Feminine equivalent to mate
I am seeking a feminine equivalent to mate. Lets say I am walking in a hallway and bump into a male college; I would say something along the lines of
Sorry, mate/lad/pal.
However when I bump into a female, I just say "Sorry" which I feel is a bit lacking.
Is there a feminine equivalent to mate?
word-choice single-word-requests gender-positive
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
add a comment |
I am seeking a feminine equivalent to mate. Lets say I am walking in a hallway and bump into a male college; I would say something along the lines of
Sorry, mate/lad/pal.
However when I bump into a female, I just say "Sorry" which I feel is a bit lacking.
Is there a feminine equivalent to mate?
word-choice single-word-requests gender-positive
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
I think this varies according to the country, your gender and age, and their age.
– andy256
Jan 24 '15 at 4:48
add a comment |
I am seeking a feminine equivalent to mate. Lets say I am walking in a hallway and bump into a male college; I would say something along the lines of
Sorry, mate/lad/pal.
However when I bump into a female, I just say "Sorry" which I feel is a bit lacking.
Is there a feminine equivalent to mate?
word-choice single-word-requests gender-positive
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
I am seeking a feminine equivalent to mate. Lets say I am walking in a hallway and bump into a male college; I would say something along the lines of
Sorry, mate/lad/pal.
However when I bump into a female, I just say "Sorry" which I feel is a bit lacking.
Is there a feminine equivalent to mate?
word-choice single-word-requests gender-positive
word-choice single-word-requests gender-positive
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
edited Jan 24 '15 at 15:02
tchrist♦
109k30295475
109k30295475
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
asked Jan 24 '15 at 3:50
Slava KnyazevSlava Knyazev
504516
504516
I think this varies according to the country, your gender and age, and their age.
– andy256
Jan 24 '15 at 4:48
add a comment |
I think this varies according to the country, your gender and age, and their age.
– andy256
Jan 24 '15 at 4:48
I think this varies according to the country, your gender and age, and their age.
– andy256
Jan 24 '15 at 4:48
I think this varies according to the country, your gender and age, and their age.
– andy256
Jan 24 '15 at 4:48
add a comment |
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
Mate/pal work just fine for ladies as long as they actually are your friend: best of mates, we're just mates, pals together and so on, but, mate/pal doesn't work as well as it does with men when the woman you are apologising to is unknown to you.
In my opinion, the safest Sorry (for a man) to say to a woman is just plain Sorry.
The following terms are UK based.
If you want to take a little risk then you could try
Sorry Miss for a youngish lady or Sorry Madam for an older one but that seems quite stuffy and Madam might not always be well received.
I don't think Sorry Missus is very popular unless said by children.
All the phrases below are also used by women when talking to women or men (friend or stranger).
Sorry love is generally acceptable in most of the UK.
Sorry dear should perhaps be reserved for ladies older than yourself these days, but then if they don't think they are old ...
Sorry darling might well get you some grief unless the lady is your wife, girlfriend or a friend although it was (and probably still is) commonly used in the South.
Sorry pet seems reasonably acceptable in Northern England along with Sorry lass if the lady is younger than you.
Sorry hen in Scotland seems to cause offence as often as it doesn't.
This probably applies equally to Excuse Me: when you want to interrupt someone to ask them a question Excuse me mate works fine when you are asking a man, just plain Excuse me when you are asking a woman.
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
add a comment |
Most of the equivalent female specific terms either have a history of being used condescendingly ('darling', 'babe', 'pet', 'love') or imply something about a person's age ('miss', "ma'am") so I would avoid using any of them. "Sorry" or "Excuse me" are both the best options, but I really don't see anything wrong with using "mate" in a gender neutral way
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
add a comment |
I would put in: "(I am so)sorry" for politeness, or simply "I apologise" which is also fine, by my own standards.
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
1
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
add a comment |
I'm a woman and if someone I don't know uses 'love' or 'pet' I think I would want to punch them in the face. 'Mate' it's quite common, can't see anything wrong about that.'Dear' doesn't sound bad but it is more common to hear it from an older lady.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
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user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Mate/pal work just fine for ladies as long as they actually are your friend: best of mates, we're just mates, pals together and so on, but, mate/pal doesn't work as well as it does with men when the woman you are apologising to is unknown to you.
