Setswana

I figured out why I’m called “madame” so often. In Setswana, to be polite when addressing someone, you throw in “mma” for a woman and “rra” for a man ALL the time. It’s more polite, for example, to say “Dumela, mma” and not just “Dumela” to greet a woman. (I even heard someone say “Dumela Mma Reception” to greet a receptionist this morning!) I really only speak English, but I always say things like “Nice to meet you, rra.” Rra and mma are translated to English as “sir” and “madame,” which explains why I am called madame so often.