Hello, Ladies. How do you feel when a person calls you ‘Madam? You have probably heard the word before or you have been called so. How did you respond?
Many will agree with me that the word does not require any response. However, not everyone thinks so. While the word is an innocent way of addressing respected women, some women do not like the word.
It could be a mere feeling of modesty or the word just makes them feel old. Whether you like the word or not, below are 15 ways we suggest you may respond to the word.
15 Appropriate Responses to Madam
- Sir?
- Hello.
- Greetings
- How are you doing?
- Boss.
- Don’t call me that.
- Yes?
- Just call me by my name.
- I’m not that old.
- I hear you.
- Good day
- That makes me feel old.
- Thank you.
- Alright, sir.
- Thanks! However, just call me [Your name]
Sir?
It has been mentioned earlier that ‘Madam’ often does not require a response. You know it requires no response, especially when it has been used to address you within a sentence.
The only way you can respond is to correct the statement and that is if you do not like to be called ‘Madam’.
However, ‘Madam’ may not only come in sentences as a show of respect but also to get your attention. It can be used instead of ‘Hello’. You can think of it as a way of calling a person by his or her name.
The difference here is the person isn’t calling you by your name for a reason or the other. It could be because he or she does not know your name or just to avoid calling your first name which is often seen as a show of disrespect in some cultures.
You can respond by saying ‘Sir’ if the person that has called your attention is a man. You will only be saying this to show that you heard the man call you and he now has your full attention.
You can also say ‘Sir’ to a woman who keeps addressing you as ‘Madam’ if you don’t like the word. In this case, it will be a sarcastic way of saying the added ‘Madam’ in every sentence is unnecessary.
Hello.
We all know what ‘Hello’ means. Virtually everyone uses the word on a daily basis and we don’t even need to teach children what the word means.
I have never checked the dictionary for the meaning of this word and I am sure you have never thought to do so either.
This is because the meaning of the word has been interpreted to us through its regular use. The word is used for getting a person’s attention. It may also be used for greeting people or responding to greetings.
When a person gets your attention, saying ‘Madam’, you can respond by saying Hello. This is much more suitable if the person is a stranger. You will be greeting the person and indirectly asking why you have been called.
You can also use this to get a person’s attention after he or she has called you a madam. Then you can tell the person to stop calling you madam.
Greetings
It probably sounds weird that ‘greetings’ is also a greeting word. Yes. People often just say ‘greetings’ when they are trying to greet a person (e.g. Greetings to you, ladies and gentlemen; Greetings, sir etc.) and it is accepted virtually everywhere.
You can say this when a person calls your attention. After walking up to the person or waiting for him or her to walk up to you, you can shake hands and say ‘Greetings’. If it is a stranger, which it most likely is, you can ask ‘How may I help you?’
400;”>This response does not work in calling out a person who has called you Madam when you don’t want to be called ‘Madam’.
How are you doing?
We have all heard or used this question one too many times. This question is used to ask after a person’s welfare. While it is a nice question for greeting people, it is not something you say to just anyone.
You can’t ask a stranger this question since you don’t know each other in any way. However, you can ask an acquaintance or a friend whom you haven’t met or talked to in a long time. Saying this to a close friend whom you see every day may even feel absurd for both of you.
When a person calls your attention, you can look back at the person or say anything to show that you heard the person, then you can greet the person by asking how he or she is doing. As mentioned earlier, this can only be an acquaintance or a friend you haven’t met with in a while.
Boss.
Your boss is your ‘boss’. We all know who our bosses are. Every place of work has a boss who calls the shots and has the final say on the affairs of the organization. While a ‘boss’ is meant to be an official employer, it doesn’t always refer to the owner of a company or an employee.
It is often used informally to refer to a person whom you respect. Have you ever wondered why waiters call you boss? Madam is used in a similar way.
When a person tries to show you respect by calling you ‘Madam’, you can simply respond with boss. This does not imply that you hate or like the word.
Rather, it is just an acknowledgement of the fact that you heard the person call you ‘Madam’. It can be considered more as a way of having fun than as a way is showing mutual respect.
Don’t call me that.
This is a simple rejection of the word. It is straightforward and may just be the best option if you really do not like the word ‘Madam’. While the word doesn’t hurt anyone, you may have your reasons for not wanting to be called ‘Madam’ by anyone or by a certain person.
