Hello everybody,

I just wondered if I grasped this correctly.

So, if:
-Talking to/about someone whose name is known, I use ‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’, or ‘Miss’; e.g. ‘Hello, Mr Smith.’
-Talking to someone whose name is unknown, I use ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’; e.g. ‘Can I help you, sir?’
-Talking about someone whose name is unknown, I use ‘Gentleman’ or ‘Lady’; e.g. ‘Would you excuse me for a moment, I must talk to this gentleman here.’

Is this correct?

Thanks for your help!

Yes, you are correct in your understanding. There is also 'Ms.'(mizz), but I'm not sure exactly under what circumstances this term is used. There is a feminist magazine entitled 'Ms.', but I don't think the term has gained popularity. This is a bit off topic, but I notice that in the U.S.A. people don't say 'Good Day', whereas in Australia you can say 'G'day mate'. In the U.S.A. people greet someone by saying 'Hey' or 'How's it going?'

It's used when the marital status of the women is unknown or when you simply don't wish to emphasise it. In my university, for instance, we didn't use academic titles for professors, only "Mr" and "Ms". (The point was that people's ideas and argumentation should be evaluated independently of their rank or social status.)

Madam may seem "old fashioned" Ma'am (the first a sounding like ankle, the second like ample) or Miss is used more frequently.


The use of gentleman or lady could be replaced with person in your e.g.

Thank you very much!

It's a bit complicated for me because in my language, we only have one set of words that convey all meanings.

Bye