How Do You Address A Widow? - WordReference Forums
Maybe your like
- Forums Rules/Help/FAQ Help/FAQ Members Current visitors Interface Language
Search
This forum This thread Threads Everywhere Search titles and first posts only Search titles only Note Search Advanced search…- Rules/Help/FAQ Help/FAQ
- Members Current visitors
- Interface Language
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
- English Only
- English Only
- Thread starter Thread starter tphuong122002
- Start date Start date Mar 5, 2008
tphuong122002
Senior Member
Vietnamese Vietnam Hi all, For example, Jane Smith is a widow. If you write to her and want to use the word widow, how do you address her? Do you say "Dear Widow Jane Smith"? Thanks. DDimcl
Senior Member
British Columbia, Canada Canadian Englishtphuong122002 said: Hi all, For example, Jane Smith is a widow. If you write to her and want to use the word widow, how do you address her? Do you say "Dear Widow Jane Smith"? Thanks. Click to expand...No, if she called herself "Mrs. Smith" before her husband's death, she is still "Mrs. Smith". If she called herself "Ms. Smith" before her husband's death, she is still "Ms. Smith". Pointing out her widowhood would be like pointing out someone's unmarried status ie: "Dear Spinster Jane Smith".
D Dimcl
Senior Member
British Columbia, Canada Canadian EnglishBlue Butterflies said: Hi. Whenever you don't know if the woman you're addressing is unmarried, divorced, a widow or whatever, you say "Ms." Click to expand...I'm going to disagree with you on this, BB. Some women take extreme exception to being called "Ms.". If you don't know what she referred to herself as, better to use "Mrs." or just "Dear Jane Smith" T
tphuong122002
Senior Member
Vietnamese VietnamDimcl said: No, if she called herself "Mrs. Smith" before her husband's death, she is still "Mrs. Smith". If she called herself "Ms. Smith" before her husband's death, she is still "Ms. Smith". Pointing out her widowhood would be like pointing out someone's unmarried status ie: "Dear Spinster Jane Smith".Many thanks, Dimcl, for this. If Jane Smith writes a letter to somebody as a widow, how should she address herself at the end of her letter? Shoud it be like this? "................................ Sincerely, Widow Jane Smith"
cycloneviv
Senior Member
Perth, Western Australia English - Australia As Dimcl said, Jane Smith would call herself Mrs Smith or Ms Smith, whichever she called herself while her husband was alive. She would not sign letters Widow Jane Smith. The fact that she is a widow has no effect whatsoever on her title. DDimcl
Senior Member
British Columbia, Canada Canadian Englishtphuong122002 said: Many thanks, Dimcl, for this. If Jane Smith writes a letter to somebody as a widow, how should she address herself at the end of her letter? Shoud it be like this? "................................ Sincerely, Widow Jane Smith" Click to expand...I guess I don't understand why you think that it's necessary to point out that she's a widow, Tphuong. The fact that her husband died has no bearing on who she is. In North America or Europe or Britain, it would be highly unlikely that she would sign as "Widow Jane Smith". In fact, she likely wouldn't use anything but her name ie: Sincerely, Jane Smith. The only other option is to sign as: Sincerely, Mrs. Jane Smith (or "Ms. Jane Smith"). Would an unmarried man sign this way: Sincerely, Bachelor John Smith ???
T tphuong122002
Senior Member
Vietnamese Vietnamcycloneviv said: As Dimcl said, Jane Smith would call herself Mrs Smith or Ms Smith, whichever she called herself while her husband was alive. She would not sign letters Widow Jane Smith. The fact that she is a widow has no effect whatsoever on her title. Click to expand...OK, thank you very much, cycloneviv, for your help.
se16teddy
Senior Member
London but from Yorkshire English - England The only person I remember hearing of called 'Widow X' is the Chinese pantomime character Widow Twankey. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widow_Twankey Ttphuong122002
Senior Member
Vietnamese VietnamDimcl said: I guess I don't understand why you think that it's necessary to point out that she's a widow, Tphuong. The fact that her husband died has no bearing on who she is. In North America or Europe or Britain, it would be highly unlikely that she would sign as "Widow Jane Smith". In fact, she likely wouldn't use anything but her name ie: Sincerely, Jane Smith. The only other option is to sign as: Sincerely, Mrs. Jane Smith (or "Ms. Jane Smith"). Would an unmarried man sign this way: Sincerely, Bachelor John Smith ???Thank you, Dimcl. The reason why I keep asking so is that I have to translate from my language into English a letter from a widow to thank those who attended her husband's funeral. At the end of her letter, she wrote her name and the word "widow". How should I say in English? D
Dimcl
Senior Member
British Columbia, Canada Canadian Englishtphuong122002 said: Thank you, Dimcl. The reason why I keep asking so is that I have to translate from my language into English a letter from a widow to thank those who attended her husband's funeral. At the end of her letter, she wrote her name and the word "widow". How should I say in English? Click to expand...Ah, context is everything...
