Discounts for polite people

[garbon]

So when you are begging a beautiful woman to have sex with you what do you say?  Or do you just promise perks in the future?

Begging doesn't seem to work in those circumstances, anyway.

I like to go with - "Please, sir, can I have some more?"

[HVC]

Parabens. :eggplant: 

Or maybe not... 

fas favor ( not spelled right)

[Capetan Mihali]

Parabens. :eggplant: 

Or maybe not... 

fas favor ( not spelled right)

Obrigado.  Muito obrigado.

[Duque de Bragança]

Parabéns. :porkchop: 

Or maybe not... 

(Se) faz favor (spelled right)

Fixed it for you.

[Iormlund]

Hindi does.

What is the etymology of the Hindi equivalent?

I just looked and appears to stem from Sanskrit. Potentially originally rooted in word for pity/compassion.

So it's an Indo-european thing?

[garbon]

Hindi does.

What is the etymology of the Hindi equivalent?

I just looked and appears to stem from Sanskrit. Potentially originally rooted in word for pity/compassion.

So it's an Indo-european thing?

Quick search turned up Yoruba having a word as well...though I've no idea how I'd look up its provenance.

[Josquius]

It always disturbs me to hear people just say the item they want and miss off please, even though it apparently isn't the done thing in Japan to say please to shop workers.
I also always feel iffy when they shout welcome as I enter and there is nothing I can reply.

[Admiral Yi]

So it's an Indo-european thing?

Except the Norse.

[Camerus]

Bitte, S.V.P., Пожалуйста, Por favor. All other languages I know has it... but that is a rather eurocentric list.

I know Korean and Japanese don't.  I'm pretty sure Chinese doesn't.

Mandarin Chinese does - it is qing 请.  However, it is more common when ordering food or whatever not to use it.  And their equivalent of "thank you" (xiexie 谢谢） is definitely used way less frequently than in English.

[Liep]

So it's an Indo-european thing?

Except the Norse.

The Swedes might have it, at least I remember them using 'snälla' quite a lot.

[Syt]

The only Swedish I know, taught by Johan, is "Ska vi knülla?"

[merithyn]

My kids were taught to say, "Please, may I have..." when ordering, even at McDonald's. It's amazing the looks they get from other customers (and their friends) when they continue doing so as adults, but most of the clerks seem pleased and usually give them better service.

It doesn't hurt to use curtesy, and it could make someone else's day better, so why not do so whenever you can?

I do find it interesting that there are languages that don't have equivalent words for "please" and "thank you". Just not something that I've ever considered, but it makes sense. Curtesy has different meanings in different cultures.

[merithyn]

Mandarin Chinese does - it is qing 请.  However, it is more common when ordering food or whatever not to use it.  And their equivalent of "thank you" (xiexie 谢谢） is definitely used way less frequently than in English.

A friend of mine uses "xiexie" whenever we go to a Chinese restaurant, but the servers always seem annoyed when he does. I don't know if he's saying it wrong or in the wrong context, but they never seem happy or impressed, rather just irritated by him.

[Brazen]

I know Korean and Japanese don't.  I'm pretty sure Chinese doesn't.

What about "domo arigato" (Mister Roboto)?

I actually always wondered whether arigato derives from the Portuguese obrigado

[Capetan Mihali]

"I'm gonna get the..."/"I'm gonna do the..." in restaurants seems to be a particularly American thing.  I think I recall Sheilbh reacting to it.   It's not really rude in context, more in the vein of our general over-colloquial waiter/patron relationship (see: first names of waitstaff), but still a little grating.