How to address people correctly
Wir alle wollen ,richtig‘ angesprochen werden. So vermeiden Sie peinliche Fehler bei der Anrede.
In the UK and USA, first names are used by virtually everybody in a company – from the managing director to the cleaning lady.
If you are introduced to someone nand don’t know whether to call them by their first name or their family name, you can ask “What would you like me to call you?”
The first time you talk to someone you do not know, use their courtesy title. Here is a table with courtesy titles that will help you choose the correct form of address
| Person | Form of address | Comments |
| a man | Mr Brent | |
| a woman | Ms Walton | ‘Ms’ is pronounced ‘mizz’ |
| a woman, when you know she is married | Mrs Walton | |
| a single woman | Miss Walton | old-fashioned, only use ‘Miss’ if the woman says “Please call me Miss” |
| a medical doctor | Dr Brent, Dr | Say Dr + surname first, then drop the surname |
| other doctors | Dr Hardy | |
| a professor | Professor Laurel, Professor | Say Professor + surname first, then drop the surname |
| a judge | Your Honour |
It is not very likely that you will meet a member of the royal family, but more and more sportspeople, musicians and businesspeople are being awarded honorary knighthoods. For example, Sir Mick Jagger or Sir Richard Branston (Virgin Air). So, in case you do meet someone with a “title”, this is how you address them.
| Person | Form of address | Comments |
| a knight | Sir Mick | Knights are addressed by their first names |
| a dame | Lady Mary | Dames are addressed by their first names |
| a duke | Your Lord | |
| a duchess | Your Ladyship | |
| a princess | Your Highness | |
| a prince | Your Highness | |
| the Queen | Your Majesty |