# Why don't Americans use "mate" when talking to others? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 8, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576 "2016-04-08T18:32:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/1 "2016-04-08T18:32:49Z")
That’s a poor title, I know. I just couldn’t think of a good way to phrase it. I just got back from Australia and was called “mate” on a fairly regular basis. I believe that the British use the term frequently as well. In Mexico, “amigo” is thrown about regularly. IME, in America we don’t really have a similar usage. Are we less friendly? Are we more formal? I don’t have a good theory but I’m curious to the thoughts of others. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/2 "2016-04-08T18:35:06Z")
We just use different terms, buddy. 😉 There’s also _friend_, _boss_, _chief_. ---
**Author:** ![Lurking\_Quahog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lurking_quahog/32/21274_2.png) [@Lurking\_Quahog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lurking_Quahog)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/3 "2016-04-08T18:37:05Z")
Yeah, six of one, half dozen of another, pal. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/4 "2016-04-08T18:37:13Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > That’s a poor title, I know. I just couldn’t think of a good way to phrase it. > > I just got back from Australia and was called “mate” on a fairly regular basis. I believe that the British use the term frequently as well. In Mexico, “amigo” is thrown about regularly. IME, in America we don’t really have a similar usage. Are we less friendly? Are we more formal? > > I don’t have a good theory but I’m curious to the thoughts of others. Depends on the part of the country. I think in some parts of the US ‘buddy’, ‘dude’ or ‘man’ (or any number of other slang terms for the same concept) are the alternative used terms in a similar way to ‘mate’ and ‘amigo’ (which just means ‘friend’ btw, not mate). I haven’t noticed that the US is any less friendly than either the UK or Mexico…Aussies though DO seem to be pretty friendly with certain caveats. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/5 "2016-04-08T18:39:32Z")
Maybe it is regional but I don’t remember the last time that someone called me buddy, pal, friend, boss or chief that wasn’t using it sarcastically. Or maybe it’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/6 "2016-04-08T18:39:43Z")
Well, America is, in general, immature and Puritanical about many things. I wonder if American men subconsciously associate “mate” with “mating”, and so shy away from using it around, well, their mates. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/7 "2016-04-08T18:40:56Z")
Hey man. Going back to my _Dazed and Confused_ days. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/8 "2016-04-08T18:41:01Z")
> [@XT](#): > > ‘amigo’ (which just means ‘friend’ btw, not mate). I know. (I’m actually fluent in Spanish.) But ISTM that the usages are the same. (please read that with no snark intended) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/9 "2016-04-08T18:44:47Z")
Duuuuuude… Um. What were we talking about? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/10 "2016-04-08T18:46:40Z")
> [@Totenfeier](#): > > Well, America, in general, is, immature and Puritanical about many things. I wonder if American men subconsciously associate “mate” with “mating”, and so shy away from using it around, well, their mates. Nah, dude. I mean, yes to the general proposition, but I don’t think it applies in this case. It’s true, though, that if I hear someone talking about their “mate” (and the speaker is clearly American), I’m more inclined to think they’re talking about their spouse/significant other than just, like, a friend. So it’s not so much that it’s a “dirty” word we’d never use, but that it does have more of a romantic or sexual connotation, so we use it in that way instead. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/11 "2016-04-08T18:52:33Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Maybe it is regional but I don’t remember the last time that someone called me buddy, pal, friend, boss or chief that wasn’t using it sarcastically. Or maybe it’s just me. Definitely regional. ‘Boss’ and ‘chief’ (or jefe) gets used a lot where I live, as well as ‘man’. In other regions they have other slang for the same thing. I think the US is just pretty diverse, linguistically, so terms like that really do vary widely across the country. What you get on the east coast is going to be very different than the west, or north verse south and even within those large regions you have a lot of variation. Some of it is impacted a lot by the various ethnic groups that are in the region…upstate New York verse Pennsylvania for instance have different slang. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/12 "2016-04-08T18:54:08Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I know. (I’m actually fluent in Spanish.) But ISTM that the usages are the same. > > (please read that with no snark intended) Didn’t take it as snark, and no worries…figured I’d just point it out to be pedantic. I think your overall theme was correct, and ‘amigo’ is definitely roughly equivalent to ‘mate’ as it’s used in some parts of Mexico. Even there they have regional slang that differs, as you probably also know. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/13 "2016-04-08T18:55:07Z")
Don’t forget “sir.” > [@](#): > > Homer: But Marge, valets! Maybe for once someone will call me “sir” without adding, “You’re making a scene.” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/14 "2016-04-08T18:55:37Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > It’s true, though, that if I hear someone talking about their “mate” (and the speaker is clearly American), I’m more inclined to think they’re talking about their spouse/significant other than just, like, a friend. Yeah, this. On Family Feud whenever the answer is your husband/wife they use Spouse/Mate instead. So now you know it’s official. We also use “guy”, “buddy” and “friend”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zuQK6t2Esng/hqdefault.jpg "Not your buddy, guy!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuQK6t2Esng) ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/15 "2016-04-08T19:02:57Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Definitely regional. ‘Boss’ and ‘chief’ (or jefe) gets used a lot where I live, as well as ‘man’. In other regions they have other slang for the same thing. I think the US is just pretty diverse, linguistically, so terms like that really do vary widely across the country. And besides the regional variation, there’s also cultural differences, not only ethnic cultures, but the cultures of different social groups. So while I constantly call people “dude” and “man”, I’d never in a million years call someone “bro/brah” (unironically, anyway), but frat guys/sorority girls, surfers/skaters, and various other (predominantly white, IME) groups use these all the time. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/16 "2016-04-08T19:03:37Z")
You’re saying ‘mate’!? Damn, I was wondering why that guy was calling me a ‘mite’. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/17 "2016-04-08T19:06:08Z")
No, it’s “might”. As in, “Until you say you won’t, I’ll assume you might.” “Might what?” is left as an exercise for the reader. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/18 "2016-04-08T19:32:40Z")
I love in Canada. Nobody here says “mate.” The equivalent term would be “dude” or “man”. “Dude” is a bit more familiar than “man.” “Boss” is frequently heard amongst people of Caribbean origin, so it spreads around a little. “Chief” is not generally used anymore. “Buddy” and “pal” are certainly used but they’re not as popular, though for some reason “buddy” is very often used in the Armed Forces, albeit with a slightly different connotation. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/19 "2016-04-08T19:32:55Z")
I love in Canada. Nobody here says “mate.” The equivalent term would be “dude” or “man”. “Dude” is a bit more familiar than “man.” “Boss” is frequently heard amongst people of Caribbean origin, so it spreads around a little. “Chief” is not generally used anymore. “Buddy” and “pal” are certainly used but they’re not as popular, though for some reason “buddy” is very often used in the Armed Forces, albeit with a slightly different connotation. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576/20 "2016-04-08T19:40:20Z")
I use “mate” strictly online, where I’m in front of a more international audience anyway. For some reason whenever I’m being particularly jokey or sarcastic I even like to write “m8”. But in real life, “man” and “dude” are my go-tos. It’s true that “mate” does have a slightly more romantic association in the USA, which is why it’s probably not a favorite. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-americans-use-mate-when-talking-to-others/751576.md?page=2)