Is 'Hello, you!' affectionate or used when you have forgotten someones name?

[JDi]

Someone recently said this to me whilst I have been at home from University. They said it in quite an upbeat voice. I hadn't seen them for at least two years prior to this.

Is it a sign that they had forgotten my name, or an indication they were pleased to see me?

 

[507021]

Someone recently said this to me whilst I have been at home from University. They said it in quite an upbeat voice. I hadn't seen them for at least two years prior to this.

Is it a sign that they had forgotten my name, or an indication they were pleased to see me?

If it was upbeat as you stated, then I'm sure they were pleased to see you.

 

[najaB]

SIs it a sign that they had forgotten my name, or an indication they were pleased to see me?

Couldn't it be both?

 

[yorksrob]

Indeed. Just because someone might be terrible with names, doesn't mean they aren't pleased to see that person (or at least receptive to being pleased to see you once they've remembered).

 

[Busaholic]

Indeed. Just because someone might be terrible with names, doesn't mean they aren't pleased to see that person (or at least receptive to being pleased to see you once they've remembered).

True story - someone in the shop I used to run was talking to me (I knew him a bit, and knew he'd had a bit of a past) when he noticed another customer looking over towards him. After a while, the chap talking to me went over to the other one and asked 'don't I recognise you from somewhere?' to which the reply came 'hello, dad, long time no see'.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Surely if they didn't like you then they wouldn't have even acknowledged you at all? It will be friendly, especially if said in an upbeat way. I can be terrible with names so I will tend to use 'Morning', 'Afternoon' etc as an acknowledgement if all recollection fails!

 

[yorksrob]

True story - someone in the shop I used to run was talking to me (I knew him a bit, and knew he'd had a bit of a past) when he noticed another customer looking over towards him. After a while, the chap talking to me went over to the other one and asked 'don't I recognise you from somewhere?' to which the reply came 'hello, dad, long time no see'.

Miss-spent youth

 

[DarloRich]

I wouldn't worry about it. I have been greeted with much worse.

 

[yorksrob]

The trick is to not greet anyone by their name ever, then no one can tell whether you've forgotten it or not

 

[Cowley]

The trick is to not greet anyone by their name ever, then no one can tell whether you've forgotten it or not

That is a good trick. I'm terrible with names Yorksdave but if everyone had numbers I'd remember them no problem, I still remember all my friends phone numbers from my childhood.

 

[yorksrob]

That is a good trick. I'm terrible with names Yorksdave but if everyone had numbers I'd remember them no problem, I still remember all my friends phone numbers from my childhood.

Yes, those pre-mobile days when you actually had to dial up your schoolmates to go down the pub

I find forum names that are loco/unit numbers quite difficult to remember though !

 

[MidnightFlyer]

That is a good trick. I'm terrible with names Yorksdave but if everyone had numbers I'd remember them no problem, I still remember all my friends phone numbers from my childhood.

That is exceptionally well-played.

 

[Cowley]

Come to think of it I'm not that good with faces either...

 

[yorkie]

Is it a sign that they had forgotten my name, or an indication they were pleased to see me?

I do not see why it has to be one or the other?

I have a lot of names to remember, it often takes me time to recall a name (that can be a few seconds, or a few minutes, or I may need something else to jog my memory).

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If I'd forgotten someone's name, I'd be far too embarrassed about it to draw attention to it. "Hello you!" Sounds like well-meaning but worryingly hipster-esque greeting rather than a sign of a forgotten name...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Well... there are people I work with who, obviously, I see almost every day for years and years... and I have to admit I sometimes have trouble remembering their names...



And not just at work either.....



Cast your mind back 25 years or so to the London Bridge "open days" when the terminus platforms were full of stuff from the NRM York for one weekend.

A few months earlier, I had taken a friend - who is also on this forum - to the NRM at York and within minutes of arriving I managed to wangle us a guided tour behind the scenes with none other that John Coiley himself taking us round*.

At London Bridge, I saw someone with an NRM badge on and went up to ask him "Excuse me; is Dr Coiley here today please?"

With an exaggerated "rolleyes" motion the reply came, in a *sigh* tone of voice:

"Peter... I am Dr Coiley...!"

:roll:




*Lets anyone ask... before he became head of the NRM when it was established, he worked with my dad so it was a simple matter of asking the person on the entrance desk to call through with my name...

 

[DynamicSpirit]

If I'd forgotten someone's name, I'd be far to embarrassed about it to draw attention to it. "Hello you!" Sounds like well-meaning but worryingly hipster-esque greeting rather than a sign of a forgotten name...

Exactly. If I cant remember someone's name, I just say 'Hello'.

 

[Welshman]

Exactly. If I cant remember someone's name, I just say 'Hello'.

A clergy colleague of mine was poor at remembering names, so he used to look greet people by looking them directly in the eye and asking:

"And how's the old trouble, then?"

The answer could be anything from "Oh, the doctors's given me something for it" to "I divorced her last week"

They went away thinking he'd remembered after all this time, when in fact he hadn't the faintest idea.

 

[Geezertronic]

I have a nasty habit of calling men "mate" and women "love" if I am unsure of their name (although not in a professional capacity i.e. at work). Not offended anyone so far that I know of...

 

[northwichcat]

I'm usually good at remembering names but don't feel the need to use someone's name when greeting them.

 

[Groningen]

I would ignore him (or her). If he or she does not know your name, than it is not in his/her brains anymore.

 

[90sWereBetter]

Is it bad that I read this thread and the first thing to come to mind was Mrs Doyle trying to guess the name of Father Todd Unctious in the Christmas episode of Father Ted?

 

[Geezertronic]

I would ignore him (or her). If he or she does not know your name, than it is not in his/her brains anymore.

Or in the short period that someone might take to remember your name, they don't want to appear to be ignorant and ignore you - which is unfortunately how your response would come across

 

[Crossover]

Generally speaking I would just say "Hi" or "Morning/Afternoon/Evening" to someone whose name I couldn't remember (though I will sometimes do similar with colleagues if just in passing). "Hey you" is something I would sometimes say to someone whose name I do know, actually!

I have a nasty habit of calling men "mate" and women "love" if I am unsure of their name (although not in a professional capacity i.e. at work). Not offended anyone so far that I know of...

Ah, at work I get/hear many greetings!

I would ignore him (or her). If he or she does not know your name, than it is not in his/her brains anymore.

I like to think I am pretty good with names, but when one knows and sees regularly so many different people (I work in IT and we have around 150 users, plus a number of other colleagues who aren't computer users alongside suppliers etc.) aside from various friends from a number of different activities and groups I am involved with, inevitably I do end up seeing people whose name has completely escaped me! (This only gets worse on a busy day when I have a whole load of other things rushing round my mind!)

 

[route101]

Yes, those pre-mobile days when you actually had to dial up your schoolmates to go down the pub

I find forum names that are loco/unit numbers quite difficult to remember though !

See them accounts with train numbers on Youtube too , mostly teens it seems

 

[route101]

If I'd forgotten someone's name, I'd be far too embarrassed about it to draw attention to it. "Hello you!" Sounds like well-meaning but worryingly hipster-esque greeting rather than a sign of a forgotten name...

Its the you bit , kind sounds demeaning or being talked down to