Valentine’s Day has its origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February to celebrate the coming of spring. In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day, and it came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century.

Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is a romantic holiday in many countries around the world. To mark this special occasion, we’d like to share some advanced vocabulary to help you talk about love & relationships.

Remember, most of these expressions are idiomatic and fairly informal, so don’t use them in your Academic Writing.

But you can drop them into the Speaking Test or an IELTS GT Informal Letter to impress the examiner and boost your score for Lexical Resource!

Dating

When Max first saw Sarah at the party, he started chatting her up.

He asked her out, and she said yes!

They’re going out on a date this weekend.

Max has really fallen for Sarah. He’s texting her everyday!

They’ve been going out now for a few weeks. It looks like they’re going steady.

Oh no, Sarah got cold feet! She’s dumped him! Poor Max.

In Love

It was love at first sight.

We’ve been together now for almost six years.

He / she’s my soulmate.

You’re the apple of my eye.

Marriage

I popped the question, and he said yes!

When is the big day?

We’re tying the knot in June this year.

It sounds like a match made in heaven.

Friendship

We’ve kept in touch since school.

We hang out whenever we get the chance.

We get on like a house on fire.

We’re really close.

At the weekend, I like to catch up with my friends.

Both Friends & Lovers

We hit it off straight away.

We’ve got a lot in common.

We share a lot of the same interests.

We’re like two peas in a pod.

Relationship Types

Some people are afraid of commitment. They prefer to have casual relationships.

Tina and Pedro live thousands of miles apart. They’re in a long-distance relationship
Michael is ready for a serious relationship. He’s going to propose to his girlfriend.

Trust is essential for a healthy relationship.

Angus and Sophie have been together forever. They’re in a long-term relationship.

Which of these expressions would you use to describe your relationships? Let us know in the comments below!

For more ideas on how to develop your vocabulary, keep an eye on our Live Lessons page for upcoming Vocabulary lessons.