Is saying 行ってきます and ただいま appropriate for guests?


We are asked to stay at a family friend's house for a couple of days. I was
wondering, given that we're guests, what are the appropriate greetings to say
when you're leaving and coming back to the house? Can one say 行{い}ってきます and
ただいま?




The 行ってきます is no problem.

As for ただいま, even Japanese people hesitate whether use it or not when they're
not returning to their _own_ homes. You can find many questions about [using
ただいま at in-laws'
house](http://komachi.yomiuri.co.jp/t/2012/0930/543880.htm?o=0), and [how to
respond to neighbor's
おかえり](http://komachi.yomiuri.co.jp/t/2009/0906/261149.htm) are asked in
Japanese forums (as well as
[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1377/appropriate-%E3%81%9F%E3%81%A0%E3%81%84%E3%81%BE-
like-greeting-for-a-neighbor?rq=1)!). I still don't know how to greet back my
landlord when she says おかえり to me each time :)

My advice is, if you don't have feeling of resistance, or the host greets you
おかえり, then use ただいま. If you're disinclined to do, say ただいま戻りました instead. It'll
greatly reduce the "I'm home" vibe.




The 行ってきます is no problem.

As for ただいま, even Japanese people hesitate whether use it or not when they're
not returning to their _own_ homes. You can find many questions about [using
ただいま at in-laws'
house](http://komachi.yomiuri.co.jp/t/2012/0930/543880.htm?o=0), and [how to
respond to neighbor's
おかえり](http://komachi.yomiuri.co.jp/t/2009/0906/261149.htm) are asked in
Japanese forums (as well as
[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1377/appropriate-%E3%81%9F%E3%81%A0%E3%81%84%E3%81%BE-
like-greeting-for-a-neighbor?rq=1)!). I still don't know how to greet back my
landlord when she says おかえり to me each time :)

My advice is, if you don't have feeling of resistance, or the host greets you
おかえり, then use ただいま. If you're disinclined to do, say ただいま戻りました instead. It'll
greatly reduce the "I'm home" vibe.

