Gen Z is killing off polite phrases like ‘pardon?’ for key reason

Gen Z is killing off traditional polite phrases like ‘excuse me?’ and replacing them with ‘huh?’ and ‘what?’ instead. Three quarters of younger Brits consider ‘pardon?’ too formal – with one in 10 admitting they never use this phrase at all.

Instead, many often opt for blunter alternatives like ‘come again?’ (18 percent), ‘eh?’ (13 percent), ‘you what?’ (11 percent), and even ‘I zoned out’ (six percent). In fact, over half of Gen Z often feel too awkward to ask someone to repeat themselves – simply nodding along instead as eight in ten admit they regularly pretend to understand what has been said when background noise makes it difficult to hear.

The survey was commissioned by Samsung to celebrate the arrival of the Galaxy Z Fold7, which comes with an audio eraser that removes background noise from videos.

Annika Bizon, from Samsung said: “We’ve all been there – trying to have a chat in a noisy bar or restaurant and ending up none the wiser. People are constantly battling background noise, and it’s not just annoying – it can stop you from really connecting in the moment.”

Across all age groups the study discovered that three quarters of adults struggle to hear conversations in busy places like restaurants and bars, with most people saying this can make the experience frustrating.

But it’s not just about mishearing what someone might be saying, two in three believe noisy environments can make it harder to emotionally connect during a conversation. This often leaves them feeling annoyed or disappointed when they miss key moments of the conversation.

Meanwhile, 43 percent would consider recording special social moments on their phone if they knew they could remove the background noise afterwards.

Annika Bizon from Samsung added: “It’s no surprise that more people are looking to their tech to help cut through the chaos. That’s exactly why we developed Audio Eraser – to help people capture clearer sound in the moments that matter.”