# drive or go by car



## platynaa

Hello everyone,

I'd like to ask you which answer is correct if I say: "How did you get here?" A. I drove  or B. I went by car or maybe both the answers are correct.


Thank you in advance for your replies.


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## tepatria

Either answer can be correct. I drove means that you were the one driving the car. I went by car does not necessarily mean that you drove the car, you could have been the passenger.


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## Susan Y

Yes, but the use of "here" in your question surely requires the answer "I *came* by car", not "I went".


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## zaffy

Do these two work and mean the same thing? Say a couple of friends are going to the cinema.

A: I think we should *drive there*. / I think we should *go there by car.*
B: Whose car should we take? Mine is broken down.


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## elroy

zaffy said:


> I think we should *go there by car.*


 This is extremely unlikely to be said in everyday US English.


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## zaffy

Thanks. Could a BrE speaker share their thoughts?


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## heypresto

I agree with eloy. 

It's not likely in BE either.


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## zaffy

And how about the past tense?

A: How did you guys get there?
B: We drove there. / We went there by car.


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## elroy

zaffy said:


> I went there by car.


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## zaffy

I meant "*We* went there by car", (edited) but it still doesn't sound natural, right?


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## zaffy

So English is illogical here, to be honest.  If 'driving' refers to the driver, how can, say, a child say "We drove there" instead of "We went there by car" ?


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## elroy

zaffy said:


> If 'driving' refers to the driver


 Here’s where you went wrong.  This premise is false.


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## zaffy

I see. So let me show you another illogical aspect of this issue. If 'driving' doesn't refer to the driver only, this should sound natural, yet it doesn't, I believe. Say she was a passanger.

A: How did you go there? By plane?
B: I actually *drove* there.
A: I thought *you hated driving*
B: Who said so? I love travelling by car.


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## elroy

zaffy said:


> B: I actually *drove* there.
> A: I thought *you hated driving*


 These are perfectly natural.

“drive” _can_ specifically refer to the driver, but it doesn’t _have to_.

- How did you get there?
- We drove. [1] 
- Oh, did you do the driving?
- No, my husband drove. [2] 

[1] method of transportation
[2] driver


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## zaffy

So in what context, if any, do I talk about "going by car".   99% of Poles will say that as we say that in Polish.


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## elroy

For example, on a national park’s website:

_If you wish to go to the park by car,... _[driving directions]


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## zaffy

So here we don't know if that person hates being a driver or travelling by car. We would need to ask a follow-up question, right?

A: Name one thing you hate most.
B: Well, I hate driving.


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## elroy

That can only mean [2]: they hate to operate a vehicle.


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## zaffy

How do you know if driving means [1] as well? (method of trasnportation)


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## elroy

Context.


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## zaffy

Ok, so what does that person answer if they meant the method? 

A: Name one thing you hate most.
B: Well, I hate going by car/ travelling by car.


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## elroy

I hate car rides.


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## zaffy

And what if there was a general discussion about methods of trasportation?

-Do you think *travelling by car* is safer today than it was 20 years ago?
-Do you think *driving* is safer today than it was 20 years ago?


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## elroy

going places by car / getting around by car 

“traveling” implies a longer trip that is out of the ordinary (for example, for vacation or business).


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## heypresto

zaffy said:


> So English is illogical here, to be honest.



This is a good illustration of the dangers of looking for or expecting consistency or logic in English.

We can also, perfectly correctly and naturally, something like 'The car drove on to the pavement and nearly killed Mrs Smith', or 'There are hundreds of cars driving up and down the street.'

Obviously cars don't drive themselves. (Yet?)


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## zaffy

So now either works, right?

-Do you think *getting around by car* is safer today than it was 20 years ago?
-Do you think *driving* is safer today than it was 20 years ago?


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## zaffy

heypresto said:


> This is a good illustration of the dangers of looking for or expecting consistency or logic in English.
> The car *drove* on to the pavement and nearly killed Mrs Smith',



In Polish we would say the car "*rode*...." Cars indeed can't drive themselves.


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## heypresto

I can imagine a car riding (up) onto the pavement, but not riding up the street, or riding off at a fast pace.


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## zaffy

Say a child is talking to their father. The father is driving. Which verb do I pick?

_Dad, we’re not* going/driving* fast enough. Could you speed up a bit?_


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## elroy

Going.


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## zaffy

elroy said:


> Going.


And if we change the subject to "you"? 

_Dad, you’re not* going/driving* fast enough. Could you speed up a bit?_


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## heypresto

I think I'd probably say 'going'. But on another day I might say 'driving.' There is really very little, if any, difference.


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## elroy

Both are possible in that case, but I think "going" is more likely.

[cross-going]


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## zaffy

It was mentioned above both answers work even if it's the driver who is replying, right?  

