This might just be the dumbest thread in here asking about Japanese help but I was wondering about which personal pronouns to use when there is a need to use one. I'll just go over the main 3 for guys. From what I understand, 私 is gender-neutral in formal circumstances although it takes a slightly feminine connotation in casual contexts. 俺 isn't a great idea unless you are close and it's a casual setting and you actually know the language so you don't fuck up by using ore with formal sentences. 僕 basically works as a casual 私.
The question is, what do I use for the meetups. Or maybe I'm overthinking and there would never be a situation in which I couldn't just avoid using a personal pronoun. I read the old How Fluent is Fluent thread and I guess I should use 僕?Guess it comes down to what is considered formal and casual. What is even considered casual (is talking to a stranger considered formal but talking to store clerk or a waitress or something casual?). I'll be visiting for tourism and won't be dealing with obviously formal situations like business meetings but not sure if the same formal and business categories over in the US would apply similarly.
The question is, what do I use for the meetups. Or maybe I'm overthinking and there would never be a situation in which I couldn't just avoid using a personal pronoun. I read the old How Fluent is Fluent thread and I guess I should use 僕?Guess it comes down to what is considered formal and casual. What is even considered casual (is talking to a stranger considered formal but talking to store clerk or a waitress or something casual?). I'll be visiting for tourism and won't be dealing with obviously formal situations like business meetings but not sure if the same formal and business categories over in the US would apply similarly.