invite someone on a date

Meaning

This expression means to ask someone out for a romantic meeting or activity, such as dinner, drinks, or a movie. It is a polite, clear way to express romantic interest. While 'ask someone out' is more common in casual speech, this phrase is slightly more explicit.

Examples

• He finally gathered the courage to invite her on a date.

  He finally gathered the courage to invite her on a date.

• Is it okay to invite a coworker on a date, or is that unprofessional?

  Is it okay to invite a coworker on a date, or is that unprofessional?

• She was thrilled when he invited her on a date to her favorite Italian restaurant.

  She was thrilled when he invited her on a date to her favorite Italian restaurant.

• Instead of just hanging out, you should clearly invite her on a date.

  Instead of just hanging out, you should clearly invite her on a date.

• He decided to invite her on a date to the art museum this Saturday.

  He decided to invite her on a date to the art museum this Saturday.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He invited her to a date last night.

  ✓ He invited her on a date last night.

  Use the preposition 'on' for a date. Using 'to' is incorrect unless you are inviting them 'to' a specific location, like 'invited her to dinner'.

• ✗ She invited him for a date.

  ✓ She invited him on a date.

  While 'for' is used in phrases like 'ask someone out for coffee', the standard idiomatic collocation is 'invite someone on a date'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It can be nerve-wracking to ___ for the first time.

  💡 ask someone out romantically

  Show answer

  invite someone on a date

• If you want to transition from friends to romance, you need to ___.

  💡 explicitly ask them out

  Show answer

  invite someone on a date