part with

Hello evreyone,

If my friends and I have come to a fork in the road （literally meaning）and then we will go different ways, what is the the natural way to say it?

After ____ at the fork in the road, my friends and I went back to our own homes respectively.
A. saying goodbye (to each other)
B. separating (from each other)
C. parting company (with each other)
D. breaking up (with each other)
(A scenario by myself)


Do all the options work?
Is Option D only used between lovers?


Thank you.

"Breaking up" (D) is an expression meaning "ending a relationship". It is like "getting a divorce" if you are in a relationship but not married. It does not mean that two people walking together physically separate and walk in different directions.

B and C are normal. A is speaking, but it is normally followed by going in different directions.

In all three cases, the words in parentheses are optional: correct if included, correct if omitted.

Respectively should be omitted. It's only used if you are listing things, and you are not.