Learn English - Lesson Seven - FRIENDS and FRIENDSHIP - 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'

What is the most important thing in life?

Some people might say happiness.

To be happy means that life is going well.

Some people might say money is important.

Having money makes you comfortable.

Maybe good health is an important thing.

As without that, life will be unpleasant.

But besides happiness, 

money, and health...

one thing that many people feel is important

is to have a friend.

Of course your family will most likely  be the most important part of your life,

However, many people feel the need to have friends in their day-to-day 

life.

A friend can be close and  trusted, or they might be a person 

you know generally in life.

We normally call this type  of friend an acquaintance.

So friendship can be more than one type of thing.

There are many ways of describing a friend.

‘pal’

‘buddy’

‘mate’

‘chum’

‘brother’ ‘sister’

‘comrade’.

A group of friends meeting together  might be described as... ‘the guys’

‘the group’, ‘the gang’,

‘the brothers’, ‘the sisters’.

You might have a best friend,

A person you can share your deepest feelings with.

A very close friend might be described as your ‘soul mate’.

Sometimes two friends might become closer.

They form a loving relationship.

It is not unusual for friends to become  lovers, or even a married couple.

Some people like to have lots of friends,

while others prefer to have just one or two.

‘Friendship’ can 

be described as a ‘bond’, ‘kinship’, ‘brotherhood’, ‘sisterhood’, 

‘tie’, ‘link’, ‘attachment’.

Two people share an affinity, 

a similarity,

They have a common understanding.

Do you have many friends?

Who is your best friend?

There is an expression in English...

‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’.

This phrase is a good way of 

showing how important friendship can be...

...through the good times and the bad times,

that special friend will always be there for you.