Meaning & use
being interested in someone
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Feeling attracted to a person or wanting to know them in a romantic way.
Grammar: Acts like a noun phrase; it can be the subject of a sentence or follow a preposition.
Patterns
- being interested in someone
- be interested in someone
- start being interested in someone
She only realized she was being interested in someone when she kept checking her phone for his messages.
Being interested in someone at work can make everything complicated.
He had trouble admitting he was being interested in someone so soon after his divorce.
phrasefixed phrase
Wanting to learn more about a person because they seem interesting, without romantic feelings.
Grammar: Used when the interest is about curiosity, not attraction; the context usually makes this clear.
Patterns
- be interested in someone
- seem interested in someone
The interviewer seemed genuinely interested in someone with such an unusual background.
As a teacher, she is always interested in someone who asks difficult questions.
Common combinations
- be interested in someone
- I think he's interested in you — he keeps finding excuses to talk to you.
- become interested in someone
- They became interested in each other during the trip.
- interested in someone romantically
- She's interested in him romantically, but he only sees her as a friend.
- pretend to be interested in someone
- He pretended to be interested in her just to get her notes.
- not interested in someone
- Sorry, I'm not interested in you that way.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attracted to someone
- Stronger and more physical; it focuses on the pull you feel, while 'interested in' is softer and can include simple curiosity.
- keen on someone
- Common in British English and slightly informal; it suggests a clear romantic liking.
- have a crush on someone
- Informal and describes a strong but often secret liking, usually felt by younger people.
Opposites
Word family
- interest noun
- The feeling of wanting to know more about something or someone.
- interested adjective
- Feeling curiosity or attraction toward something or someone.
- interesting adjective
- Describing something that holds your attention; note it describes the thing, not your feeling.
Commonly confused: being interested in someone or interesting in someone? being interested in someone or interesting to someone?
being interested in someone vs interesting in someone
A common mistake. 'Interesting' describes the other person as fascinating, so 'I am interesting in him' means you are a fascinating person, not that you like him.
being interested in someone vs interesting to someone
This means the person finds you fascinating: 'She is interesting to him.' It is not the same as feeling attracted to someone.
Practice
Which sentence correctly says that Maria feels attracted to Tom?
Choose one answer.
'Interested in' is the fixed pattern for the feeling of attraction or curiosity. 'Interesting' describes the person who causes the feeling, and 'on' and 'for' do not follow 'interested' in this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being interested in someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.