The early phase of a potential relationship — constant texting, maybe a couple dates — before anyone is officially boyfriend or girlfriend.
also the talking stage! that must be the single most stupid thing about US dating!! 😂
Again, savvy gen Z has coined a term for it: [the “talking stage”](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/talking-stage), sometimes but certainly not always the precursor to a relationship, when the chief indicatio…
The early phase of a potential relationship — constant texting, maybe a couple dates — before anyone is officially boyfriend or girlfriend. "We're in the talking stage but he still hasn't asked me out properly." Can last weeks; can also extend into months unsustainably.
"We're in the talking stage but he still hasn't asked me out properly."
The 'talking stage' is the period at the start of a potential relationship where two people are chatting regularly — usually online — but have not yet committed to dating or made things exclusive. It can last days, weeks, or months. If your teen describes someone as their 'talking stage', they are getting to know someone romantically without a defined relationship. Harmless modern dating vocabulary, sometimes a source of anxiety because of its ambiguity.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Head-to-head pages explaining the difference.
How people talk about dating apps, modern romance, and the situationships they swear they're over — from ghosting and breadcrumbing to soft-launching, hard-launching, and the ick.
See all Relationships & Dating slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with T.
The five stages of situationship grief: (1) "it's casual"; (2) "we're seeing where it goes"; (3) "I'm confused"; (4) the Define-The-Relationship conversation; (5) it ends, badly. Skipping stages is rare. The people who insist they're at stage 1 are almost always at stage 3.
"Define The Relationship." The conversation where you clarify whether you're exclusive, official, or just seeing where it goes. Universally dreaded; universally inevitable. Usually needed 2–4 months in and usually weeks late.
A Define The Relationship conversation that happens casually and quietly, without ceremony — maybe mid-walk, during a TV show, or buried in a longer conversation so neither person has to feel too exposed. The low key DTR removes the pressure of a formal sit-down and lets both people drift toward a label without it feeling like an interview. It's the preferred DTR style for emotionally avoidant people who still want clarity but can't handle vulnerability on a stage. Surprisingly effective.
In 2010, Davidson attempted to reunite Britny Fox but did not get past the talking stage.
The 'talking stage' is the period at the start of a potential relationship where two people are chatting regularly — usually online — but have not yet committed to dating or made things exclusive. It can last days, weeks, or months. If your teen describes someone as their 'talking stage', they are getting to know someone romantically without a defined relationship. Harmless modern dating vocabulary, sometimes a source of anxiety because of its ambiguity.
'Talking stage' is current dating English for the period at the beginning of a potential relationship in which two people communicate regularly (usually via messaging) but have not yet defined the relationship or made anything exclusive. Can last days to months. Register: informal, mainstream dating discourse. In formal English use 'getting to know each other' or 'early dating phase'. A common learner mistake is to translate it as 'just talking' (= small talk); the term specifically denotes early-romantic interaction.
“also the talking stage! that must be the single most stupid thing about US dating!! 😂”
“Again, savvy gen Z has coined a term for it: [the “talking stage”](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/talking-stage), sometimes but certainly not always the precursor to a relationship, when the chief indication of a (possibly!) mutual attraction is the constant messages blowing up your phone.”
“In 2010, Davidson attempted to reunite Britny Fox but did not get past the talking stage.”
“No awkward talking stage, no wondering if you've asked someone out too early - or left it too late.”
“We haven't gotten beyond the talking stage, but we do a lot of that.”
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A romantic connection that's real but kept deliberately quiet — not secret exactly, just not announced or performed for an audience. The low key boo is the person you're consistently seeing, texting daily, and probably catching feelings for, but you're not ready (or not choosing) to make it a whole social media thing. It's a relationship that lives in the private layer of your life: real enough to matter, undisclosed enough to stay low pressure. The low key boo situation often exists in the sweet spot between 'just talking' and 'officially together.'