Can you be friends with your ex?

Well, the answer is, NO. Remember, “Friends can be lovers, but lovers can never be friends”. Let’s look at the reasons why, If you are okay to be friends with your past love then that means that the hard feelings between you and him/her are gone. And if that is the case, then don’t forget, what attracted you to him/ her in the first place, is probably still there. Couldn’t that lead to the past emotions coming back? Temptations happen. Think it over, you were attracted to this person in the past, and somewhere in your heart you may still be attracted to him/her. This Defeats any room for friendship.

Moreover, wont being friends with your old flame create problems in your present life, especially if you have a new girlfriend/boyfriend or wife/husband. This will be very unfair to them. Just put yourself in there position, just try to envision how you will feel if your current becomes good friends with there ex.
Such situations only bring insecurities and tension into the relationship, creating breeding grounds for breakups. If you really care about your current relationship, make a wise decision and avoid maintaining a friendship with your ex.

One more thing you need to understand is, once you have had a physical relationship with someone, a plutonic liaison with them is unattainable. It is virtually impossible to be friends with somebody you have had an intense relationship with. The sexual frustration will between you and your ex will always be there even if you have gone through the break up and moved on beyond the point of hurt.
Seeing them with someone else will be hard for you.

Ex-lovers who have shared a close relationship in the past if decide to become friends, it is only in the hope that they might get back together again.

You should think about the reasons why you broke up with that person. There is a very solid reason why he/she is your ex and not you’re present. If the reasons were hurtful and unpleasant then that should be a sign enough to drop the idea. People don’t change. Moreover, even if you genuinely want to be friends with your ex, you will have to keep in mind that their bad intolerable habits, which drove you insane still, exist. Even as a friend, you will have to put up with all of them. Are you sure you want to go through that all over again?

In all, you broke it off, so just move on. It’s a bad idea to be friends with your ex-flame. However; this does not mean you have to be rude or impolite to them. If you ever bump into them, be nice. But don’t start talking to them on a regular basis.