A: How did you get here?
B: I came by car.
B: I drove.


And what if we're addressing a few people, like a family and, say, a child is answering. Does either work as well? 
A: How did you all get here?
B: We came by car.
B: We drove.


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## kentix

I think a child would likely say something like "(We came) in our car."

As said above multiple times, "came by car" is not common casual English. It sounds stiff. (And, as I have said in other answers, so are "came by plane", "came by bicycle", "came by foot", etc.)

You can probably go your whole life without using one of those phrases.


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## RM1(SS)

kentix said:


> I think a child would likely say something like "(We came) in our car."





kentix said:


> You can probably go your whole life without using one of those phrases.


I don't know if I've ever used them myself, but I've heard/seen both "came by car" and "came by plane".


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> As said above multiple times, "came by car" is not common casual English. It sounds stiff. (And, as I have said in other answers, so are "came by plane", "came by bicycle", "came by foot", etc.)


I see. So you would say these, right?

I drove here.
I flew here
I walked here.

And how about a bike?
AE: I biked here.
BE: I cycled here.


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## heypresto

We don't all slavishly say the same "correct" thing in our brand of English every time we speak. We are not robots. 

How did you get here?

Cycled. 
I cycled. 
I cycled here. 
I came on my bike. 
On my bike. 
By bike. 
Well, when mummies and daddies love each other . . .


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## zaffy

heypresto said:


> We don't all slavishly say the same "correct" thing in our brand of English every time we speak. We are not robots.


And do you also perfer "walked" rather than "came on foot" in BE?

A: How did you get here?
B: I walked here.
B: I came here on foot.


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## heypresto

I'd probably just say 'I walked', but of your two options, the first is probably the most common.


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## zaffy

And no need to add 'here' or 'there', right? 

A: How did you two get to Paris?
B: We drove.
B: We flew.
B: We walked.


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## kentix

Yes.


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## zaffy

So you don't find "go by car" natural, and how about "by car" on its own? Does either sound natural?

A: How did you go there?* By car*?
A:  How did you go there? *Did you drive*?
B: I actually flew there.


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## kentix

I see almost no situation where "by car" would be my first or second choice. And I really don't need more choices than that.


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> I see almost no situation where "by car" would be my first or second choice.



I'm suprised. Really. Non-natives are taught those things at the very beginning of their learning process. Phrases like 'go by car', 'go on foot', 'go by bus' are a must 

And do you find "go by bus" unnatural as well?

A: How do you get there?
B: I went by bus.


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## kentix

As I have said in answers on other posts, I think they probably teach it because it's easy. It forms a regular pattern. And you will be understood if you say it, so it might be useful to a learner or someone with more basic English ability. But it's not very idiomatic in a casual English sense, in any of the many places I've lived. I wasn't exaggerating when I said I think you could go your whole life without using it. We say it differently by default.

How did you get there?

I drove.
I walked.
I rode my bike.
I took the bus.
I flew.
I rollerskated.
I ran.
I took my golf cart.

And others, without using "by".

"We were thinking about flying but we took our car instead."


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## zaffy

And coming back to this conversation I made up, do you find it natural if the B was a passanger, that is, didn't do the driving? Does the final reply sound natural?

_A: How did you go there? Did you fly?
B: I actually drove there.
A: I thought you hated driving.
B: Who said so? I love travelling by car._


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## kentix

Not so much, no.

_A: How did you go *get* there? Did you fly?
B: I actually drove there.
A: I thought you hated driving.
B: Who said so *that*? I love travelling by car driving (places)._

Using "places" reinforces that it's a habitual feeling related to traveling and distinguishes it from enjoying the actual physical driving process that a car hobbyist might enjoy for its own sake.


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> I love travelling by car driving



I see. So the context told you that she was a passanger despite using "driving", right? 


But normally, if you heard this, I guess, you would take it to mean that they love being a driver, right? 
A: What do you like most?
B: I love driving.


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## kentix

No, I took the person to be the driver. "I actually drove" means the person was the driver. If someone else was the driver, the person would have to say "We actually drove." They were part of the team that drove, even if they didn't drive themselves.


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## zaffy

kentix said:


> No, I took the person to be the driver. "I actually drove" means the person was the driver. If someone else was the driver, the person would have to say "We actually drove."


Ah, I see. That's what confused me. So could you tell me how to put this conversation if the B was a passanger?

_A: How did you get there? Did you fly?
B: *We* actually drove .
A: I thought you hated *driving*.  _ (Does driving work?)
_B: Who said that? I love ......        _(They love what? Drving?)


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## kentix

We (or I) would probably say it quite a bit differently.

