<p>Can someone explain the different stages of dating? Like "talking" or "going out" or "hanging out" or "dating" or "boyfriend/girlfriend", etc.?</p>
<p>Using the "stages" you provided, here is my take on them:</p>
<p>"talking"- this is stage one I suppose, when one is still feeling around if this person is friend material or boyfriend/girlfriend material.</p>
<p>"hanging out"- this is stage two but can be either a friendly hanging out or like a date hanging out. Both of these tasks can usually be done at the same time (i.e. group outings). and one can learn more about the individual in question.</p>
<p>"going out"- this is what one would think of when one thinks of the word date. This is a strictly romantic friend zone.</p>
<p>"dating"- this is when you actually pop the question. Most people will already, by this time, assume you two go out (i.e. are a couple) but some girls, like my girlfriend for example, will want you to literally ask them "will you be my girlfriend?" </p>
<p>"boyfriend/girlfriend"- this is when you can no longer "talk" or "hang out" with other girls. Well you can, but make sure what you do cannot be construed in any way to be a form of cheating. Girl Gossip Networks are HUGE. But, if you play cards right, this could be the happiest stage of them all.</p>
<p>Hope that helped!</p>
<p>Psh, you can totally hang out and talk with other girls. It'd help though if she knows about them.</p>
<p>I think the pattern doesn't always go so neatly anyway. The biggest difference between the early stages and the late stages is that one is stated and the other is unstated. Like, when you're flirting, you don't say "I'm flirting with you because I'm interested in you and maybe would like to be your boy/girl-friend." You just do it and it speaks for itself (sometimes). When you're actually a couple that is together, everything is out there and open.</p>