| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Addressing a person using Mr., Ms. or Mrs. Thread poster: dyranz
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Henry Hinds wrote:
There is also the same problem between Spanish and English, because in Spanish the situation is the same as with Thai, but in English such usage is limited to dialectical or older versions of the language such as examples others have given, and it is not universal.
I don't think "Senor Juan" is common in Spanish, is it? Senor Martínez, Senor Juan Martínez... but not normally with the first name only. Perhaps in Latin America or with some specific significance?
Only the novel "Dona Bárbara" comes to my mind but that's a whole different story.
[Edited at 2008-06-20 09:03]
| | | | Paul Dixon 
Brazil
Local time: 20:42
Portuguese to English
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| Comparison with Portuguese | Jun 20, 2008 |
In English, different from Portuguese, Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms plus first name is wrong. Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms is used before the full name (not addressing someone but rather in formal writing) or surname only, and not combined with "Esquire", so it would be John Smith Esq. and not Mr John Smith Esq.
What happens in Portuguese is that first names are nearly always used, both independently (between friends) and preceded by Sr/Sra/Srta in more formal situations. In Brazil, title + last name is extrem... See more In English, different from Portuguese, Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms plus first name is wrong. Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms is used before the full name (not addressing someone but rather in formal writing) or surname only, and not combined with "Esquire", so it would be John Smith Esq. and not Mr John Smith Esq.
What happens in Portuguese is that first names are nearly always used, both independently (between friends) and preceded by Sr/Sra/Srta in more formal situations. In Brazil, title + last name is extremely formal and used between lawyers or politicians. Title + full name is very rare but occasionally seen.
BTW, for those not familiar with Portuguese, Sr (senhor) means Mr, Sra (senhora) is Mrs and Srta (senhorita) is Miss. When a neutral style is intended (like Ms), then Senhora is the usual form.
Then we have "Dona" (very informal, usually addressed to an older woman), "Tia" (not politically correct, used by small children to address their female schoolteachers) and a host of others, down to the extremely informal "Seu" - so someone called José may be referred to as "Seu Zé".
I hope this helps. ▲ Collapse
| | | | iseult
United States
Local time: 19:42
English to Polish
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| Polish just like Portuguese | Jun 30, 2008 |
In Polish just like in Potuguese it is very common to use Mr. (Pan) and Mrs. (Pani) with first name. Using title and surname sounds very formal. The other thing is that we use verbs in the third person singular in such sentences. So, the whole phrase always sounds formal, because of this construction.
Another interesting thing is that we do not use word Miss (Panna) to address people anymore (since thirties I think). When a girl looks "old enough" we just call her Pani (means both: Ms and... See more In Polish just like in Potuguese it is very common to use Mr. (Pan) and Mrs. (Pani) with first name. Using title and surname sounds very formal. The other thing is that we use verbs in the third person singular in such sentences. So, the whole phrase always sounds formal, because of this construction.
Another interesting thing is that we do not use word Miss (Panna) to address people anymore (since thirties I think). When a girl looks "old enough" we just call her Pani (means both: Ms and Mrs) and don't bother with her marital status. When interpreting, I often have to explain to English speaking people why unmarried young women want to be called Mrs.
Regards,
Polish instructor ▲ Collapse
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