Meaning & use
relating to someone
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Feeling that you understand someone and can share their feelings or experiences.
Grammar: Used after verbs like 'be' or 'have trouble': I relate to her. It takes an object after 'to'.
Patterns
- relate to someone
- can relate to someone
- find it easy to relate to someone
I really relate to my sister because we grew up in the same small town.
Many teenagers find it hard to relate to their parents.
She's good at relating to young children.
phrasefixed phrase
Interacting with someone or having a relationship with them.
Grammar: Often used with adverbs like 'well' or 'poorly': He relates well to his coworkers.
Patterns
- relate well to someone
- relate to someone on a personal level
He relates to his students in a friendly, informal way.
She finds it difficult to relate to people who are very competitive.
Common combinations
- relate to someone personally
- I relate to her personally because we both love music.
- hard to relate to someone
- It's hard to relate to someone who never listens.
- relate to someone's feelings
- Good teachers can relate to their students' feelings.
- relate to someone on a deeper level
- They relate to each other on a deeper level than just friendship.
Synonyms and how they differ
- identify with someone
- Stronger and more formal; it suggests you see yourself in the other person's situation.
- understand someone
- More general; it doesn't necessarily mean you share their feelings.
- connect with someone
- Focuses on forming a bond, not just understanding.
Opposites
Word family
- relate verb
- To feel connected to someone or something.
- related adjective
- Connected by family or by a shared topic.
- relationship noun
- The way two people or groups feel and behave toward each other.
Commonly confused: relating to someone or relate to?
relating to someone vs relate to
This can also mean 'be about' (e.g., 'The report relates to climate change'). In 'relating to someone' the meaning is always emotional connection.
Practice
Choose the sentence where 'relating to someone' means feeling a connection.
Choose one answer.
Only option B uses 'relating to someone' to mean feeling a connection. The other options use 'relating to' to mean 'about' or 'concerning', which is a different sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “relating to someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.