What does it mean when an ex-boyfriend says he wants to be friends but doesn't talk to you and only says hey to you when you pass by him at school?

Answer 1

What he really meant was he wants to remain friendly; that is, he hopes the both of you can act civilly toward each other. He doesn't want to be your friend, but he doesn't want to be your enemy, either. In English, as practiced by modern Americans, we have but do not use words to describe the state of knowing someone but not really being friends, unless we dislike them (enemy), or work with them (co-worker). In other countries and languages the use of the word friend is more clearly regulated. We've more or less let aquantience drop from everyday use here, which leads to the confusion. But I figure what he's probably trying to say is that he doesn't dislike you, but he's not really interested in being close to you any more. He still needs time to get over that feeling towards you. He is still not confident to approach you without that old feeling yet.