友人関係の移り変わりを英語で説明する（B1）：“meet”と“know”、“used to”と“would”、第一印象

人間関係は段階を追って話します。どう出会ったか、どう親しくなったか、何が変わったか、今はどう連絡を取り合っているか、という順番です。初めて会った瞬間には“meet”、その後も続く関係には“know”を使います。“We met in 2014, and I’ve known her for over ten years.” 昔と今を比べるときは、過去の習慣や状態に“used to”、くり返した過去の行動にだけ“would”、今のことには現在形を使います。このテーマはB1（中級）レベルで、友人や同僚のことを正確に説明したい大人向けです。

この記事が向いている人

簡単な過去の話はできるけれど、人について話すと“friend”や“we talked a lot”くらいしか出てこない中級の大人。
仕事や私生活で、同僚、ルームメイト、昔の同級生、パートナーについて英語で話し、ネイティブが選ぶような表現を使いたい人。
“I know him since school”と言ってしまう人や、過去のことを何でも“would”で表してしまう人。
まだ早い場合：過去形を一つずつ考えながら作っているなら、まず学生時代と今の生活を比べるB1初中級の記事から始めましょう。この記事は短い過去の話ができることを前提にしています。
簡単すぎる場合：これらの表現や“used to”“would”をすでに自然に使えるなら、現在完了で2人の引っ越しを比べる記事に進みましょう。経験と続いている変化を扱います（B1+）。

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単語カード

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.

会話

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.

文の形

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

追加の練習

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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出会いから今までの人間関係の表現

起きる順番に、時系列で覚えましょう。

始まり：“meet”（出会う）、“get to know”（少しずつ相手を知っていく）、“become friends”（友だちになる）。
うまくいく：“get on well”（“get along”もよく使います）、“have something in common”（共通点がある）。
恋愛：“go out together”、“propose”、“get married”、“break up”または“split up”。別れた恋人や元配偶者は“ex”と言います。
連絡：“lose touch”（連絡が途絶える）、“get in touch”（また連絡を取る）、“keep in touch”（連絡を取り続ける）。“The old flatmates lost touch after moving abroad, then got in touch through a professional network.”

“meet”か“know”か“get to know”か？“argue”か“discuss”か？

“meet”は初めて会うという出来事、“know”は状態です。“know”は進行形にせず、“for”や“since”といっしょなら現在完了を使います。日本語では「2015年から知っている」と現在形で言うので、“I know her since 2015”という間違いが起きやすくなります。“get to know”はその間の、少しずつ知っていく過程です。

“I met my closest colleague at a training conference.” 初めて会ったという意味の“meet”には前置詞は不要です。
“argue with someone about something”は怒って言い争うことです。“The flatmates argued with each other about overnight guests.”
“discuss something with someone”は落ち着いて話し合うことです。「〜について話し合う」につられて“discuss about”と言いがちですが、“about”は付けません。“They discussed the rent increase with their landlord.”

第一印象を修正する

よい人間関係の話では、第一印象をあとから修正することがよくあります。過去完了は、それより前に起きていたことを表します。

第一印象：“At first I thought he was controlling, because he had labelled every kitchen shelf.”
根拠：“That evening, though, he quietly repaired a loose window and left me the warmest room.”
今の見方：“Now I see the labels as his way of making a strange flat feel like home.”
使える型：“At first I thought…, but…”, “I hadn’t realized that…”

“used to”・“would”・過去形の使い分け

日本語の「よく〜したものだ」はくり返した行動なので“would”でも“used to”でも表せますが、「以前は人見知りだった」のような状態には“used to”しか使えません。“used to”は今は終わった過去の習慣と状態、“would”は時期がはっきりしているときのくり返した行動だけで、状態には使いません。過去形は一度きりの出来事や、回数・日付で区切った習慣に使います。

“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.” “We would be flatmates.”は誤りです。
否定文と疑問文：“I didn’t use to call my former classmates.” “Did you use to work late?” “did”のあとは“use”です。
過去形：“They argued twice in their final month and moved out in June.”
“be used to + -ing”は「慣れている」という意味です。“I’m used to cycling in the rain.”

聞いてみよう：共通点があれば友だちになれる？

2人の同僚が、友情についてのアンケート調査について話しています。“become friends”“have something in common”“get on”を聞き取りましょう。

そのあと声に出して答えましょう。同じ趣味があれば友情は保証されるでしょうか。“I agree up to a point, but…”で始めてみましょう。

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.

自分に合った方法でこの単元を学ぶ

5つのステップで人間関係のプロフィールを書く

実在の人か架空の人を1人選び、100〜150語で書きましょう。

誰か：“a former colleague”や“an old flatmate”のように関係を正確に示します。
どう出会い、どう親しくなったか。
共通点、そして対立があればそのこと。
昔と今：“used to”か“would”で1文、そのあと現在形で1文。
今：どう連絡を取り合っているか、これからどうなりそうか。
例：“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.”

よくある間違い

プロフィールを書いたら、次の点を確認しましょう。

“I know her since 2015.” 正しくは“I’ve known her since 2015.”
初めて会ったことを“I knew him in 2015”と言わないこと。“I met him in 2015.”
“We would be neighbours.” 状態には“used to”を使います。“We used to be neighbours.”
“I didn’t used to…” “did”のあとは“I didn’t use to…”
“We discussed about the rent.” 正しくは“We discussed the rent.”

1日10分の練習法

実際に知っている人を題材にしましょう。

2分：会話を聞き、1文ずつくり返します。
3分：1人との関係を、“meet”から“keep in touch”まで5つの段階の表現で話します。
3分：“We used to…, but now we…”の形で、昔と今のペアを3つ言います。
2分：“Can colleagues become real friends?”に理由と例を挙げて答えます。

次のステップ

次は、現在完了を使って2人の引っ越しを比べるか、同じレベルでバランスのよい映画レビューを書いてみましょう。プロフィールで友情について一般化したなら、小さな調査の結果を誇張せずに伝える練習もしましょう。

よくある質問

“meet”と“know”の違いは何ですか？

“meet”は初めて会う瞬間、“know”はその後も続く関係です。出会った年は“We met in 2014”、それ以来の関係は“I’ve known her since 2014.”と言います。

“used to”の代わりに“would”を使えるのはどんなときですか？

時期がはっきりしているときの、くり返した過去の行動だけです。“At university, we would cook together on Fridays.” 状態には“used to”を使います。“We used to live next door.”

“lose touch”と“keep in touch”の違いは何ですか？

“keep in touch”は連絡を取り続けること、“lose touch”はだんだん連絡が途絶えることです。“get in touch”は、しばらく間があいたあとで誰かに連絡を取るときによく使います。