Relationships & Family — Part 5
The Celpip Plus team
Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria
What you'll learn: casual, spoken chunks and idioms native speakers use when talking about family and close friends — "we go way back," "it runs in the family," "family comes first" — so CELPIP Speaking answers about relationships sound warm and natural rather than rehearsed.
Why spoken chunks matter for Speaking tasks
Family and friendship stories are some of the most personal topics on the CELPIP Speaking test, and examiners respond well to genuine, idiomatic warmth over stiff formal language. Chunks like "we go way back" or "he takes after his dad" are exactly the kind of natural expressions that make Speaking Task 2 and Task 8 answers feel authentic rather than memorized.
Core collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| we're really close | we have a strong, warm relationship | My cousin and I are really close — more like sisters. |
| I owe her everything | expresses deep gratitude toward someone | I owe her everything — she raised me practically on her own. |
| it runs in the family | a trait or habit is shared across generations | The stubbornness definitely runs in the family. |
| we go way back | we've known each other for a very long time | Me and Sam go way back — since kindergarten. |
| family comes first | family is the top priority | Whatever happens at work, family comes first for me. |
| I'll always have your back | I will always support and protect you | No matter what happens, I'll always have your back. |
| let's catch up soon | a friendly suggestion to reconnect | It's been forever — let's catch up soon. |
| blood is thicker than water | family bonds are stronger than other relationships | Whatever the disagreement, blood is thicker than water. |
| two peas in a pod | two people who are very alike and close | My grandparents are like two peas in a pod. |
| takes after | resembles a family member in looks or personality | He really takes after his dad — same sense of humour. |
| a shoulder to cry on | someone who offers comfort during hard times | She's always been a shoulder to cry on for me. |
| keep it in the family | handle something privately among family members | We decided to keep it in the family rather than involve outsiders. |
Worked example — CELPIP Speaking Task 2 (personal experience)
Prompt: Describe a close family member and explain why your relationship is important to you.
My older sister and I are really close — we go way back, obviously, since we grew up in the same house, but it's more than that. Whenever something goes wrong in my life, she's always had my back, no questions asked. People say we're like two peas in a pod because we have the same laugh and honestly the same terrible sense of direction — I guess some things really do run in the family. When our parents went through a rough patch a few years ago, she became a shoulder to cry on for the whole family, even though she was struggling too. Honestly, I owe her a lot for how she stepped up. We try to catch up at least once a week now, even with our busy schedules, because for both of us, family comes first. And whatever disagreements come up between us, they never last — blood is thicker than water, as they say.
Common mistakes
- Saying "takes off after" instead of the correct idiom takes after, which means resembling a relative.
- Using "blood is thicker than water" too literally in formal writing — it's an idiom for Speaking, not appropriate for a Writing Task 2 essay.
- Writing "we go back way" instead of the fixed word order we go way back.
- Confusing "a shoulder to cry on" with "a shoulder to lean on" — both exist, but "cry on" specifically implies emotional comfort during sadness.
- Saying "runs on the family" instead of the correct preposition, runs in the family.
Recap
Warm, natural chunks like we go way back, it runs in the family, I'll always have your back, and family comes first bring genuine emotional texture to CELPIP Speaking answers about relationships — exactly what separates a memorized-sounding response from an authentic one.