How do lesbians (or gay men) tell when they are on a date?

If you start macking on them, I'm pretty sure that's a strong indicator.

Also, if you ask them out on a date?

 

'Hey, you wanna hang out?'
vs
'Hey, I really like you, would you like to do something together?'

 

There's always subtle indications in non-verbal communication, like body language, that will be a tip-off that if you're with a same-sex friend & she's into you, she may not be able to hide. Just look for things like is she leaning in closer than usual when you talk to hear what you're saying or does she find really small reasons to maybe touch your arm & compliments from out of nowhere are always a good sign too, but not casual ones, ones that just pop up & seem to indicate 'OK, this girl is really into me & she's flirting'. Of course, there's also the way she might look at you as well. Does she make direct eye contact & seem to gaze or does she seem really unusally nervous & can't seem to look at you. A lot of ths stuff is the same for everyone when they're either into someone, flirting, crushing or just trying to put out that they're interested in you. Really, gay or straight, these kinds of things pretty much are indicators across the board & dating & courting rituals can be pretty much the same regardless of who it is. Just keep a sharp eye & look for subtle (or not so subtle) clues that she might be digging you & want you to pick up on it & show you're interested as well. Of course, these aren't exhaustive, definitive ways of telling so, like me, you have the potential to possibly misread a situation. But if you feel really strongly about how someone is acting around you, chances are you may be right & she's flirting or at least trying to show she's interested. Hope this helps...

 

Well I could tell that my Sparkles was into me when all of our conversations kept coming back to the same subject: Cold showers.

 

lol this is actually a good question. I can't tell you how many times hanging out with just one gay guy has gotten awkward. I'm still debating if meeting up with an old friends a long time ago was a date. It was a meet up, movie, Walmart walk around then he wanted to go to my place at like 12am in the morning. I do well in groups though but one on one gay to gay at times feels strange.

 

I read body language. 93% of all communication is nonverbal communication, which consists of body language and paralinguistic cues (pitch, volume, stress). Its relatively easy to read a person.

If a person says your "just hanging out" but maintains extended eye contact, moving from one eye to the other and then down to the lips, an open posture, excessive smiling, and seems genuinely interested in you, or what you're saying, this usually means that you guys are not "just hanging out."

But most of the time, you'll know its a date, because they will ask to "go out" instead of "hang out"