"Dude can be anything. Males are dude. Females are dude. My phone is dude. That cat over there, it is dude. The green light that only lasts long enough for 1 car to pass is dude. I have called my hair "dude". I have called my coffee maker "dude". The entire population of the world, and all of their belongings, are all dude." - Some post on Reddit
> Come on dude, why are you so slow
> My old dude lasted me 6 years
> I love this dude
But I wouldn't say any of these things:
> I lost my dude earlier, can you call it?
> I spent $600 on this dude
> Don't you have your dude on you?
I'm a Brit, reflecting on the American dialect I've picked up, so I very much could be wrong. I'd be intrigued to know if you really do use "dude" like that.
Yes to this one. It's gotta be clear from context.
This one sounds alright, to my ESL ears.
The rule it seems to me is you have to be pointing at the thing or making a clear reference to it. This dude right here is okay, some dude you own, while talking about some offscreen object, much weirder.