[Idiom] "write with friends"

[ginameister]

I repeatedly found the expression "you can write with friends online" in essays handed in by German students. It is obviously supposed to refer to an exchange of information. Since I cannot find "write with" on any list of phrasal verbs I am not sure, whether to accept this as formal English.

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum, ginameister.

Is that a literal translation from German?

In English, we say 'You can write to friends...' or 'You can correspond with friends...'

 

[ginameister]

Thank you very much for your reply. The literal German translation would be considered colloquial, but it is increasingly used to describe an exchange of information in social networks as Facebook.

 

[tedmc]

On Facebook, you interact with friends online.

not a teacher

 

[Tdol]

AS an exchange of information, it sounds OK to me, but I wouldn't consider it a phrasal verb.