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Does the word 'mate' imply friendship?

I was asking someone for some advice on my coursework.

They started their response with 'its a tough question mate...'

Does 'mate' imply that they consider me as a friend or is it not that formal?
Personally I use mate to refer to practically everyone, friend or not!
you would call your friend 'mate', it essentially means friend but t's another word for it. in england we often call people mate
no it's just a blokish expression... it does not have any deep significance ermm mate.
"Mate" is a term males use to directly refer to other males. If you say "he's my mate" then yeah, he's your friend; but I could also go up to someone I've never met and say "Excuse me mate - do you have the time, please?".
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Original post by It's****ingWOODY
"Mate" is a term males use to directly refer to other males. If you say "he's my mate" then yeah, he's your friend; but I could also go up to someone I've never met and say "Excuse me mate - do you have the time, please?".


It wasn't a male who said it to me.
Original post by It's****ingWOODY
"Mate" is a term males use to directly refer to other males. If you say "he's my mate" then yeah, he's your friend; but I could also go up to someone I've never met and say "Excuse me mate - do you have the time, please?".


you hear women at the supermarket call each other mate... it sounds slightly odd. mate.
Original post by Anonymous
It wasn't a male who said it to me.


Original post by the bear
you hear women at the supermarket call each other mate... it sounds slightly odd. mate.


There's no accounting for blokey-women, of course, but even in such a case it's used in a same connotation :tongue:
Original post by Anonymous
It wasn't a male who said it to me.


Where I'm from everyone says it, not just guys.
Original post by Anonymous

Does 'mate' imply that they consider me as a friend or is it not that formal?


Mate is as informally blokeish and meaningless as you can get. It's usage here need not even be derived from the meaning of friend at all, in fact. A builder's or plumber's mate is his junior assistant who does all the fetching and carrying. Nautically, a master's mate is an assistant navigator, a boatswain's mate is a rigging assistant, and carpenters, coopers and sailmakers all had mates.

You can compare it to northern usage of Love, midland usage of Duck, and Cockney usage of Darling.
Sort of. Someone can say "well guess what MATE you look like the piece of shite I took this morning" so you know
Original post by Good bloke
Mate is as informally blokeish and meaningless as you can get. It's usage here need not even be derived from the meaning of friend at all, in fact. A builder's or plumber's mate is his junior assistant who does all the fetching and carrying. Nautically, a master's mate is an assistant navigator, a boatswain's mate is a rigging assistant, and carpenters, coopers and sailmakers all had mates.

You can compare it to northern usage of Love, midland usage of Duck, and Cockney usage of Darling.


it can also mean a caffeine rich beverage from the Americas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)
Original post by the bear
it can also mean a caffeine rich beverage from the Americas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)


Yes, but in that case it is pronounced with two syllables.

Which brings us to matey, I suppose, a slightly jocularly version when used to address someone, though often used to look down on them, or to distance oneself from them.
Original post by Good bloke
Yes, but in that case it is pronounced with two syllables.

Which brings us to matey, I suppose, a slightly jocularly version when used to address someone, though often used to look down on them, or to distance oneself from them.


thanks for reminding me mate ! bathtime was always fun with matey

:teehee:

http://www.theimaginaryworld.com/tic128.jpg
Original post by the bear
thanks for reminding me mate ! bathtime was always fun with matey

:teehee:

http://www.theimaginaryworld.com/tic128.jpg


I suppose, as an ursine, mate has an entirely different connotation for you?
Original post by Good bloke
I suppose, as an ursine, mate has an entirely different connotation for you?


we do enjoy a nice cup of mate when we get together to discuss salmon & honey etc.
Original post by yeahthatonethere
Where I'm from everyone says it, not just guys.


Australia?
Original post by the bear
we do enjoy a nice cup of mate when we get together to discuss salmon & honey etc.


But not Marmite?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUqQy-koCN4
Original post by Hatter_2
Australia?


Nah just Newcastle in North East England lmao.
Original post by Anonymous
I was asking someone for some advice on my coursework.

They started their response with 'its a tough question mate...'

Does 'mate' imply that they consider me as a friend or is it not that formal?


Depends on comtext. If somebody calls you their mate ("this is my mate Tim"), then yes it implies friendship.
If it's just them using mate in place of a name or at the end of what they said it can mean anything.
"Don't test me mate" "Come at me bro" etc use words that could imply friendship as the opposite.
"Over her man" "Do you need help with that mate?" etc are often used cos you don't know a person's name or cos you don't want to use it for whatever reason.
Some people use words like "love" "mate" "sweetie" more often than others and will tend to use it in place of a name whoever they are talking to.
In some places people will often use words like "pet" "duck" "lamb" etc in this way. I guess it makes things a bit more friendly, but it can be used with strangers, friends or even family.

Basically, it's more about them than you. It's about what they like to say rather than them labelling your relationship.
I wouldn't read into it.

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