What can be more exciting than dating? Not many things can actually make people as happy as a successful date. A couple of decades ago, you had to ask for permission to date someone. Nowadays, everything is way easier and faster. Today, when you decide to meet someone, you often have two options. The first option is when you go on a romantic date. The second option is when you just hang out with friends or other people. As you may know, there is a huge difference between those two situations. Well, there is a difference, but not a very obvious one. First of all, you should know that different people apply a different meaning to the word combination “hang out.” This happens because a few people know what constitutes a date.
You may believe that you will never get in this situation because you date women online, and in online dating, the reasons for any meeting are pretty obvious. Yes, you are right, when people are dating online, they already know why they meet each other. Since online dating websites and apps are specially made for this purpose, and they exist only to help people search for partners. But, even if you only search for partners online, you can never be sure that your friend won’t mix up these two terms. Thus, it may happen that when you decide to hang out with them, he or she may believe that this is a date.
Dating or Hanging Out – Know the Difference
When it comes to the question of what you should say when you want to date someone: hanging out vs. dating, it is crucial to know the difference between these two. First of all, you should know that hanging out means spending time with someone. This can be your friend, relative, lover, or even a random stranger. When you hang out with someone, you both just spend time without any serious reason. For example, you can hang out in a bar with your friend or friends. Or hang out with a stranger while you were standing in a line in your local drug store. As you can see, by saying, “I am hanging out with someone,” you don’t presume that you are doing something particular or important. It only means that you spend time with someone. On the contrary, everything is very different when you date someone.
So, what is considered a date?
A date is when two people spend time together with a purpose. Remember, if there are more than two people involved, then this can’t be a date. Also, the word “date” implies that two people are in love with each other and want to be together in the future. Usually, people spend time with some purpose on dates, for example, they go to the cinema, restaurant or other places. The main idea of any romantic meeting (aka date) is to do something together with your partner in a romantic environment. When you say that you date someone, it means that you are planning to have a future together.
Often people say to hang out meaning dating, but by doing this, they confuse others. Especially, this is confusing for those who have no idea what hanging out with a girl actually means. Usually, those people don’t imply that they are into serious relationships. Generally, those who are seriously in love never say that they are hanging out, but this depends on their boundaries in relationships. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, sometimes married couples say that they are hanging out together. But this doesn’t create any misunderstandings because their friends and relatives know that they are together.
She Wants to Go Out with You – How to Know It's a Date?
Dating vs. hanging out what term should you use? This topic is still being discussed in our society. Nothing is surprising that people struggle to understand whether they are having a date or just hanging out. Let’s imagine that you have found yourself in such a situation when a girl is asking you to meet and spend time with her. Is it a date or you are just friends? How to tell if it is a date? We are going to share with you 7 major signs that you are going on a date with her. Treat our list as a small quiz. Analyze your situation and find matches. The more matches you have, the more certain you can be whether you are dating or hanging out.
1. Romantic atmosphere and place
If she has invited you to a place that is well known as a place for dates, then you know for sure that she wants this meeting to be a date. Also, pay attention not only to the name of the place but also to the surroundings. For example, if she is asking you to go on a roof and wants to be with you tonight under the stars, this definitely means that she invited you on a date. On the other hand, if you just go to a bar, it only means that she wants to share a couple of drinks with you or with a big company that you may find there.
2. You didn’t look at your smartphones too much
When people hang out with their friends, they often invite other people to this meeting, so very often they spend a lot of time on their phones. Besides, during meetings with friends, spending time on phones is considered quite normal because friends don’t require as much attention as lovers. During dates, people avoid using phones not only because it is impolite when you two are alone, but also because if you love someone, you want to spend with him or her as much time as you only can, and your phones only distract you from your loved one.
3. You are alone with her
Another important aspect of any date is that, to have a date with someone, you should be alone with him or her. Thus, if your female friend invites you to go somewhere and doesn’t want to see anyone else at your meeting, then this is a date. To know for sure, you should ask her if she is going to invite someone else, if, for some reason, she says “No,” then you can say that you can bring someone with you. When you say this, pay attention to her reaction, if she wants to have a date with you, then she will be disappointed by the fact that you want to bring someone else with you.
