We went there on car ошибка

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.

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.

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

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.

Thanks. Could a BrE speaker share their thoughts?

I agree with eloy.

It’s not likely in BE either.

And how about the past tense?

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

I meant «We went there by car», (edited) but it still doesn’t sound natural, right?

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» ?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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?)

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?

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.

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

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?

And if we change the subject to «you»?

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

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

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.

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.

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

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».

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.