If this is a literal translation and the woman wrote the letters with the word "Widow" in her signature, then that's what she wants. In Canada, in this context, she would likely just sign her own name ie: "Sincerely, Jane Smith". This may well be a cultural difference, Tphuong, and I'm loathe to recommend any change to the lady's letter for that reason. Perhaps I don't understand the "art and science" of translation but I don't think that, unless you have her permission, you should alter such a personal letter in any way. Is there a reason why you want to change her letter just because you're translating it into English? T tphuong122002
Senior Member
Vietnamese VietnamDimcl said: Ah, context is everything...Done, I'll take your advice. Thank you very much indeed, Dimcl, for your great hep and patience!
Best regards, Tphuong 
Arrius
Senior Member
Spain English, UK The lady added widow after her name with the meaning "bereaved widow of the deceased" as she might have once added her maiden name (Mrs Alice Smith, née Brown), but no widow outside a pantomime (as said above) would expect to be addressed as Widow X or Widow Ms/MrsX . Address only those women who expect it for whatever reason as Ms. (a title that did not exist in my youth), or when you write to a woman of whom you do not know whether she is married or not, in case the wrong title, whether Miss or Mrs, might offend. The habit of using the Christian/first name of the husband seems to have died out e.g. Mrs John Smith. Ttphuong122002
Senior Member
Vietnamese VietnamArrius said: The lady added widow after her name with the meaning "bereaved widow of the deceased" as she might have once added her maiden name (Mrs Alice Smith, née Brown), but no widow outside a pantomime (as said above) would expect to be addressed as Widow X or Widow Ms/MrsX . Address only those women who expect it for whatever reason as Ms. (a title that did not exist in my youth), or when you write to a woman of whom you do not know whether she is married or not, in case the wrong title, whether Miss or Mrs, might offend. The habit of using the Christian/first name of the husband seems to have died out e.g. Mrs John Smith. Click to expand...Thank you, Arrius, for your additional clarification.
GreenWhiteBlue
Banned
The City of New York USA - EnglishArrius said: The habit of using the Christian/first name of the husband seems to have died out e.g. Mrs John Smith. Click to expand...The practice of using the husband's name has certainly not died out, as one may clearly see by looking at, for example, the list of Directors of the Metropolitan Opera, which includes Mrs. Walter Annenberg and Mrs. Paul Desmarais. No one, male or female, properly uses a title as part of the name in a signature in social correspondence. If Jane Smith marries John Doe, she is addressed as "Mrs. Doe", but she herself would sign her name as "Jane Doe", with no Mrs. She may, however, put the form in which she is commonly addressed underneath her signature in parentheses. In this case, you might indicate the relation of the widow to the deceased by doing the same thing. The stranslation would thus read something like: Sincerely yours, Mary Jones (Mrs. Robert Jones)
Arrius
Senior Member
Spain English, UK OK, so the habit is perhaps only obsolescent, at least in the UK. It would be surprising if it were not in an era of political correctness and the rise of feminism.
inib
Senior Member
La Rioja, Spain British English I'm adding this comment because I think it may be of interest to some of you, not as an attempt to solve the original query. In Britain, I think it would almost seem like you were trying to rub salt in the wound if you addressed someone as a widow, but this may vary from culture to culture. I have no idea about Vietnamese customs, but it is not uncommon in Spain to refer to someone, or for a lady to refer to herself as "Viuda de X" = Widow of X. I've seen it on envelopes, letters and even the name board on the front of some shops carries it, just as we might see "Smith and Sons" in the UK.
Tenacious Learner
Senior Member
Spanish <Added to an older thread. Nat, Moderator> Hi teachers, If a woman is widow, does she still use her husband's last name to call her Mrs.? TL Last edited by a moderator: Jan 14, 2017 Tenacious Learner
Senior Member
Spanish Thanks, nat. TL
london calling
Senior Member
Salerno, Italy UK English I'm a widow. I'm Mrs. XXXXX (either my maiden name or my late husband's surname, as in Italy you do not take your husband's surname: you have to keep your own). God forbid anyone call me Widow XXXX, which makes me think of the panto character, Widow Twankie. You must log in or register to reply here. Share: Bluesky LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link - English Only
- English Only
Tag » Appropriate Salutation For Widow
-
What's The Proper Way To Address A Widow—Miss, Ms., Or Mrs.?
-
Should I Refer To A Widow As Mrs., Miss, Or Ms.? - CliffsNotes
-
How To Address A Widow: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow
-
How To Address A Widow - Greet, Email, Write Or Say Name
-
What Is The Correct Way To Address A Widow? - Quora
-
Addressing A Widow - Business Writing Blog
-
Q&A: Invitations: Addressing One To A Widow Or Divorcee? - The Knot
-
How To Address An Envelope To A Widow - The Classroom
-
Widow Etiquette: Mrs. Or Ms.? - Classroom
-
What's The Difference Between Miss, Ms., And Mrs.? - Brides
-
How To Word The Wedding Invitation If The Guest Is Widowed Or ...
-
What Is The Proper Way To Address An Envelope To A Widow?
-
Mrs, Ms And Miss: When And How To Use Properly | Minted
-
How To Address A Wedding Invitation To A Widow