"Hey *guys*!" or gender neutral greeting As I understand, the word "guy" is not gender neutral. I've read some topics on that subject and I can see that there is no consensus about the way of addressi

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Kseniia

"Hey *guys*!" or gender neutral greeting As I understand, the word "guy" is not gender neutral. I've read some topics on that subject and I can see that there is no consensus about the way of addressing a group of women or mixed gender people informally. So what are the alternatives here? Do people use "hi everyone" or "hi everybody" in these situations? "Hi ladies" sounds a little awkward to me but maybe that's the way everyone prefers?

Oct 17, 2017 9:03 AM

Answers · 15

The word "guy" in the singular is definitely masculine, but in the plural you can use it for a mixed group. It's rather casual. So "hey guys" is just fine as a greeting for friends. It is also fine to say "hey / hello everyone / everybody." Hey is quite casual so you would use "hello" in more formal situations.

October 17, 2017

To be honest I don't see that being a issue other then the fact we live in a age where anything can offend anyone so I would try to say hi everyone or because I'm from Texas we say hi y'all

October 17, 2017

Oh... Okay. Thank you! You're welcome! The funny thing about this meme is that it's almost universal and you really need context to avoid any misunderstanding. But this time it was definetely self-directed )))

October 19, 2017

No, no comma needed before 'indeed'. 'Very interesting indeed' is one chunk of meaning. And thank you for introducing me to the 'facepalm' meme. I wasn't aware of it.

October 18, 2017

Thank you Berze. That was very... enlightening. The chart is definetely of great help. After having considered all the possibilities I think I better continue sticking with "Hi / Hello everyone". London Transport is a role model good enough for me in this matter:)

October 18, 2017

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