4. You schedule your appointments
Another huge difference between dating and hanging out is that you set a direct appointment when you date someone since hanging out with someone doesn’t require anything like that. To hang out with someone, you can just ask them to meet you almost at any time during the day. This is possible because friends can comfortably hang out spontaneously. On the other hand, you need some time to prepare for a date. This is why dates are usually scheduled, so both partners know when they should be at their best. According to all the above mentioned, when you see that she invites you to this meeting in advance, then she definitely wants to have the time to prepare for it.
5. She tries to touch you
Touches are very important for two people in love because they indicate that those people are interested in each other. Pay attention to the fact that you don’t want to touch strangers, but when you touch those whom you love or admire, you begin to feel happier. If you notice that during your meeting, she is trying to touch you, this clearly indicates that she is very interested in you and wants to date you. For example, she may touch your shoulders or take your hand. Sometimes friends touch each other too, especially when they having fun, but those friendly touches are very different from how a girl in love will touch you.
6. She looks differently
When girls go on a date, they pay a lot of attention to their looks since they want to charm their partners. So, if you see that your female friend has come to a meeting with you with makeup, and she is wearing a nice dress, then you know that you are very special for her and she wants to impress you with her looks. The difference between her looks when she hangs out with friends and comes on a date with you may be very drastic. But be very careful if your meetings always end with sex since you may not be dating but hooking up.
7. She teases you
When a girl likes a man, she begins to tease him. Of course, this doesn’t mean that she will attempt to humiliate you, but she will try to draw your attention via the help of her jokes and behavior. By putting pressure on you, she wants to check your emotional reactions. This helps her understand your attitude to her. It also means that she is not interested in formal interactions with you, and she wants to show you her other side. She wants to experience something different from what usually happens between you two when you meet your friends.
Be Careful: Signs You're Just Hanging Out
Now, you have a few ideas on how to know if it’s a date, and you can precisely tell if you are on a date or not. Is it enough to be sure? In some cases, hangouts look exactly like dates, and may even end up with physical contact, but this doesn’t mean that you two are together. This is why we want to share with you the list of 5 signs that you are just hanging out with him or her.
1. She complains that she can’t find someone special
From the very beginning of your meeting with her, you should pay attention to your conversations. Even the way how she is talking may tell you something about her true intentions. But it doesn’t matter how she says it if she begins to complain to you that she wasn’t able to meet someone special, it means that for her you are no more than just a friend. Maybe not even a good one. The best thing you can do in this case is to run away from this friendzone.
2. She says that you are her friend
Another important sign that means that she has no real intentions to date you is that she tells you that you are her friend. Nope, don’t even think that she just asked you to date her, and now you are in relationships. Nope, her kisses on your cheeks mean nothing. This only means that she believes that you are very good friends. Yes, she truly enjoys her time with you, so you can relax if you don’t want to date her. In case if you are in love with her, you should completely forget about her as a girl and start searching for someone else.
3. She doesn’t touch you
As we have mentioned before, two people in love feel a real need to touch each other. Touching is very important because trough touches people show that they care about their partners. If your female friend invites you to a meeting, and she doesn’t touch you at all, or only by a pure accident, it means that she is not interested in you as a sexual partner. You may try to “accidentally” touch her hands or shoulders if you want to date her. But if you see that she doesn’t respond in any way, then she is definitely not your dating material.
4. You accidentally met your friends and she asked them to join you
This is the worst thing that may happen to you if you want to date this person. Often, you expect a certain meeting to be a date, but when you meet your common friends, she, instead of sending them away, or running away from them with you, invites them to your “party.” There can be no doubts about whether this is a date or not because there can’t be more than two people on a date. If she invites other people at your meeting, then she just wants to hang out with you. In fact, you can do the same if you don’t want to date this particular girl. But, remember, if she loves you, then this will be very painful for her.
5. Your first date is a party
Let’s say that she invites you to her home, of course, you start thinking that this will be a very nice date with a perfect ending, but when you arrive there, you see that there is a loud party. In this case, you should never expect that she will spend this evening with you because apart from you, she has many other friends there whom she invited before or after she invited you. Remember, if you are not unique to her, then you are definitely not dating her. But, don’t get upset since a loud party is one of the greatest places to meet someone you like.
To use our small “Is it a date or hanging out” quiz, you should answer yes or no. Thus, you will see what her real attitude to you is. We hope that this article helped you understand whether your meeting with her is a date or not. Remember, you should rely on those sings only if you apply them systematically. None of those signs can mean anything by itself alone. Because people are very different, and we all express our thoughts, feelings, and ideas differently.
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