Questions tagged [acquaintances]

Questions about people you know but who aren't close enough to be called friends.

To be used with question pertaining to an acquaintance or acquaintances. By definition a person who may be in one of your social circles, or your neighbourhood, you may or may not know their name. You are unlikely to have shared phone numbers or know personal details of their lives nor would have organised to have spent time together doing a shared activity.

As opposed to a .

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How do I deal with people trying to convince me to wear makeup?

I don't wear makeup. I have worn it 3 times in my life, and the last time was a really light amount for my wedding 10 years ago. My reasons for not wearing makeup are varied and personal. The main reason is that I don't like the feeling of product…
user6818
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How can I get someone to say their first name without letting on that I've forgotten?

I often face the problem of forgetting the name of a person who I last met a while ago. This can lead to an awkward situation when asking what their name is. How can I elicit them to say their name, without letting them know that I've forgotten?
A J
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How do you deal with colleagues, acquaintances asking you for knowledge that you gained with months of effort?

I'm pretty sure that these are things that we all face. Let's say that you spent months researching about something (be it moving from full time job to being a freelancer, creating a website, starting a business etc). There are colleagues who don't…
Mugen
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How to respond to someone when they ask how much you earn?

When I'm at social gatherings/parties, people would inquire about my job and, because I'm an app developer, they think I earn substantially more than I do. (Oh, the joy!) They then follow up asking about my job with something along the lines of…
85
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How do I respond when an acquaintance asks if I'm smart?

I recently graduated college and I am now working as a programmer at a startup tech company for a year. I'm a competent programmer, but I'm definitely not a rock-star. When I'm meeting other young adults or college students and I tell them what I…
61
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16 answers

Why are people unwilling to share information about their salary?

Reading this question I was surprised that it seems to be common sense that people do not want to share this information and might even get upset, if someone asks them how much they earn. Is this related to culture? (I am a young German…
Sip
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How can I stop acquaintances from reposting my photos on social media without credit to me?

Background I'm a amateur photographer, often volunteering at events. I befriend other volunteers and visitors to these events on Facebook. I would often take pictures of everyone, the volunteers, visitors and entertainers. Event rules and laws rule…
Belle
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How to ask a casual acquaintance for phone number without being awkward?

I commute to work every day and there is a woman I talk to every day because we take the same train. I've been talking to this woman for a few months (4+). We chat for a few minutes before the train comes every day. We are both married (and I'm a…
user1261710
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How to deal with a suite mate who gossips about me within the first few days of move-in

I am an Asian female college student. This semester, I'm placed to live with two American female roommates in an apartment suite, so we all have separate bedrooms and share a kitchen and a restroom. I just moved in two days ago, but one of my…
user7921
28
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How to explain my complicated family background to people that I don't know very well?

In 2016 I moved 8,000 km from Canada to Ireland with my Irish husband and daughter. It's coming up to Christmas and some people have asked me (including some newly found cousins) some seemingly innocent questions such as: Do you go home a lot? Do…
user1261710
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What to talk about with a person you meet through a mutual friend on the bus?

It often happens to me, that I met some friend in the bus/tram/subway etc., but my friend is not alone, but with his/her friend (whom I don't know at all). We are talking about something, my friend knows both of us, so there is no problem. Then my…
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How can I respond to a false statement when the other person doesn't give me a chance to talk?

Sometimes it happens to me that I am having a conversation with some acquaintance that gets a bit out of hand or unpleasant due to a random comment. Say I am meeting a friend of a friend. I may say something and he may disdain it in a way that is…
fedorqui
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How can I tell someone I don't like the way they speak?

I can't stand "cutesy voice". That is, people who put on a high pitched squeal when they talk, who choose to say things like "wuv" over "love" or say things that are dark in a cute way. It's made worse if these people act as though they always speak…
Ice-9
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Dealing with TMI (Too Much Information)

Some people are natural "sharers". They have no qualms about giving the most intimate details of their lives, diseases, relationships, etc., to even casual acquaintances. One example was a colleague who was telling rather graphic details of an…
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How can I call attention to a casual acquaintance's mispronunciation?

How can I call attention to a casual acquaintance's mispronunciation? The individual is a native speaker, yet regularly misuses words like "antidote," when meaning "anecdote," as just one example. If the meaning of their conversation is still…
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