In many countries, there is a respective form of addressing men and women: in English it is Miss / Mrs. and Mr., in Spanish senorita / senora and senor, in French Mademoiselle / Madame and Monsieur. And it is not only beautiful, but also very convenient! You can always speak to a stranger politely. However, in modern Russian, this type of addressing is already doesn’t exist. Earlier women and young girls were called a young lady(барышня), madame(сударыня), and men and young people were a master(барин), sir(сударь). But historical events and the revolution in the early 20th century erased this way of communication from the language. Life has changed and language has changed.
To date, the Russian language lacks a beautiful and elegant way to appeal to strangers or to those who are older than you in age or position at work. How to address people in Russian then? There are several options.
Woman / Young Woman (Женщина/Девушка)
A young woman is most likely someone who is not married.
A woman, on the contrary, is most likely a married person, perhaps she already has children.
Man / young man (Мужчина/Mолодой человек)
Here the logic is the same as described above. A young man is most likely not married, and also the man usually looks much older.
So, if you need to speak or ask something to unknown people you can use the previously mentioned titles (Женщина, Девушкa, Мужчина, and Mолодой человек). Another good way to start your sentences with someone is by saying: “Excuse me” (Извините) Then you do not need to use the words man / woman.
If you know the name and patronymic of a person, then you can safely use it. For a person who is older than you, or that you do not know very well it is better to address to them by name and patronymic. And for your peers or friends you can simply call them by name.
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