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Talking about friends in IELTS Speaking is quite common and can pop up in Part 1 or possibly in Part 2 if you want to describe a person you know.
In this free IELTS Speaking lesson on the topic of friends, you will learn useful vocabulary and idioms to help you do well in the test.
Table of Contents
IELTS vocabulary friends
Here is some essential vocabulary you can to start using to talk about this topic of friends.
Word Families:
Can you fill in the gaps?
Person | Noun | Ajective | Verb |
Friend |
See answers
1. Word Families
Person | Noun | Ajective | Verb |
Friend | Friendship | Friendly | To befriend |
Another good way to develop your vocabulary is to be aware of different words that use the same suffix.
A suffix is just the end part of a word.
Common suffixes are
- -ship
- -able
- -ity
- -ness
- -age
- -ment
Friend-ship -ship (suffix)
Other common words with this suffix
- Companionship = feeling of friendship, being close to someone
- Sportsmanship = being a fair and generous sports player
- Workmanship = good quality work, often crafts or manual work
- Listenership = the people listening, the audience
- Readership = the people reading, the audience
- Leadership = quality of leading others
- Hardship = difficult times
For a friend, we can also say
- a pal,
- a buddy (US)
- mate (UK)
An acquaintance = someone you know (but not really close enough to be a friend)
Collocations
best / bosom / close / long-standing FRIEND
I like to make friends
You are not going to win any friends saying things like that
To win a friend is more about making a strategic friend. Getting to know someone who can help you in life.
I have a close circle of friends
IELTS Speaking part 2 tip
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe people – maybe talk about a friend
If you want to say when and how you met, these phrases can be useful,
We go back ….a long way / a long time
We’ve known each other for ages
We first bumped into each other… at college / at work / on holiday
To bump into s.o. = to meet by chance
Listening practice
In the Lesson we will listen to someone talking about their friends and friendship.
Read the script below and try to guess the missing words.
Then, watch the video and try to fill in the gaps.
Listening script: IELTS lesson friends
I think friends are really important, maybe not as important as family, I mean, you know what they say, blood is [1]_________ than [2]________, right?
But I really value my friends, these are people you will go through thick and [3]________ with you, and always stay beside you, no matter what.
I probably only have a handful of friends that I know I can really [4]_________ on, you know, people who will show up when the [5]________ are down.
I’ve got one mate, Charlie, who I’ve known since [6]__________ days, and we get on like a [7]___________ on fire.
We have so much in common, music, sport, taste in [8]__________, you name it.
I first met him at a concert, and we just hit it off.
Later on he got married and moved to [9]___________ but even so, every once in a [10]__________, we like to meet up, go down the local pub and talk about old times.
Chew the cud, so to speak.
Friendship. What more can I say?
See answers
2. Listening Script – ANSWERS
I think friends are really important, maybe not as important as family, I mean, you know what they say, [1] blood is thicker than [2] water, right?
But I really value my friends, these are people you will go through thick and [3] thin with you and always stay beside you, no matter what.
I probably only have a handful of friends (=several) that I know I can really [4] count on (=rely on), you know, people who will show up when the [5] chips are down (=when there is an important or risky moment).
I’ve got one mate, Charlie, who I’ve known since [6] college days, and we get on like a [7] house on fire. (=get on very well)
We have so much in common, music, sport, taste in [8] films, you name it.
I first met him at a concert, and we just hit it off. (=get on very well)
Later on he got married and moved to [9] Brighton but even so, every once in a [10] while, (= every now and again / sometimes) we like to meet up, go down the local pub and talk about old times.
Chew the cud, (=to have a chat, to discuss things – COLLOQUIAL) so to speak.
Friendship.
What more can I say!
Idioms to talk about friends
The following idiomatic expressions can be used to talk about friends
The following all mean to have a very good relationship
- We get on like a house on fire
- We just click
- We are on the same wavelength
- We get on famously
- We speak the same language
____________
I know him/her back to front / inside out / like the back of my hand
= know them very well
It’s good to have friends in high places = influential friends
She is a fair weather friend, the first sign of trouble and she disappears!
He always has my back = always supports me
She is a shoulder to cry on = s.o. you can tell your worries to.
She reads me like a book = knows what I am thinking
We are so different, we are like chalk and cheese.
More live lessons for you
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
FOOD in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary and collocations to talk about food, healthy food and cooking.
VIRTUAL WORLD in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary and ideas to talk about the virtual world as well as some listening tasks.
SOCIAL MEDIA in IELTS Speaking. Improve your listening and speaking skills for the topic of social media.
