So you’re dating a Capricorn or want to be. Here’s our guide to navigating first moves, knowing if it’s reciprocal, flirting and memorable date ideas.
You know the one slouching against the wall with hands jammed into pockets, or standing stiffly around the punchbowl? Or the unofficial mayor of the bar, air-kissing everyone in the room, who is just a little too high-key to cover up their social anxiety? The one who can’t quite relax and seems a little unreachable—yet they’re buzzing on like you’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in years. This energetic but enigmatic creature is probably this earth sign. What’s it like dating a Capricorn?
First Moves: How Capricorn woos you
Capricorn is the sign of sophistication and status
They know good things come to those who wait, which includes building a relationship of any sort. As one Capricorn puts it, “I track ‘em like a gazelle, waiting until they fall into my range.” Just don’t expect this cool-headed sign to leap over the buffet table to get your phone number (unless the punch is spiked).
Capricorn might send you a drink from the other end of the bar or grab your arm as you walk by asking, “Haven’t we met before?” No? Well, tell me about yourself, Capricorn will demur, drawing you into their web. They want to know, first and foremost, what you do. Achievement and credentials must be established up front. Don’t let it ruffle your feathers. If they don’t have a place for you in their heart, they might have a spot for you at their office.
Signs a Capricorn likes you
Subtle ways a Capricorn might signal their interest
- They try to impress you with their refined taste or knowledge—these elitists know five stars from four, but it’s okay if you don’t (as long as you are wowed by their impressive cultural knowledge)
- They gradually get to know you through mutual friends or hangouts and start building a friend group around people you both know
- They’ll formally call you to set up an actual date. Leave the planning to Capricorn and just follow their dress code instructions!
- They engage you in an opinionated or spirited conversation to test how interesting you are
- They watch you from the sidelines with cool dispassion and wait for you to notice them
- They conveniently show up where you are or “run into you” (they planned it)
- They tease you like you’re their little brother or sister
- They frown like they’re concentrating really hard when you talk (they’re nervous)
- They get flushed, flustered and tongue-tied around you
- You develop a special spark while you’re working on a project with them…now, how are you going to tell HR about this?
Flirting with a Capricorn
Capricorns love to flirt, but they’re rarely comfortable enough to start the proceedings. For them, setting is everything. If they’re somewhere comfortable—at home, among friends, slightly buzzed at their favorite bar—they may work up the nerve to approach you. In most cases, you’ll have to be confident enough to hit on them first. If they like you, they’re probably checking you out from a distance, doing a cost-benefit analysis of whether you’re worth the risk of rejection.
Here’s how to make it easier for both of you when dating a Capricorn.
Walk past them slowly…and linger
Make it convenient, safe and easy for them to start a conversation. Set the stage for a “natural” interaction. You may literally have to fall into their lap for them to talk to you.
Pierce the veil
With Capricorn, it takes work to get past their initial reserve. Boldly go where few others have gone, and tough out the initial awkwardness. Summon the courage to be yourself and share your passions, even if they’re quiet. Turn up the volume to 10 and keep it there. If they like you, they’ll slowly crank up their own volume to an enthusiastic (for a Capricorn) 4. Before you know it, they’ll be asking for your digits and you’ll be dating a Capricorn.
Ask them a slightly racy question
They might look like the person who’d blush at the word “sex,” but you’d be surprised. They’ll shock you with a raunchy, direct and funny answer, and the ice will thaw from there.
Flirt with them at work
Capricorns are in their element at the office, so if you connect through your job, all the better. Start by going to lunch together. Keep them excited with suggestive, sidelong glances in the hallway and “accidental” contact in the break room. Soon, your lunch hours could get veeery interesting.
Tease them
They have a childlike, pigtail-pulling streak so take it back to first grade. Try some, er, elementary tactics to loosen them up.
Intrigue them
Capricorn loves a good project. If you seem complex or mysterious, they may want to solve the puzzle.
Dating a Capricorn: Aim high
With their refined tastes, Capricorns can be expensive dates! Anything elite, rare, limited, or hard-to-get-into is right up their alley. Be it a newly-opened restaurant or backstage passes to a concert, they’ll swoon for a sweetie with the status to get into the VIP lounge. Dress-up dates at elegant venues give them a chance to live out their power couple fantasies and be “seen on the scene.” Highly physical, they might just grab you out of the blue for a passionate—and shocking—high-voltage kiss.
Driven and goal-oriented
Nothing turns Capricorns on like someone who has their s*!t together. Getting them away from the office is challenging when you’re dating a Capricorn. It’s often impossible; in fact, they actually enjoy a side-by-side “work date.” There’s something about being productive that gets them in the mood for love. Take a lunch break to chatter about progress—or enjoy a sexy nooner. Bonus to anyone who brews a cup of tea or nurtures Capricorn with home-cooked food while they work.
Family comes first for this sign
An early date may include accompanying they to a cousin’s wedding or office picnic. Capricorns love history, so wander through a landmark neighborhood and take artsy photographs—they have a great eye!
They can be health and sports nuts too
Meet for dinner at a vegetarian restaurant if you’re dating a Capricorn. And follow up with a beer-swilling baseball game. Since Capricorn is an earth sign, spend time in the great outdoors, going hiking, rock-climbing or camping. They might turn a romantic interest into their jogging partner or workout buddy: who says a sweaty lap through the park can’t be romantic?
What to do on a date with a Capricorn
- Take a road trip to an age-old landmark or visit a gorgeous cathedral
- Go to a sports game with a small group of friends
- Work date! Break out the laptops and be productive together
- Get active in nature: hike, bike ride, jog or try a rock-climbing adventure
- Try a yoga class together, then refresh at a juice bar or raw food restaurant
- Score tickets to an exclusive party or country club: posh, elegant and VIP are the keywords here
- Set up poker night and invite all of your mutual friends
- Invite them to a family or work function, or accompany them to one of theirs