Can you call someone younger than you maam?

“Miss” is typically used for younger women and “ma’am” for more mature women. Unless you use the term with a sarcastic tone, most women will not object to being called “ma’am”, as a sign of respect (from, say, a salesperson to a customer, or simply from a younger person to an older one).

What should I call the younger ones?

What is another word for young people?

Can you call someone younger than you sir?

Both are respectful and don’t imply the person is old, or young. It only implies you are an adult. Few people these days, no matter what age, are offended by being called “Sir,” or “Miss.” If you have a tip-based or commission based job, I’m pretty sure your take ho…

What age is ma’am used for?

Ma’am is short for Madam and, by definition, is age-neutral. Miss refers to a “young lady” or “a young unmarried woman or girl.”

Do you say ma’am in the military?

A soldier, in addressing a military superior, uses the word “Sir” or “Ma’am” in generally the same manner as does a civilian speaking to a person to whom he wishes to show respect.

Should you say ma’am and Sir?

In the case of sir and ma’am, it is as appropriate in the northern, eastern and western parts of the country as it is in the South. It’s not so much about location, it’s just polite — respectful adults using the words and mindful parents teaching their children to do the same.

Do you call older people sir?

Both are respectful and don’t imply the person is old, or young. It only implies you are an adult. Few people these days, no matter what age, are offended by being called “Sir,” or “Miss.” If you have a tip-based or commission based job, I’m pretty sure your take home pay will go up.

Is it better to call someone Sir or Ma’am?

If you call out Sir to a group of men of almost any age, you will in all likelihood get the attention of most of them except the very youngest. Ma’am will get most women’s attention, even if they don’t like it.

What does it mean when a young person calls a woman Ma’am?

When a younger person calls an adult “ma’am,” it’s seen as a “sign of respect,” but the young person could also be saying it as a way to call attention to the woman’s age (as a way of being, ironically, disrespectful). Oh, cut it out already. Today,”ma’am” is not a genteel term. It has a cultural connotation akin to “soccer mom” or “hey, you.”

Why do I say “Ma’am” to women twice my age?

Most people say “ma’am” as a form of respect, and it has little to nothing to do with age or how old you look. However, I do remember just a few years ago some ladies twice my age would call me “hon” and now those same ladies call me “ma’am.” Maybe it’s because I am getting older.

Do people call you “miss” or “Ma’am”?

My experience was that people called me “Miss” when I was young enough that most girls my age would not be married; and they called me “Ma’am” when I was at an age that most women of my age would be married. I think it had more to do with that, than age per se, like in French, “Mademoiselle” versus “Madame.”