joven

How it is used in Bolivia

A warm, respectful address word, not a comment on your youth: staff at terminals, desks, counters, hostals, shops and offices (loaders, stewards and clerks too) use it, like 'señor/señora', for customers of almost any age. Being called joven at forty is normal Bolivia; it means 'valued customer', warmth, not condescension, the counterpart of the 'señora' you give the woman at the desk.

Drivers, clerks, staff and vendors all over Bolivia use it, with students and young people as with older customers, and Bolivians use it for someone they do not know well yet. It is neutral about gender: women and men alike.

It goes with the usted register: no reaction or special reply needed. Answer the question warmly, keep answering in usted, and don't correct it; it is friendly, never rude.