In my opinion, the safest Sorry (for a man) to say to a woman is just plain Sorry.
The following terms are UK based.
If you want to take a little risk then you could try
Sorry Miss for a youngish lady or Sorry Madam for an older one but that seems quite stuffy and Madam might not always be well received.
I don't think Sorry Missus is very popular unless said by children.
All the phrases below are also used by women when talking to women or men (friend or stranger).
Sorry love is generally acceptable in most of the UK.
Sorry dear should perhaps be reserved for ladies older than yourself these days, but then if they don't think they are old ...
Sorry darling might well get you some grief unless the lady is your wife, girlfriend or a friend although it was (and probably still is) commonly used in the South.
Sorry pet seems reasonably acceptable in Northern England along with Sorry lass if the lady is younger than you.
Sorry hen in Scotland seems to cause offence as often as it doesn't.
This probably applies equally to Excuse Me: when you want to interrupt someone to ask them a question Excuse me mate works fine when you are asking a man, just plain Excuse me when you are asking a woman.
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
add a comment |
Mate/pal work just fine for ladies as long as they actually are your friend: best of mates, we're just mates, pals together and so on, but, mate/pal doesn't work as well as it does with men when the woman you are apologising to is unknown to you.
In my opinion, the safest Sorry (for a man) to say to a woman is just plain Sorry.
The following terms are UK based.
If you want to take a little risk then you could try
Sorry Miss for a youngish lady or Sorry Madam for an older one but that seems quite stuffy and Madam might not always be well received.
I don't think Sorry Missus is very popular unless said by children.
All the phrases below are also used by women when talking to women or men (friend or stranger).
Sorry love is generally acceptable in most of the UK.
Sorry dear should perhaps be reserved for ladies older than yourself these days, but then if they don't think they are old ...
Sorry darling might well get you some grief unless the lady is your wife, girlfriend or a friend although it was (and probably still is) commonly used in the South.
Sorry pet seems reasonably acceptable in Northern England along with Sorry lass if the lady is younger than you.
Sorry hen in Scotland seems to cause offence as often as it doesn't.
This probably applies equally to Excuse Me: when you want to interrupt someone to ask them a question Excuse me mate works fine when you are asking a man, just plain Excuse me when you are asking a woman.
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
add a comment |
Mate/pal work just fine for ladies as long as they actually are your friend: best of mates, we're just mates, pals together and so on, but, mate/pal doesn't work as well as it does with men when the woman you are apologising to is unknown to you.
In my opinion, the safest Sorry (for a man) to say to a woman is just plain Sorry.
The following terms are UK based.
If you want to take a little risk then you could try
Sorry Miss for a youngish lady or Sorry Madam for an older one but that seems quite stuffy and Madam might not always be well received.
I don't think Sorry Missus is very popular unless said by children.
All the phrases below are also used by women when talking to women or men (friend or stranger).
Sorry love is generally acceptable in most of the UK.
Sorry dear should perhaps be reserved for ladies older than yourself these days, but then if they don't think they are old ...
Sorry darling might well get you some grief unless the lady is your wife, girlfriend or a friend although it was (and probably still is) commonly used in the South.
Sorry pet seems reasonably acceptable in Northern England along with Sorry lass if the lady is younger than you.
Sorry hen in Scotland seems to cause offence as often as it doesn't.
This probably applies equally to Excuse Me: when you want to interrupt someone to ask them a question Excuse me mate works fine when you are asking a man, just plain Excuse me when you are asking a woman.
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
Mate/pal work just fine for ladies as long as they actually are your friend: best of mates, we're just mates, pals together and so on, but, mate/pal doesn't work as well as it does with men when the woman you are apologising to is unknown to you.
In my opinion, the safest Sorry (for a man) to say to a woman is just plain Sorry.
The following terms are UK based.
If you want to take a little risk then you could try
Sorry Miss for a youngish lady or Sorry Madam for an older one but that seems quite stuffy and Madam might not always be well received.
I don't think Sorry Missus is very popular unless said by children.
All the phrases below are also used by women when talking to women or men (friend or stranger).
Sorry love is generally acceptable in most of the UK.
