TALKING STAGE

/toh-king steyj/

Noun

Modern term for the “getting-to-know” stage where the individuals involved are getting to know each other on a deeper level by communicating through video calls, texting, or chatting

ORIGIN

Initially, the term was tied to online dating, describing the period when two people chatted virtually before deciding whether to meet in person. Today, however, it is used more broadly to describe the entire journey—from the very first message exchanged to the pivotal conversation where the relationship becomes officially defined.

In the world of modern dating, the talking stage is described by Gen-Z’ers as the undefined early stage in a relationship where the two persons involved are “test running” the relationship before exclusively dating each other.

During the talking stage, both individuals may be sending each other texts almost every day, communicating through video calls, sending each other reels at midnight, or even going out on dates. 

You can tell you are in the talking stage when you and the person you are talking to: 

See Also

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1. text every day asking how your day was and vice versa,
2. ask questions about your hobbies, likes and dislikes, non-negotiables, ideal types, and
3. find yourself crafting an essay about your childhood on your Notes app

The talking stage has no clarity and is labelled as a no-commitment, no-label relationship, similar to a situationship.

EXAMPLES

“My crush has been sending me memes every day for the past week. Are we in the talking stage?”

“You’ve been giving him the girlfriend benefits without the label? Girl, I hate to break it to you but you are in the talking stage.”