Then, if you do stop to chat, how long it's going to last:
The "is this going to turn into a proper conversation?" moment.
You can tell from the orientation of people's feet, usually, as to whether they want to turn a chat into a conversation. If they're pointing towards you, cool. If not, then they probably want to go.
It's usually me in a rush, or wanting not to turn a chat into a conversation, so I give plenty of verbal cues. Still, people persist 😅
(in general, living in a market town with ~20,000 people where you know your neighbours and plenty of other people is great - but it does mean going anywhere is a bit of an acknowledgement / chat / conversation minefield!)
@dajb
Say hello every time. Even if you both continue walking, the courteous minimum has been done. If you both have time to chat the body language will be clear.
If they completely ignore you, that is their problem.
@dajb@fitheach After a few years living in a small town of 10k I was constantly seeing familiar faces and failing to recall if I actually knew them or if I had just seen them 100 times over the years. I ended up saying hello to pretty much anybody who made eye contact, just to be on the safe side.
Mind you, after a while I think people started crossing the street to avoid me....
@dajb
"Hello" is hardly intruding. Asking about their sex life might be intruding. You never know, saying hello might make their day. Ignoring people will almost certainly lead them to consider you in a negative light.
@fitheach@dajb a great deal depends on your region and/or the age of the strangers, in Suffolk its far more common for people in late middle age or seniors to randomly chat to you (particularly if they are walking dogs) than younger people (this is consistent in both towns and villages).
I think its a bit of both (although its still a culture shock coming from London/SE England, where folk generally actively avoid talking to strangers irrespective of age, and there are often valid safety-related reasons for this)
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