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Removing shoes before entering a house

  Tags: Traditions
 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages Post Reply
46 messages over 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6  Next >>
Alkeides
Senior Member
Bhutan
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 Message 1 of 46
17 November 2008 at 5:17am | IP Logged 
How common is it to remove your shoes before entering a house around your area?
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zerothinking
Senior Member
Australia
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 Message 2 of 46
17 November 2008 at 5:26am | IP Logged 
Well, I live in Australia. I reckon about 1 in every 10 people practice this
'religiously'. Others usually just take their shoes off for comfort and to preserve
the carpet.
Not many would make you, the guest, take your shoes off.
When I have my home, I'll take my shoes off for comfort mostly. But I don't care too
much about preserving the carpet. A house is meant to be lived in not preserved. :)
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Volte
Tetraglot
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Switzerland
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 Message 3 of 46
17 November 2008 at 5:38am | IP Logged 
I find it's pretty rare in Switzerland/Italy. Shoes are basically never removed before entering, and during dinners/parties/etc at a house, while shoes are sometimes removed near the entrance, the overwhelming majority of the time they're not.

In Canada, it was another matter - absolutely no one would leave their snow-sodden boots on and track snow all over the house, or mud, depending on the season.

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Leopejo
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Italy
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 Message 4 of 46
17 November 2008 at 5:47am | IP Logged 
Volte wrote:
I find it's pretty rare in Switzerland/Italy. Shoes are basically never removed before entering, and during dinners/parties/etc at a house, while shoes are sometimes removed near the entrance, the overwhelming majority of the time they're not.

I agree regarding Italy. Then at your home you often use slippers.

In Finland shoes are almost always removed, unless it is an important happening with a dress code.
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tricoteuse
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Senior Member
Norway
littlang.blogspot.co
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 Message 5 of 46
17 November 2008 at 6:36am | IP Logged 
In Sweden you remove them. Where I'm from (= the north) you don't walk one meter inside the house with your shoes on.
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furyou_gaijin
Senior Member
Japan
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 Message 6 of 46
17 November 2008 at 6:47am | IP Logged 
I went apartment-hunting two months ago and made the capital mistake of wearing tight shoes with laces. Sixteen
apartments in one day. Big, big mistake.
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anamsc
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Andorra
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 Message 7 of 46
17 November 2008 at 7:12am | IP Logged 
In Spain, I have found that it is also very uncommon, although when people are in their own houses they often use slippers. Where I am from in the US, it is common courtesy to ask when entering a house whether or not you should take your shoes off, but I would say people would want you to maybe half the time.
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TheElvenLord
Diglot
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United Kingdom
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 Message 8 of 46
17 November 2008 at 7:20am | IP Logged 
In Cornwall (at least) it depends on what you're doing in the house. If you are just dropping something in, or spending only a little time in the house, you keep them on.

If you are coming for a while, you take them off. It's not offending if you don't do it, just everybody does! I have no idea why - for respect, comfort or something else!!

TEL


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