Since I’m becoming something of a well-known figure in the online ESL world, I’m getting some strange emails.
The other day I got one from a Spanish girl who’s falling in love with some American dude. They’re both pretty young.
You know, 21 or 22. Innocent, blushing youth.
Apparently, he refers to their relationship as “hanging out.”
She wants to know if the phrasal verb “hang out” refers to a serious relationship or a less serious relationship.
On the one hand, it sounds like he’s just boinking her with no intention of being in a serious relationship. Hanging out doesn’t sound like the kind of relationship you want to move to Virginia to start a new life over.
On the other hand, who knows what this guy is really feeling? American males aren’t well known for expressing their feelings. Maybe this guy has been working up his nerve for weeks to say “You know, Pepita, I really like hanging out with you.” That might be the closest to a declaration of love she gets in the first year of their relationship.
So I’m not really sure what to tell her. And knowing that the fate of some 21 year olds’ relationship might be in my hands… well, it’s strange.
P.S. Check out my giant ESL website, where I’ve got an explanation of the phrasal verb hang out, or my English podcast for more. Or my articles on sex in Spain and dating Spanish girls, both classics.
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