Thereās definitely some additional nuance (like a pronouns in bio/username situation) but this should cover the broad needs of anyone who is approaching this with good faith.
Thereās definitely some additional nuance (like a pronouns in bio/username situation) but this should cover the broad needs of anyone who is approaching this with good faith.
The phrase is more of an indication of a lack of hostility on their part. Even something neutral like āwhat country is thatā could come across as a bit confrontational, in English. It would almost be like asking the question with an assumption that you canāt answer because it wasnāt correct when clearly it is and they would just like to find out more.
Theres a fair amount of performative politeness you have to go through to take the edges off of English. Itās not just fake-ness, as it can sometimes come across to non-native speakers. As Iām sure you know already, English is the a very information efficient amalgamation of 3 different languages. For example, some people find poetry and literature far more rich and descriptive in other languages. Due to it being particularly efficient at information exchange, it can also come across very blunt too.
Just thought you deserved a proper answer, with context, as you were kind enough to give one yourself.
I see. But I think this was a bit too polite. In my opinion the better way to take off the edge would be to ask and then add āif you donāt mind me askingā or If I may ask what country that is. Adding āif itās okay to askā seems almost like he asked me for my address or something that itās not okay to ask people about.