Cómo describir en inglés una amistad a lo largo del tiempo (B1): meet o know, used to o would y primeras impresiones

Cuenta una relación por etapas: cómo conociste a esa persona, cómo llegaste a conocerla bien, qué cambió y cómo sigues en contacto ahora. Usa meet para el primer encuentro y know para la relación que continúa después: “We met in 2014, and I’ve known her for over ten years.” Para comparar antes y ahora, usa used to para hábitos y estados del pasado, would solo para acciones repetidas en el pasado y el presente simple para hoy. Es un tema de nivel B1 (intermedio) para adultos que quieren describir con precisión a un amigo o a un compañero de trabajo.

¿Para quién es este artículo?

Adultos de nivel intermedio que pueden contar una historia sencilla en pasado, pero que para describir a alguien apenas usan “friend” y “we talked a lot”.
Personas que hablan en inglés de compañeros de trabajo, compañeros de piso, antiguos compañeros de clase o parejas, en el trabajo o en su vida social, y quieren las expresiones que elegiría un hablante nativo.
Estudiantes que dicen “I know him since school” o usan would para todo lo que ocurrió en el pasado.
Demasiado pronto: si todavía tienes que pensar cada forma del pasado simple, empieza con una comparación de nivel preintermedio entre la etapa escolar y la vida adulta; este artículo da por hecho que puedes contar una historia corta en pasado.
Demasiado fácil: si ya usas estas expresiones, used to y would sin pensarlo, pasa a comparar dos mudanzas con el present perfect: experiencias y cambios en curso (B1+).

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Tarjetas de vocabulario

meet · get to know

Meet someone for the first time; gradually learn about their character and life.

Maya met Sal at an evening course and got to know her during a group project.

become friends · get on

Start a friendship; have a friendly, comfortable relationship.

They became friends quickly because they got on well during long train journeys.

have something in common

Share an interest, experience, belief, or characteristic.

They discovered that they had photography and long-distance running in common.

go out together · be together

Date romantically; continue as a romantic couple.

They went out together after the course and were together for nearly two years.

propose · get married

Ask someone to marry you; become legally or formally married.

Arun proposed during a quiet walk, and they got married the following spring.

break up · split up · ex

Break up or split up means end a romantic relationship; afterwards, the former partner may be called an ex.

They split up respectfully, and Jo still occasionally speaks to her ex.

lose touch · get in touch

Stop communicating; contact someone again.

The old flatmates lost touch after moving abroad, then got in touch through a professional network.

keep in touch

Continue communicating despite distance or changing circumstances.

They keep in touch with a monthly video call.

Conversación

narrator A local community survey asked adults what helps friendships survive major life changes.

maya The first result surprised me: regular contact mattered more than frequent contact. People who had one meaningful monthly conversation often felt closer than people who exchanged short messages every day.

owen That makes sense, although daily messages can help during a crisis. What was the second result?

maya Shared activities helped new colleagues become friends because conversation felt less forced. Exercise groups were especially effective, except when competition became too serious.

owen So having something in common opens the door, but it doesn't guarantee that people will get on.

maya Exactly. The final claim was that an honest disagreement can strengthen a friendship. The key was what happened afterwards: people needed to discuss the issue instead of pretending it hadn't happened.

owen I agree, but only if both people listen. Repeated personal criticism can still end a friendship.

Estructura de la frase

How has the relationship changed?

We met as colleagues and became close friends because we had similar working habits. We used to have lunch together every day, but now we live in different cities and keep in touch by video call.

A relationship profile combines stages, reasons, a then-now contrast, and the current situation.

met
got to know
used to
lost touch
got in touch

Más práctica

Two meetings, two revised impressions

Maya looks at the old Cedar House photograph that arrived at Owen's office, while Owen reads a message on his phone.

Owen first met Tariq in the entrance of Cedar House, the flat they were going to share during their first year of work. Tariq had labelled every kitchen shelf before Owen had unpacked a cup. Owen assumed he would be controlling. That evening, however, Tariq quietly repaired a loose window and left the warmest room for Owen, whose early radio shifts began before the heating came on. Owen reinterpreted the labels as an anxious attempt to make an unfamiliar home work. They became close friends, although opposite schedules later caused arguments. After Owen moved out, each mistook the other’s silence for indifference, and they gradually lost touch.

