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Salaam People.

At watch age do you think you should stop calling women you dont know as habaryar/eedo and instead start referring to them as abaayo/walal etc?

I know, ultimately it all comes down to the difference in age of the person in question and yourself and of course it has always been more respectful to call gabar anaad taqaan eedo ama habaryar. But it has always been so much easier when you were younger. I mean anyone that conversed with hooyo instead of yourself when they came over would be your habaryar/eedo ....laakiin when you get older it becomes more difficult to determine the ages of people. For me, Im rubbish at it. The other day I met this lady and naturally i started saying habaryar to her (she looked about late 30s, or so I thought)... but then she went "Ma ana habaryar ku ahay?"...with this really offended look. Now i havnt a clue what to call her when i see her... I mean im no islaan but I also do not look like an obvious 21 year old so when I see gabar somaaliyeed, I now have to wait unitl they bring up the words eedo, habaryar or walal before I respond with the same.

This can also be about guys as well, adeeryaal iyo abtiyaal.....laakiin I figured they're not as touchy about their age as women are lol.

I knew as was getting old when women I would refer to as edo or habo were calling me walaal. Shocking. Men on the other hand love being referred to as adeer or abti, its like a sign of respect and they won't get offended. Like one guy who is 25, barley older than me, but refers to me a abtiyo because he is related to my mother.

"Ma ana habaryar ku ahay?"...

I try to avoid the Habar yar/Eedo situation at all costs. Always have done even as a kid because I am never sure which one to use.

If there's a woman I don't know I just talk to her like I would any non Somali lady her age but in af Somali.

i stopped calling aunt and uncle long time ago. well, last year.

even tho guys less sensitive but now i call them: abu hebel, um hebel.

If someone is old enough to be your mother, it is ok to call Eeddo, but if she is 4 or 5 yrs older I think it is not appropriate to call eeddo..Specially in this era where birthday is 01/01/1992 and the likes.. I met my first grade teacher and believe me she ignored me and she didn't want to be seen with her Dadka qaar maba xishoonayaan..Can you imagine someone who was your next door neighbor and even not ashamed of you when they hide their age

kambuli, why you call me eedo then?lol

obviously you are not even close to my mom's age. i noticed you just like to make your self older than you're.