Let's say someone has got something to say about you to your face. As you know, in many cultures, it is rude to refer to someone with the forefinger (especially when it comes to anger or an argument!) Now, let's imagine you're from such a culture and a person is referring to you with their index fingers in a very angry way!
How would you warn them?
I have made up some sentences and I wonder which one sounds natural to you to be said to such a situation?
If none of them works here, then I would appreciate it if you let me know about the most natural way to say that.
- Don't point at me.
- Don't point to me.
- Don't point at me with your finger.
- Don't point to me with your finger.
Best Answer
Pointing a finger at someone may indeed be rude. Pointing a finger to someone is usually not rude at all.
The reason is that these imply different contexts. Pointing at someone is an aggressive gesture often indicating accusation.
Pointing to often merely indicates selection.
This use can subtly change the nuance of an implied action:
As for the answer to your question, it mostly depends on how aggressive you want to phrase your response. A simple request might be:
or, alternately, you can take Canadian Yankee's suggestion of
with a range of possible options in-between.