You can tell the person to not call you ‘Madam_ anymore. However, you shouldn’t just say this and stop. You may leave the person in a dilemma if he or she does not know your name and has no idea of what to call you. Therefore, after saying this, you can say what you want to be addressed as.
Yes?
‘Yes’ is a word of acknowledgement, affirmation, etc. In this case, it is used to ask a question. It is like saying ‘What?’ or ‘What do you want?’. However, people will find it more polite to say ‘Yes?’ as a question.
You can respond with this one word when a person calls you ‘Madam’ to get your attention. The show of respect in responding to a call is often unnecessary, especially if you haven’t even looked at the person calling your attention.
‘Yes?’ in this case acknowledges that you heard the person call you and shows that your attention is given.
Just call me by my name.
You can asked to be called by your name instead of being called ‘Madam’. You don’t need to explain why you don’t want to be called ‘Madam’.
When a person calls you ‘Madam’ and you don’t like it, you can simply call the person back and tell him or her not to call you that anymore.
Instead of simply telling the person not to call you ‘Madam’ anymore, you can tell the person what name to call you. It could be a different word of respect. It could be a title. It could also be your nickname or your real name.
If the person already knows your name, you can say ‘Just call me by my name’.
I’m not that old.
I don’t know how old you are but I am in support of you if you don’t think you are that old to be addressed as ‘Madam’ in every conversation.
This is one of the most common reasons some women do not like to be called ‘Madam’. The word, they believe, is for old women so they feel old when they are called ‘Madam’.
If you are one of the women who share this thought, you can simply say this to a person who has been calling you ‘Madam’. It is much lighter than directly telling the person to stop calling you ‘Madam’.
Saying how you feel about being called ‘Madam’ will sound funny to the person. After saying how old you feel by just being called ’Madam’, you can tell the person what name to address you with.
I hear you.
Sometimes, it should be clear that you are listening but it doesn’t seem so to the person speaking. You may have to keep reminding the person that you are listening to all that he or she is saying.
Your attention may be called by someone who is sitting close to you. You can simply say ‘I hear you’ to permit the person to say whatever he or she has called your attention for. You can also say this when the conversation is over.
In the middle of his or her narration, the person may think he or she has lost your attention. Therefore, the person can say ‘Madam’ to get your attention back or, at least, to know if you are still listening or not. To show that you are still listening, you can say ‘I hear you’
Good day
This is another extremely common expression that no one can claim to be unaware of. This is a greeting expression that is used virtually every day in our lives so we can tell what it means without ever going to the dictionary for any explanation.
‘Good day’ can be used to greet at day and may even be used at night. ‘Good day’ can be said when you or a person arrives in a place. It can also be used when you or a person departs from a place.
When ‘Madam’ has been used to call you, you can respond by greeting with ‘Good day’. It is like simply saying ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you doing?
That makes me feel old.
This is an open way of saying why you don’t want to be called ‘Madam’. The word makes you feel old, like some other women out there. You can simply tell the person that the word makes you feel old and you would rather be called your name.
Whatever you want to be called, you can state it. You don’t have to sound so aggressive in rejecting the ‘Madam’ word, especially since you know it is just a show of respect to you.
Thank you.
‘Madam’ could have come in the middle of a sentence. While you are not expected to comment on ‘Madam’ in that sentence, you can just address the fact that you were respected by the speaker and you appreciate it.
This response is unsuitable when a person has only said ‘Madam’ to get your attention. In this case, it may not even be a show of respect. It may be just what the person thought he or she could say to get your attention.
You can say ‘thank you’ in response to a person’s show of respect.
Alright, sir.
‘Alright, sir’ in this case may be a mere parting word. It is used to imply that the discussion has ended and the topic has come to a conclusion or a decision, at least.
After a discussion with a person or a businessman, the person can stand up and say ‘Madam’, indicating that your discussion is over. Then, this statement win fit perfectly.
Thanks! However, just call me [Your name]
This response does not suggest that you hate being called ‘Madam’. However, You are still indirectly saying you should not be called ‘Madam’.
This could be a response to only one person. You may be saying this to show that you don’t require any special respect from the person. You are showing appreciation for the respect that has been shown but also saying that you should be called by your name.