Question
17 January
- Korean
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
"old man"
Does this word basically sound polite or rude or could it have any nuances depending on the tone?
"old man"
Does this word basically sound polite or rude or could it have any nuances depending on the tone?
Does this word basically sound polite or rude or could it have any nuances depending on the tone?
Answers
When you "disagree" with an answer
The owner of it will not be notified.
Only the user who asked this question will see who disagreed with this answer.
Read more comments
- English (US)
I guess it does have to do with the tone a little bit. As if you were just describing someone it would be harmless but if you said it a bit harshly it could come off as insulting
- English (US)
In English some people refer to their fathers as"My Old Man" and it is not considered an insult but if its directed at someone who is a stranger( depending on the tone) it is basically like calling them weak and pathetic which is an insult.
- English (US)
If it's an address, it's rude. "Hey, old man!" would be a very blunt and honestly rude way to call an elderly person in English.
If it's just in narration, it's neutral: like in "there was an old man sitting on the bench," "an old man told me," etc, it's just a way to indicate that the person is old.
Another (less frequent) use of "old man" is slang to talk about one's father: my old man = my father. But it's slang, so it's not super polite either. And it wouldn't be an address (you wouldn't directly call someone this), just a way to talk *about* that person.
[News] Hey you! The one learning a language!
Do you know how to improve your language skills❓ All you have to do is have your writing corrected by a native speaker!
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
Sign up
Similar questions
- I visited (a/ an) old man last night. So it will be a or an?
- What is the difference between man and guy ?
- The man hired in this Aplil,not knowing how to use the machine,remained just standing. Does this ...
Newest Questions
- Last night, me and my friends talked about Max. Today , Max asked me that "What did your friends ...
- The dog is in the yard. There is a dog in the yard. Does that mean the same thing?
- Which is correct? Be not shy. Don’t be shy.
- 00s , Does "s" here means "years " years old ? I noticed it on a girl's ig profile.
- (This is a question about pronunciation) Is my pronunciation correct? I linked the clip below:...
Topic Questions
- How do you say "ネイティブのアメリカ人" in English (US)? When I say Native American, it's obviously different.
- is it required to put "a" in this situation? like that I'm deciding which major to take or which ...
- Is that possible to say “Tokyo is sunny today.” ?
- I saw this sentence There is coal, oil, and so on. But I think "There are coal, oil, and s...
- The waves are going to get you. Are there any better words for ‘get’ ?
Recommended Questions
- what is correct? Where are you study? Or Where do you study? Thank you.
- what should I answer with "How's your day?" "How's It going?" example plz can I say "pretty good"?
- How to respond to "I hope you are doing well"?
- 以前アメリカ人のネイティブの方に添削して頂いたのですが、is being〜という記述があってよくわかりません。 これはこれは進行系なのですか。 どういう時に使われるのかいまいちよくわかりませ...
- if you're driving 60 miles an hour and you drive for one hour how far do you travel? why the an...
Previous question/ Next question
What’s this symbol?
The Language Level symbol shows a user's proficiency in the languages they're interested in. Setting your Language Level helps other users provide you with answers that aren't too complex or too simple.
-
Beginner
Has difficulty understanding even short answers in this language.
-
Beginner-Intermediate
Can ask simple questions and can understand simple answers.
-
Intermediate
Can ask all types of general questions and can understand longer answers.
-
Advanced
Can understand long, complex answers.
Sign up for premium, and you can play other user's audio/video answers.
Tired of searching? HiNative can help you find that answer you're looking for.
