What do you call strangers?

meritaten

depends where in the country you are - here in South East Wales (Valleys) its acceptable to call a male stranger 'Butt' and a female 'Luv'.
also acceptable is 'Mate' for males and 'Miss' for females.
as in 'Scuse me Butt, but you dropped your wallet! or
Scuse me luv, but you dropped your purse!

Errata

Excuse me, or if they're half way down the street cooeeeeeeeeee!

Funky_Bold_Ribena

*max* wrote: »

Thanks all! I guess I have to relax a bit and stop thinking I'm going to offend if I don't use Sir or Madame! No matter how long you've been in a country, your "foreign" upbringing never really leaves you I suppose!

Max I'm not that way inclined but I would pay for you to call me Madame on a regular basis.

*max*

Funky_Bold_Ribena wrote: »

Max I'm not that way inclined but I would pay for you to call me Madame on a regular basis.

:rotfl:

Ms_Chocaholic

Oi you would work just fine :eek:

busiscoming2

I'd use 'excuse me'. I think it's pretty standard.

January20

*max* wrote: »

Thanks all! I guess I have to relax a bit and stop thinking I'm going to offend if I don't use Sir or Madame! No matter how long you've been in a country, your "foreign" upbringing never really leaves you I suppose!

Do you think it should Max? I like being a foreigner in this country. Of course, it is made easier by the fact I am a white European so I blend in easily.... until I open my mouth!

Sometimes, people wonder why I have still got an accent after so long, but I don't think I'll ever lose it and I don't think I want to lose it. Being French (even a very well integrated one) is part of who I am.

Perhaps in the north east people are more tolerant of mistakes than wherever you live? I do wonder now! (They are certainly lovely people up here )

aliasojo

Max, January...can you phone me? I love hearing English spoken with a French accent.

I like hearing French spoken with a French accent too mind but I wouldn't understand much of that. :rotfl:

I also like the Geordie accent and the Irish accent (not the harsh one, the other one, don't actually know what region that is ).

I have a Scottish accent which I hate, it's too 'broad'.

Not that any of that is relevent to the OP mind. :rotfl:

I'm in the 'excuse me' camp....said louder each time I need to repeat it until the person looks round. Along with everyone else in the shop/on the bus.

Lieja

I don't think I've ever called a stranger Sir or Madame! If someone had dropped something, I would say 'scuse me' loudly, touching them on the arm if they were close enough. My Geordie OH would say the same if it was a woman (minus the touching), or of it was a man he'd just shout 'mate!'.

We're not all that refined up here

**professor~yaffle**

aliasojo wrote: »

Max, January...can you phone me? I love hearing English spoken with a French accent.

She might have picked up a bit of Geordie
I'm just trying to imagine a French accent mingled with Newcastle!