The Best Opening Texts for Talking to Girls

Talking by text can take the pressure off of asking a girl out.
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If talking to your crush makes you tongue-tied, start things off with a cute text instead. Texting the object of your affection allows you to craft what you want to say well before you accidentally blurt out something that makes her say, "Huh?" Let your thumbs do the talking and woo your potential partner with an imaginative opening text.

1 Quote It

You want to send that special girl an equally special text. But when you sit down to formulate your text, nothing comes out. If you can't come up with a one-liner that will impress your crush, borrow one from a pro. Opt for a love quote or a line from a famous poem. If you think that going old school and quoting Shakespeare -- or a similar famous author -- won't get your message across, pick a line from a contemporary song. Go for a bold or quirky quote. Avoid the super-sappy ones.

2 Focus on Her

If you lead your opening texts with "I" statements -- such as "I like you" or "I just wanted to say hi" -- this takes the focus off of the girl and puts it on you. Instead of making your text conversation about you, show your interest. For example, don't say, "I was going to see a movie, do you want to come along?" Try: "Want to get dinner? Anywhere you want." Another option is to ask an opening question about her such as, "What's your favorite food?" When you follow it up with, "We should go out and get some," she'll get the message.

3 Generalize It

If you are not quite ready to let the girl know you like her, send a general text. An indirect opening suggests that the two of you get together without saying so, according to the article, "5 Ways to Indirectly Ask for a Date," by social and personality psychologist Jeremy Nicholson on the Psychology Today website. This strategy opens the lines of communication. For example, send her a text about a school assignment: "Hi. Did you study for the bio quiz?" Keep in mind that a general text is a foot in the door. It gets the two of you "talking," but may not show romantic intent.

4 Picture This

Instead of a lengthy opening monologue sent via cell phone messaging, go for a sweet graphic. Select a cute emoticon, attach a photo that would interest her -- such as the picture you snapped of her and her BFF at the school picnic -- or a heart symbol. You can also make your own picture if your cell doesn't have or support ready-made emoticons. For example, the < symbol plus the number three makes a heart.

Based in Pittsburgh, Erica Loop has been writing education, child development and parenting articles since 2009. Her articles have appeared in "Pittsburgh Parent Magazine" and the website PBS Parents. She has a Master of Science in applied developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education.

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