Twelve years later, a padded envelope arrived at Owen’s office. It contained a photograph of the Cedar House residents and a note from Priya, another former flatmate. Owen assumed Tariq had refused to join her exhibition because his name was absent. A phone call revealed that Tariq had been seriously ill and Priya was waiting for permission to share his details. Owen sent a message acknowledging their old arguments without excusing them. Tariq replied that evening. They did not pretend the missing years had vanished, but agreed to meet at the exhibition and learn who each had become.

Hana first met Luis at a neighbourhood repair workshop. He was silently relabelling every tool drawer, and she read his concentration as coldness. Later, a newcomer struggled to explain a broken lamp. Luis switched into Portuguese, listened patiently, and helped her test each wire. Hana realized that his silence had hidden careful attention rather than dislike. They began running monthly workshops together and got to know each other through ordinary decisions: sharing unpopular jobs, resolving mistakes, and making space for nervous visitors. Months later they started going out together. When Luis proposed two years after that first workshop, Hana remembered how completely one observed action had changed her first impression.

Past and present habits and states

used to + base verb

Use used to for repeated past actions or past states that are no longer true, or are presented as contrasting with now.

Owen used to be impatient, and he used to leave home before sunrise.

didn't use to · Did you use to…?

After did or didn't, write use to in the base form. In normal speech, used to and use to usually sound alike.

Tariq didn't use to complain directly. Did he use to work late?

would + base verb for repeated actions

Would can describe repeated past actions when the past time is already clear. It normally cannot describe past states.

During that year, we would eat together on Sundays, but not ‘We would be flatmates.’

past simple for past facts or bounded periods

Use past simple for completed facts, events, or habits in a finished past period, especially when there is no direct now contrast.

They argued twice in their final month and moved out in June.

present habit: usually + present simple

Use present simple with frequency expressions for current habits.

Maya usually works out on Tuesdays, but she sometimes trains on Saturday.

present state: present simple

Use present simple for states that are true now; common state verbs include be, know, like, have, and live.

Owen knows Tariq's situation now, and they have a more honest relationship.

temporary present: present continuous

Use present continuous for temporary or changing current activity, not a stable state such as know.

They are rebuilding their friendship, but they still live in different cities.

used to / be used to / get used to

Used to + base verb describes a former habit or state. Be used to + noun or gerund means be accustomed to it; get used to + noun or gerund means become accustomed to it. Use not … any more or any longer to state that a former situation has ended.

Owen used to drive, but he does not drive any more; he is now used to cycling in rain.

One relationship across time

How has the relationship changed?

We met as colleagues and became close friends because we had similar working habits. We used to have lunch together every day, but now we live in different cities and keep in touch by video call.

A relationship profile combines stages, reasons, a then-now contrast, and the current situation.

met
got to know
used to
lost touch
got in touch

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Expresiones para una relación, del primer encuentro a hoy

Apréndelas como una línea de tiempo, en el orden en que ocurren.

Inicio: meet (conocer a alguien por primera vez), get to know (llegar a conocer), become friends (hacerse amigos).
Llevarse bien: get on well (get along también es muy común), have something in common (tener algo en común).
Pareja: go out together, propose, get married, break up o split up; a una expareja se le llama ex.
Contacto: lose touch (perder el contacto), get in touch (volver a contactar), keep in touch (seguir en contacto). “The old flatmates lost touch after moving abroad, then got in touch through a professional network.”

¿Meet, know o get to know? ¿Argue o discuss?

En español, conocer cubre dos ideas que el inglés separa. “La conocí en 2014” es meet, un hecho: el primer encuentro. “La conozco desde 2014” es know, un estado: no se usa en forma continua y, con for o since, pide el present perfect. Get to know es el proceso lento entre los dos.

“I met my closest colleague at a training conference.” Para un primer encuentro, meet no lleva preposición.
Argue with someone about something es discutir con enfado: “The flatmates argued with each other about overnight guests.”
Discuss something with someone es hablar de un tema con calma, sin about. Ojo: discuss es un falso amigo, porque discutir en español suele significar argue. “They discussed the rent increase with their landlord.”