Sorry dear should perhaps be reserved for ladies older than yourself these days, but then if they don't think they are old ...
Sorry darling might well get you some grief unless the lady is your wife, girlfriend or a friend although it was (and probably still is) commonly used in the South.
Sorry pet seems reasonably acceptable in Northern England along with Sorry lass if the lady is younger than you.
Sorry hen in Scotland seems to cause offence as often as it doesn't.
This probably applies equally to Excuse Me: when you want to interrupt someone to ask them a question Excuse me mate works fine when you are asking a man, just plain Excuse me when you are asking a woman.
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
answered Jan 24 '15 at 15:48
FrankFrank
4,62811329
4,62811329
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
add a comment |
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
Unfortunate....
– Slava Knyazev
Jan 24 '15 at 18:31
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
@ViruZX It's just the way it is. Sorry by itself, as long as you mean it, is enough. It would be interesting to hear what some of the lady members of this site thought.
– Frank
Jan 24 '15 at 18:43
add a comment |
Most of the equivalent female specific terms either have a history of being used condescendingly ('darling', 'babe', 'pet', 'love') or imply something about a person's age ('miss', "ma'am") so I would avoid using any of them. "Sorry" or "Excuse me" are both the best options, but I really don't see anything wrong with using "mate" in a gender neutral way
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
add a comment |
Most of the equivalent female specific terms either have a history of being used condescendingly ('darling', 'babe', 'pet', 'love') or imply something about a person's age ('miss', "ma'am") so I would avoid using any of them. "Sorry" or "Excuse me" are both the best options, but I really don't see anything wrong with using "mate" in a gender neutral way
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
add a comment |
Most of the equivalent female specific terms either have a history of being used condescendingly ('darling', 'babe', 'pet', 'love') or imply something about a person's age ('miss', "ma'am") so I would avoid using any of them. "Sorry" or "Excuse me" are both the best options, but I really don't see anything wrong with using "mate" in a gender neutral way
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
Most of the equivalent female specific terms either have a history of being used condescendingly ('darling', 'babe', 'pet', 'love') or imply something about a person's age ('miss', "ma'am") so I would avoid using any of them. "Sorry" or "Excuse me" are both the best options, but I really don't see anything wrong with using "mate" in a gender neutral way
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
answered Mar 27 '18 at 21:35
divibisandivibisan
1496
1496
add a comment |
add a comment |
I would put in: "(I am so)sorry" for politeness, or simply "I apologise" which is also fine, by my own standards.
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
1
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
add a comment |
I would put in: "(I am so)sorry" for politeness, or simply "I apologise" which is also fine, by my own standards.
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
1
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
add a comment |
I would put in: "(I am so)sorry" for politeness, or simply "I apologise" which is also fine, by my own standards.
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
I would put in: "(I am so)sorry" for politeness, or simply "I apologise" which is also fine, by my own standards.
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
edited Mar 27 '18 at 18:27
lbf
22.2k22575
22.2k22575
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
answered Mar 27 '18 at 18:19
user290078user290078
1
1
1
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
add a comment |
1
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
1
1
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
Use citations in answers, if you please.
– lbf
Mar 27 '18 at 18:25
add a comment |
I'm a woman and if someone I don't know uses 'love' or 'pet' I think I would want to punch them in the face. 'Mate' it's quite common, can't see anything wrong about that.'Dear' doesn't sound bad but it is more common to hear it from an older lady.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
I'm a woman and if someone I don't know uses 'love' or 'pet' I think I would want to punch them in the face. 'Mate' it's quite common, can't see anything wrong about that.'Dear' doesn't sound bad but it is more common to hear it from an older lady.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
I'm a woman and if someone I don't know uses 'love' or 'pet' I think I would want to punch them in the face. 'Mate' it's quite common, can't see anything wrong about that.'Dear' doesn't sound bad but it is more common to hear it from an older lady.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I'm a woman and if someone I don't know uses 'love' or 'pet' I think I would want to punch them in the face. 'Mate' it's quite common, can't see anything wrong about that.'Dear' doesn't sound bad but it is more common to hear it from an older lady.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
answered 2 days ago
user341831user341831
1
1
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
user341831 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
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I think this varies according to the country, your gender and age, and their age.
– andy256
Jan 24 '15 at 4:48