Can we be friends? (not: Can we make friends?) Lately, many people have asked me: "Can we make friends?" I am happy that many people want to be my friend, but what they should have asked is "Can we be friends?" When asking a person directly this the correct thing to say. To make friends is a more general thing. For example, if I moved to a new city I might say: "I want to make many new friends!" Hope this helps, gabe