English Lesson: Describing a Friend

In this lesson, we are going to look at phrases and expressions to talk about friends. The lesson is suitable for English learners in general and those preparing for the IELTS Speaking test. 

Read the answers below and spend some time analysing the language used. Try to sound natural when describing a friend and their personality. Follow the steps at the beginning of the lesson, which will give you an idea what to include in your description. 

Let's look at the language you need to describe a friend. 

1. Learn collocations to talk about your friendship. 
2. Learn idioms to talk about friends. 
3. Learn adjectives to talk about their personality. 
4. Develop your ideas with reasons and examples. 

When and how did you meet your best friend? 
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Our friendship goes back many years - we first met at high school about 10 years ago. Back then, I found it difficult to make friends with other classmates because we didn't have much in common apart from our studies. I'm that kind of person who doesn't open up easily and have a hard time starting a conversation. I slowly started to get to know my friend better and I felt that I could trust her. 

VOCABULARY 

• go back (phrasal verb) - to have existed since or for a particular time 
• find something difficult - to experience something in a certain way 
• be/make friends (with someone) (idiom) - to be/become a friend of somebody  
  (e.g. We've been friends for over 10 years now.) 
• have something in common (with someone) (phrase) - to have the same interests or opinions as someone else 
• open up (to someone) (phrasal verb) - to become less shy and more willing to communicate 
• have a hard time doing something (idiom) - If you have a hard time doing something or with something, it is difficult for you. 
• get to know someone (phrase) - If you get to know someone, you find out what they are like by spending time with them. 

How often do you see each other? 

Nowadays, we are both quite busy with work and household chores. When we were at school, we had a lot more free time and we could easily hang out together whenever we felt like it. But as we get older, we have more responsibilities each day, so we can't meet each other as often as before. In general, we get to see each other once or twice a month.  

VOCABULARY 

• busy with something 
• feel like something/doing something (phrase) - to want something or to want to do something 
• get older (also grow older) (collocation) 
• as often as before (comparison) 
• get to see someone (= have an opportunity to see/meet someone) 

What kind of personality does your friend have? 

I always enjoy her company, because of her warm personality. What I really like about my friend is how cheerful and optimistic she is - she always tries to look on the bright side. Apart from that, she's quite generous, too. She doesn't care how much she spends on gifts for her friends. Having her as my friend is just priceless, because she's such a caring and considerate person. 

VOCABULARY 

• enjoy somebody's company (collocation) - We enjoy each other's company. 
• a warm personality (collocation) (= friendly and kind to people) 
• look on the bright side (phrase) - If you look on the bright side, you try to be cheerful about a bad situation by thinking that it is not as bad as it could have been. 
• spend money on something - We spend a lot more on food than we used to. 
• considerate (adjective) - always thinking of other people's wishes and feelings; careful not to hurt or upset others 

Why do you enjoy spending time with your friend? 

Even though we have different personality types, we enjoy trying new things together and we always celebrate special occasions together. 

VOCABULARY 

• spend time with someone (collocation) 

TASK: 

• Write a description of yourself and what kind of person you are. (Look up some words in a dictionary.) 
• Describe a close friend. (Think about how long you have known this person, how you met and what kind of person he/she is.) 
• Do you think it is difficult to keep friends nowadays? Why? / Why not? 

English conversation lessons: 
English Conversation: Travel opinions 
English Conversation: Travelling in Europe and Asia 
English Conversation: Travel experience 

Lessons with English collocations: 
Collocations for Urban Life 
Collocations for Rural Life 
Collocations for Success 
Collocations for Feelings 

Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 
IELTS Speaking Test: Means of Transport (We give answers to five questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 
IELTS Speaking Test: Arriving Early and Being Patient (We give answers to six questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist (We give answers to six questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 
IELTS: Advantages and Disadvantages of Using the Internet 


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