In a song called [イノコリ先生] I found a phrase in the lyric which I could not
translate into a good understandable meaning from its individual meanings by
myself. [友達とは違う関係] . If I try to roughly translate it by myself, it would be
[with friend is a relationship that differs]?! And it doesn't make any sense.
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2016-10-16T07:19:19.357
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2016-10-17T08:55:22.893
2016-10-16T12:00:14.733
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question
grammar song-lyrics
How can this phrase be translated?
It means our relationship is different than friends.

It's a bit hard to explain, but ... と is used to compare 2 things. "friend" is
1 of the things we are trying to compare, the other one is implied to be "what
is between us", then 違う関係 means a different relationship. So basically it's
like saying "friend" is not be the correct "relationship" to be "compared"
with "what we have". If that make any sense.
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2016-10-16T07:25:15.063
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2016-10-16T07:40:38.293
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answer
The biggest issue I see in your translation is using "with" for "と". You need
to separate a modifying phrase 友達とは違う and a modified noun 関係.

> 関係 means relationship.
>
> 違う means to differ (from).

The above phrase translates to _relationship that differs (literally)_ and
_different relationship_. You may ask _differ from what_? The answer is

> 友達とは違う means to differ from a friend.

If you combine all three of them, the literal translation would be _a
relationship that differs from a friend_. It could mean an ambiguous
relationship between a friend and lover, for example. You think your
relationship is no longer friendship because you've done something that
friends don't usually do. That's one of the contexts where you can use the
phrase.
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2016-10-16T11:39:42.603
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2016-10-17T08:55:22.893
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answer