0

Ok, I have a female friend, can I say "girlfriend" as "a female friend, not a romantic lover"?

Ex, I got married but I have a girlfriend.

Can I say "I have a girlfriend (a female friend, not a romantic lover)"?

Also, is "female friend" a popular term in everyday conversation?

Improve this question
4
  • 5
    This question was been asked here at least once
    – CowperKettle
    Dec 6, 2015 at 12:20
  • 1
    (has been asked, of course. my bad)
    – CowperKettle
    Dec 6, 2015 at 12:32
  • Are you asking "How do I (a guy) refer idiomatically to a friend who is female in a way that everyone will know that we are not dating or lovers?"
    – TimR
    Dec 6, 2015 at 12:39
  • @TRomano, so, is it very popular to say "I have a female friend"?
    – Tom
    Dec 6, 2015 at 12:43

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
0

If the question is, "How does a person, of either sex, refer idiomatically to another person, of either sex, in a way that shows they are not dating or lovers?" the answer is simple

I have a good friend, who ...

or

I have a close friend, who ...

Close suggests a friendship of long standing and considerable trust.

Improve this answer
2
  • What not use "female friend"? is "female friend" a popular term in everyday conversation?
    – Tom
    Dec 6, 2015 at 12:45
  • Say what you like, Tom. It seems you want to say the word "female".
    – TimR
    Dec 6, 2015 at 12:46
0

There are many ways of expressing that. For example, we used to use friend-girl quite often, and everybody I know understood it (however this is very local and should not be used)

You could also say something like:

A girl, who is my friend, ........

Or your example:

I got married but I have a friend, who is a girl.

However, using but would look like the fact that you have a friend contradicts the fact that you got married, which wouldn't really make much sense.

Female friend is not a common way of expressing.

Improve this answer
6
  • 1
    ... I hear "female friend" significantly more often than "friend-girl"... which I have never heard until now. Perhaps it's a regional thing?
    – Catija
    Dec 6, 2015 at 15:01
  • Not everybody. I have never ever heard friend-girl.
    – TimR
    Dec 6, 2015 at 15:13
  • @Tromano I meant everybody who i knew, not absolutely everybody. I would say it is very local then.
    – John K
    Dec 6, 2015 at 16:30
  • 1
    Was this is in a place where the speakers were native English speakers, and did they say friend-girl and say it unironically?
    – TimR
    Dec 6, 2015 at 16:38
  • @TRomano Speakers were native, and they did say it unirinically with context matching. But it wasnt exactly a native country
    – John K
    Dec 6, 2015 at 17:17

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .