Learn English – How to describe when you say good bye to your friends at the station

phrase-usageverbs

I met with three friends and had dinner together and went to the station together. But each of us had to take a train in a different line.

1) We split up at the station.

2) We parted from each other at the station.

3) We left each other at the station.

Which sentence is the most appropriate here? Or is there any good sentence to describe this situation?

Best Answer

All of your example sentences are OK, but some are better. The biggest difference is how formal the words sound.

We split up at the station.

This is probably the most natural. The phrase "split up" is suitable for many situations, but is more likely to occur in informal speech than formal speech.

We parted from each other at the station.

This is not wrong, but the word "parted" is more likely to appear in formal speech. If you do use the word "parted", the construction "We parted ways at the station" might be a better choice.

We left each other at the station.

The verb "left" appears in formal and informal speech, but is has a connotation that isn't quite right for your situation. Usually, "A left B" means that A moved and B did not move -- for example, "I left my book at the station."

As always, context matters. All of these sentences could be used to describe the end of a romantic relationship between two people. However, if you have set the context (a group of friends after dinner), there is no ambiguity.

There are some other choices available. Here are a couple:

  • We went our separate ways at the station.
  • We parted company at the station.
Related Topic