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The question is raised from the famous movie _Love Letter_ (ラブレター), where
Hiroko cried to her dead boyfriend Itsuki and said 「お元気ですか？あたしは元気です。」.

But I'm taught that the「です」's after sentences and 「お」's before nouns are all
markers of honorific speech and therefore are usually used to the seniors etc.
So my question is: can such sentences like 「お元気ですか？あたしは元気です。」 be used between
lovers and why?
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2022-12-23T04:34:40.960
97759
2022-12-23T10:36:18.910
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question
colloquial-language politeness
Is「お元気ですか」an honorific speech and can it be used between lovers?
> お元気ですか？ あたしは元気です

This is a typical opening expression of a letter to your family member,
something said right after お母さんへ ("Dear Mom") or such. Most Japanese
elementary schoolers have written something like this as homework. So just by
looking at this, a native speaker can tell she is "reading a virtual letter"
to her boyfriend.

Sentences you use in letters are more formal and polite than usual, and it is
not unnatural at all to use です and other polite expressions, even if the
letter is to your mother or your lover.
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2022-12-23T10:36:18.910
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2022-12-23T10:36:18.910
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answer