_A: How did you get there? Did you fly?
B: *We* actually drove.
A: I thought you hated *long car trips*.
B: Who said that? I love road trips. / I love being on the road._


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## sound shift

zaffy said:


> And do you find "go by bus" unnatural as well?
> 
> A: How do you get there?
> B: I went by bus.


I don't know about 'unnatural', but I wouldn't reply as B did. I'd say, 'On the bus' or 'I got the bus'.


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## zaffy

sound shift said:


> I don't know about 'unnatural', but I wouldn't reply as B did. I'd say, 'On the bus' or 'I got the bus'.


Too bad schools and coursebooks teach unnatural language.


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## kentix

zaffy said:


> Non-natives are taught those things _at the very beginning_ of their learning process.



It would be a bit of a challenge to teach this to beginning students.


> I drove.
> I walked.
> I rode my bike.
> I took the bus.
> I flew.
> I rollerskated.
> I ran.
> I took my golf cart.


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## Roxxxannne

It has to do with the number of hours in the day. Schools and textbooks can't teach every possible way there is to express one idea. Otherwise at the end of the week's lessons on travel, the students might know 50 ways to describe how they got to Paris, but they would have no idea how to describe what they did when they got there.
In my first-year French class, which I took when I was 11 years old, we learned the name of every single possible kind of food that one can think of.  Why anyone thought that at that stage of language learning we would need to know how to say 'grapefruit' or 'broiled kidney' is beyond me (although _pamplemousse _is a great word to know).


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## zaffy

And how do I express naturally going by train? 

A: How do you get to Paris?
B: I went there by train. = I went there on a train. ????


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## heypresto

A: How *do* you get to Paris?
B: I went there by train. I went there on a train.   By train.   On the train. 

A: How *did* you get to Paris?
B: I went there by train.  I went there on a train.   By train.  On the train.


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## Roxxxannne

A: How did you get to Paris?
B: I took the train.


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## Hermione Golightly

I very much doubt that the reply would echo the question by starting with "I went there ..." , not in real life. The learner needs repetition, the more the better, although much of it can be done in private study.
The thing is to decide what is being taught.
These days in England and Wales the aim of foreign language teaching is for the student to be able to survive for a few days in the target country. The coursebooks are still structured: it's the themes that are different. Feeling sick, booking a room or theatre ticket, how to express times and letters of the alphabet, and so-on.


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## zaffy

heypresto said:


> A: How *do* you get to Paris?


Yes, just typing too fast, I meant "did".  



heypresto said:


> On the train.





Roxxxannne said:


> I took the train.



I guess both of those are very natural, right? Any preference between AE and BE?


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## Landaris

Thank you for asking all those questions, zaffy! Made me think a lot about how I speak. And thank you everybody else for answering.


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## RM1(SS)

sound shift said:


> I don't know about 'unnatural', but I wouldn't reply as B did. I'd say, 'On the bus' or 'I got the bus'.


"By bus" or "on the bus"


Roxxxannne said:


> (although _pamplemousse _is a great word to know)


Have you read any of Michael Bond's mysteries starring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his dog, Pomme Frites?


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## Roymalika

sound shift said:


> I'd say, 'On the bus' or 'I got the bus'.


I think you mean to say "I *get* the bus", not "I got the bus", because A's question is in the present tense: "How *do* you get there?"
Right?


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## Elle Paris

platynaa said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I'd like to ask you which answer is correct if I say: "How did you get here?" A. I drove  or B. I went by car or maybe both the answers are correct.
> 
> 
> Thank you in advance for your replies.


When you say "I drove", you are the driver.  To the question "How did you get HERE?", you can say "I CAME by bus, car, train, or taxi... or: on foot." if you are not the driver. Remember: you COME HERE (where you are speaking) and you GO THERE (somewhere other than where you are).


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## Elle Paris

Roymalika said:


> I think you mean to say "I *get* the bus", not "I got the bus", because A's question is in the present tense: "How *do* you get there?"
> Right?


take the bus


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## Elle Paris

Roymalika said:


> I think you mean to say "I *get* the bus", not "I got the bus", because A's question is in the present tense: "How *do* you get there?"
> Right?


"I took the bus." or "I came by bus." in past tense but to the question "How *do* you get there?" (as a rule/in general ) you should explain what the route is because that question often means the person wants to know the directions to the destination. But you can also answer "I get there by bus." or "I take the bus" or " I use my GPS and drive."


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## lakersfan

platynaa said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I'd like to ask you which answer is correct if I say: "How did you get here?" A. I drove  or B. I went by car or maybe both the answers are correct.
> 
> 
> Thank you in advance for your replies.


A is correct. B should be "came by car" because of the word "here".


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## Elle Paris

lakersfan said:


> A is correct. B should be "came by car" because of the word "here".


 That's what I said...


lakersfan said:


> A is correct. B should be "came by car" because of the word "here".


...except if somebody else drove.


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