation – a member of your family. All our relatives came to the wedding.
  • parents / grandparents / in-laws – 'in-laws' are your husband's or wife's family.
  • only child / siblings – I'm an only child, but my cousins are like siblings.
  • acquaintance – someone you know a little, not a close friend.
  • close friend / best friend / childhood friend – We've been close friends since primary school.
  • partner / fiancé(e) / spouse – She lives with her partner in Leeds.
  • generation gap – differences between younger and older people.
  • peer pressure – pressure from people your age to behave like them.
  • friendship / relationship – Their friendship survived the distance.
  • upbringing – the way you were raised. She had a very strict upbringing.
Verbs and verb collocations
  • have a lot / nothing in common (with) – We have a lot in common: we both love jazz.
  • make friends (with) – It's easy to make friends at university.
  • keep in touch / lose touch (with) – We lost touch after I moved abroad.
  • trust / rely on / depend on – I can always rely on my sister.
  • argue (with someone, about something) – My brother and I argue about everything.
  • get married (to) / get divorced – They got married last spring. (not 'married with')
  • support / encourage – My parents encouraged me to apply.
  • apologise (to someone, for something) – I apologised to him for being late.
  • bring up / raise (children) – She was brought up by her grandparents.
  • be related to – Are you related to the famous chef?
Phrasal verbs
  • get on (well) with – have a good relationship. I get on well with my flatmates.
  • fall out (with) – argue and stop being friendly. They fell out over money.
  • make up – become friends again. They argued but made up the next day.
  • look up to – admire. I've always looked up to my older cousin.
  • take after – look or behave like an older relative. He takes after his father.
  • grow apart – slowly become less close.
  • split up / break up (with) – end a romantic relationship.
  • count on – depend on. You can count on me.
Adjectives and word families: personality
  • reliable / trustworthy – a reliable friend who never forgets a promise
  • easy-going / laid-back – relaxed. My dad is very easy-going.
  • considerate / thoughtful – thinking about others' feelings.
  • selfish / self-centred – It was selfish of him to take the last piece.
  • outgoing / sociable / shy / reserved – She's shy at first, but very funny once you know her.
  • stubborn – refusing to change your mind.
  • loyal → loyalty – Loyalty is what I value most in a friend.
  • patient → patience → impatient – Teaching young children needs patience.
  • generous → generosity – Thank you for your generosity.
  • sympathy → sympathetic – understanding someone's problems. She was very sympathetic when I was ill.
Useful phrases for discussing relationships
  • be there for someone – support someone when they need it.
  • get to know someone – It takes time to get to know people properly.
  • a shoulder to cry on – someone who listens when you are sad.
  • see eye to eye (with) – agree. My mum and I don't always see eye to eye.
  • hit it off (informal) – like each other immediately.
  • have ups and downs – Every friendship has its ups and downs.
  • respect each other's differences – Good flatmates respect each other's differences.
  • spend quality time together – We try to spend quality time together at weekends.
  • extended family – grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
  • blood is thicker than water – family relationships are the strongest.

False friends and confusing pairs in relationships vocabulary

  • Trap: My teacher is very sympathetic, he always makes jokes. (Spanish simpático, Italian simpatico, German sympathisch, Polish sympatyczny, Greek sympathitikos)

    Fix: Sympathetic means understanding when someone has a problem. For a pleasant, likeable person, say nice, friendly or likeable.

  • Trap: I visited my familiars at Christmas. (Spanish familiares)

    Fix: Say relatives or family. In English familiar is an adjective meaning well known to you: Her face looks familiar.

  • Trap: My parents from Italy are coming to visit. (Spanish parientes, Italian parenti)

    Fix: Parents are only your mother and father. For other family members, say relatives or relations.

  • Trap: She married with a doctor. (Spanish casarse con, Italian sposarsi con)

    Fix: Say marry someone (no preposition) or get married to someone.

  • Trap: I knew my best friend at school. (Spanish conocer, Italian conoscere, Greek gnorisa)

    Fix: For the first time you see someone, say met: I met my best friend at school. Get to know means become familiar over time.

  • Trap: We have a compromise to meet on Friday. (Spanish compromiso)

    Fix: Say arrangement, plan or commitment. In English a compromise is an agreement where both sides give something up.

  • Trap: I discussed with my brother yesterday. (Spanish discutir, Italian discutere)

    Fix: If it was angry, say argued with or had an argument with. Discuss is neutral and needs an object: We discussed the plan.

Use it in the exam: Speaking Part 4

Relationship questions in Speaking Part 4 are often about friendship, families or how technology changes the way we connect. Use phrasal verbs naturally (get on with, keep in touch) and give an example from your own life. More practice is in our Part 4 question bank.

Sample Part 4 answer: relationships

Examiner: Is it harder to make close friends as an adult than when you are a child?

I think it is, mainly because adults have less free time. At school you see the same people every day, so you naturally get to know them and find out what you have in common. As adults, people are busy with work and family, and they often move cities, so it's easy to lose touch. My older brother says that most of his close friends are still people he met at university. On the other hand, adult friendships can be more honest, because you choose people who are genuinely reliable rather than just the ones who sit next to you.

Why it works

  • Gives a clear answer and an immediate reason.
  • Uses vocabulary from this page: get to know, have in common, lose touch, close friends, reliable.
  • Includes an example from a family member.
  • Adds a contrasting idea with 'On the other hand'.

Relationships questions for speaking practice

Answer each question aloud for 30 to 45 seconds. Try to use at least one phrasal verb from this page in each answer.

Family, friends and personality

  • What qualities do you think make a good friend?
  • Do you think social media helps people stay close or makes friendships weaker?
  • Should adult children live near their parents? Why (not)?
  • Is it better to have a few close friends or lots of acquaintances?
  • How has family life changed compared with your grandparents' time?
  • Do young people feel more peer pressure today than in the past?
  • Can men and women be close friends? Why (not)?

B2 relationships vocabulary: FAQ

What does 'sympathetic' mean in English?

It means understanding and caring when someone has a problem: My boss was very sympathetic when my grandmother was ill. For a pleasant person, say nice, friendly or likeable.

What is the difference between 'get on with' and 'get along with'?

They mean the same: to have a friendly relationship. Get on with is more common in British English; get along with is common in both British and American English.

Is it 'marry with' or 'marry to'?

Neither with marry. Say She married a doctor or She got married to a doctor.

What is the difference between 'meet' and 'know'?

You meet someone for the first time at a particular moment. You know someone after that. Get to know is the process of becoming familiar with them.

Which personality adjectives are most useful for B2 First?

Useful ones include reliable, considerate, easy-going, outgoing, stubborn, selfish, generous, patient and loyal, plus their nouns (reliability, patience, generosity, loyalty) for word formation.