Making sure you use the correct prepositions after words is an important practice in English. Look at using “to” or “with” after “related,” and you’ll start to notice how the meaning can change slightly as you use them.
What Is The Difference Between “Related To” And “Related With”?
Related to should be used when talking about a connection between two things (“I am related to my cousins”). Related with should be used when talking about communication between two things (“this is related with my discussion”). They are not interchangeable phrases.
If you look at The Cambridge Dictionary, you’ll see that “related” means “connected.” It can apply to two or more things, as long as they have a close enough connection to each other.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary goes a little further to say that “related” means “connected by reason of an established or discoverable relation” or “connected by common ancestry or sometimes by marriage.” There is always some form of a connection present regardless of the meaning.
It’s also worth looking at this graph to see the difference in popularity and usage between “related to” and “related with.” You can see that they are both relatively common and even with each other.
However, “related with” has been growing steadily, while “related to” has been more rapid (and then started to drop off around the 1980s).
How To Use “Related To” In A Sentence
Let’s look at some examples of the phrases in action. We’ll start with the more common phrase “related to.”
“To” is the preposition that is most commonly used after “related” to show that there is a connection between two or more things.
- This homework assignment is related to everything we’ve done in class.
- This essay is related to the things I’ve studied over the last few years.
- We are all related to each other in some way.
- Countries are more closely related to one another than you might think.
- I can relate to the things you’re talking about.
- I’ve never related to someone else’s pain more than I do to yours right now!
The connection between two things can vary, but the words are always used in the same sense. Whether you’re talking about a connection between people, things, or sensations, you can use “related to” to bridge a connection between the context.
It’s the more common variation of the two because more people are used to seeing it written down and saying it. “To” just makes the most sense to say and write after “related” and works really well because of this.
How To Use “Related With” In A Sentence
Now let’s look at the slightly less common but steadily growing variation. “Related with” is more commonly used when we’re talking about relationships to do with communication between two or more things.
- What I’m saying is related with the things she mentioned earlier.
- This is not related with anything I’ve said so far.
- This is related with our earlier discussion.
- These two things are related with serious happiness.
- Watching that play, I noticed the actors were related with their ability to convey a message.
- There were three things I needed to say-each one related with the last to the same degree.
See how we use “related with” in a slightly different way. We almost always have to use “related with” in the passive voice; otherwise, it won’t make much sense when we write about it.
It’s hard to come up with more examples using “related with” in the correct way. Many people believe that “related with” works better in the present tense. Also, it’s possible that it’s such a popular saying on the graph that we referenced above because people may be using it incorrectly.
What Is The Difference Between “Relate To” And “Relate With”?
The differences between the present tense verbs “relate to” and “relate with” are very similar to the ones we’ve seen above. “Relate to” is mostly used to show a connection, while “relate with” is mostly used to show communication.
If you look at the definition of “relate” in The Cambridge Dictionary, you’ll see that it means “to find or show the connection between two or more things.” This shows how we should use it more in the present tense than in any other situation.
We also have a graph to show you the differences between using the two in the present tense. As you can see, they were both fairly popular in the 1800s but had a steady decline during the 1900s. They both slowly started to climb after the 1980s, and now “relate with” is the more prominent of the two phrases.
That shows a stark contrast to the difference between the two phrases when they’re used in the past tense. “Relate with” is the most popular phrase, while “related to” is the more popular past tense phrase.
What Does It Mean To Relate To Something?
When two things “relate to” each other, it means there is a connection between them. The connection can be anything from a blood relation if they’re family members to a similar look of function if we’re talking about objects or something similar.
“Relate to” is the past tense form of “related to” and has a very similar meaning that works really well to show a connection between two or more things.
How To Use “Relate To” In A Sentence
If you’re stuck on trying to work out when we might use the present tense instead of the past tense, don’t worry. We’ll walk you through some of these examples so you can see for yourself what you might use.
“Relate to” is used when there’s a direct connection between two or more things. We use it in the present tense when we show that we’ve found a connection between these two things.
- I can relate to your pain because I’ve been there.
- We all relate to the things the teacher was saying in the lesson.
- You relate to everything she says, don’t you?
- I can relate to that. If it weren’t for what I’ve done before, I would never be where I am today.
- I relate to that message! You’re a motivational speaker, and you’ve inspired thousands!
- My essay relates to the historical conflict between two tribes.
We can see how the present tense “relate to” (or “relates to” in the third person singular) is used to show when we make a connection between two things.
Generally, the connection we’re talking about is discovered at the time of writing it. We typically don’t already have the connection made; otherwise, we’d use “related to” when discussing it in the past.
How To Use “Relate With” In A Sentence
Now let’s see the more popular present tense form “relate with” used in some sentences. Again, we’re still talking about a communication, but the present tense allows us to work a little more generic and start seeing some more reasonable examples.
- I relate with the things you’re saying.
- The plays relate with everything I’ve been feeling.
- I relate them with each other because they’re so similar in design.
- You relate me with him as if we’re brothers, but we’re not!
- This is all to relate us with each other better, isn’t it?
- She relates with all the things going on around here.
As you can see, it’s possible to use “relate with” and “relate to” interchangeably in some situations. It’s convenient to do so as well because it allows us to not worry too much about language rules.
The only other time we can use “relate with” in a sentence is when we put a pronoun between the two words. For example, “relate him with me” is a great way to use it. That way, you’re making a communication and connection between two things.
Do We Say In Relation To Or With?
When writing about two things being connected, we might sometimes use the phrase “in relation to.” It’s usually not required because it uses excess wording that we can omit; however, if we want to write it, we have to use the preposition “to.”
“In relation to” is correct when we’re talking about a connection and is the only form we should use when linking two sentences together.
Can I Relate To Or Too?
Generally, we want to make sure we’re spelling “to” correctly when we use it.
If you’re making a connection between two or more things, make sure you say “relate to.” However, if you’re saying that you are also connected to something, you might be able to use “too” correctly. Generally, “to” is correct when talking about things that aren’t yourself.
- We can relate to each other.
- I can relate too! (meaning you can relate to the thing that was previously mentioned)
Other Words For Relate To
Let’s finish with some alternatives that we can use in place of “relate to.”
- Connect
Connect as a verb shows two or more things that are closely linked to each other.
- Associate
When used as a verb, associate is synonymous with “relate to.”
- Link
Another great verb to use in place of “relate to.”
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