Corregir una primera impresión

Las buenas historias sobre relaciones suelen corregir una primera impresión. El past perfect muestra lo que había pasado antes.

Primera impresión: “At first I thought he was controlling, because he had labelled every kitchen shelf.”
Prueba: “That evening, though, he quietly repaired a loose window and left me the warmest room.”
Nueva opinión: “Now I see the labels as his way of making a strange flat feel like home.”
Fórmulas útiles: “At first I thought…, but…”, “I hadn’t realized that…”

¿Used to, would o pasado simple?

El imperfecto español sirve tanto para estados (“era tímido”) como para hábitos (“comíamos juntos”), pero en inglés would solo vale para acciones repetidas. Used to es para hábitos y estados del pasado que ya terminaron. Would es solo para acciones repetidas cuando el momento ya está claro, nunca para estados. El pasado simple es para hechos puntuales y para hábitos que cuentas o fechas.

Used to: “I used to be shy with new classmates.” “We used to have lunch together every day.”
Would: “During that year, we would eat together on Sundays.” Pero no “We would be flatmates.”
Negación y pregunta: “I didn’t use to call my former classmates.” “Did you use to work late?” Después de did, se escribe use.
Pasado simple: “They argued twice in their final month and moved out in June.”
Be used to + -ing significa “estar acostumbrado a”: “I’m used to cycling in the rain.”

Escucha: ¿tener algo en común crea una amistad?

Dos compañeros de trabajo comentan una encuesta sobre la amistad. Fíjate en become friends, have something in common y get on.

Después responde en voz alta: ¿un interés compartido garantiza una amistad? Empieza con “I agree up to a point, but…”

Maya Shared activities helped new colleagues become friends because conversation felt less forced. Exercise groups were especially effective, except when competition became too serious.

Owen So having something in common opens the door, but it doesn't guarantee that people will get on.

Aprende esta unidad a tu manera

Escribe el perfil de una relación en cinco pasos

Escribe 100–150 palabras sobre una persona real o inventada.

Quién: concreta la relación, por ejemplo “a former colleague” o “an old flatmate”.
Cómo la conociste y cómo llegaste a conocerla bien.
Los intereses compartidos y cualquier conflicto.
Antes y ahora: una frase con used to o would y otra en presente.
Hoy: cómo sigues en contacto o qué esperas.
Modelo: “We met as colleagues and became close friends because we had similar working habits. We used to have lunch together every day, but now we live in different cities and keep in touch by video call.”

Errores frecuentes

Revisa tu perfil:

“I know her since 2015.” Di “I’ve known her since 2015.”
“I knew him in 2015” para un primer encuentro, calcado de “lo conocí”. Di “I met him in 2015.”
“We would be neighbours.” Di “We used to be neighbours.”
“I didn’t used to…” Después de did: “I didn’t use to…”
“We discussed about the rent.” Di “We discussed the rent.”

Práctica diaria de 10 minutos

Habla de personas que conoces de verdad.

2 minutos: escucha el diálogo y repite cada frase.
3 minutos: describe una relación con cinco expresiones de las distintas etapas, de meet a keep in touch.
3 minutos: di tres pares del tipo “We used to…, but now we…”
2 minutos: responde a “Can colleagues become real friends?” con una razón y un ejemplo.

Siguiente paso

Después, compara las mudanzas de dos personas con el present perfect o escribe una reseña de cine equilibrada del mismo nivel. Si tu perfil generalizaba sobre la amistad, practica cómo contar un estudio pequeño sin exagerar.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Qué diferencia hay entre meet y know?

Meet es el primer encuentro; know es la relación que continúa. Se dice “We met in 2014”, pero “I’ve known her since 2014.”

¿Cuándo se puede usar would en lugar de used to?

Solo para acciones repetidas en el pasado, cuando el momento ya está claro: “At university, we would cook together on Fridays.” Para estados, usa used to: “We used to live next door.”

¿Qué diferencia hay entre lose touch y keep in touch?

Keep in touch es seguir en contacto; lose touch es dejar de hablar poco a poco. Get in touch es contactar con alguien, a menudo después de un tiempo sin hablar.