Thread: A car question

How to say correctly when a car rests on the ground. Is it sits, stands, or what?

That's a good question.
Hmm...
Think think think. What would I say if a car were parked?
Oh. That the car were parked. XD
Or stopped, if it were at stop light or sign.

Trigger-happy Jack, do you own a car?

Yes, yes I do.
A car that is like...stationary 'cause it's not being driven would be parked.
If it's at a light, or a stop sign...or just stopped but someone's in it it's stopped.

Bad explenation.
Umm...
I'm just gonna wait for someone else.

I would say "parked" too. But you could also say "The car is just sitting there".

"The car is standing there" sound really funny to me. I made a picture to capture the humor.

Enjoy

You are correct, THJ, the car is parked or stopped.

The car is out front.
The car at my friend's place. (house)
The car is in the driveway.
The car is parked out side.
The car is on the street.
The car is parked on the street outside.
The car is over there.
The car is in the parking lot.
I left my car parked out front of the nightclub and took a cab home last night.

Originally Posted by saibot

I would say "parked" too. But you could also say "The car is just sitting there".

"The car is standing there" sound really funny to me. I made a picture to capture the humor.

Enjoy

I didn't know you're an artist, a good pic.

Believe me, the English try to sit a car is funny to any Russian, in return. I'm not an artist, so I think your wild imagination can draw a picture of a car sitting on a chair?

So, back to the question "sitting" and "parking" are quite suitable to describe the four-wheel monster being inactive. I found to use "parked" a kind of confusing just becuase of the Russian "припаркованный" meaning "to have a car in the park", and not simply stopped, inactive, etc.

My personal thanx for your help. Coming further...

Originally Posted by DDT

The car is out front.
The car at my friend's place. (house)
The car is in the driveway.
The car is parked out side.
The car is on the street.
The car is parked on the street outside.
The car is over there.
The car is in the parking lot.
I left my car parked out front of the nightclub and took a cab home last night.

I couldn't resist using simple constructions like the first sentence of yours, DDT. But something pounded insdie me trying to get through the message of that it couldn't be the only way out. However, having skimmed your list over I understood that I like difficulties rather than simplicity. Maybe that is why people get me wrong off and on. So, "car is there" and "car is parked over there" are blatantly good to smash everyone with your art of using English words...

Your 5 cents were also helpful. Thank you.

Originally Posted by karina

You are correct, THJ, the car is parked or stopped.

...Oh, for you not to feel offended, karina: thanks for supporting.

Just to nit-pick, the word "stands" can be associated with the word "car"

From google:
Maybe spraying something on the place where the car stands could persuade a cat to seek more attractive places.

The rear end of this car almost borrows its looks from the Ford
Focus, although in our opinion the car stands out because of the impressive ...

... even though the car stands at over 1.7 metres tall.

The car stands today as a tribute to one couple’s love for, and devotion to, their Ferrari.

The scene is one big sphere, with a plane in the bottom where the car stands.

As the car stands, with the knowledge of significant cosmetic repairs, and the assumption of significant mechanical repairs, I estimate it is worth between ...

Release it, and the car stands still.

"We must get to that corner," he said, "and see where the car stands, without showing ourselves."

When the car stands still at the top of the track it has potential energy only

If the car stands idle most of the weekend a regular overnight trickle charge is a good idea to give the battery a chance to revive.

"The car is standing there"

This sounds like Swedish where everything (objects) stand or lye, or sit... which is nice...

Originally Posted by Zhenya

stand or lye, or sit... which is nice...

You have been eating too much lutefisk!

heh yes I sometimes mix up lye ,lie e.t.c....

Lutfisk in swedish i think! Sill

Cars can stop, stand, be parked, sit and even rest. You will find that English-language usage in this context (and many others) is not as precise as that of most languages. (In a similar way, many English verbs can be used with more than one preposition with no difference in meaning even where the same isn't true in Russian.) But, getting back to the verbs of stopping used with 'car':

Stop: the most temporary stoppage of all.
Stand: used as a synonym for 'stop' or 'be parked' or something in between, especially on street signs, e.g. NO STANDING.
Sit: used without reference to duration, and so, by default, the verb usually used to refer to a car that is 'parked' for quite a long time.
Rest: used to refer to the location of a car after it has stopped moving, e.g. after a wreck.

I appreciate your help. You made it clearer.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Your 5 cents were also helpful. Thank you.

Your 2 cents were also helpful.

Well, I guess it is ok to say "5 cents" if he was more than just "2 cents" of help. But the standard amount is "2 cents".

kwatts59, LOL

But sometimes even 50 cents mean less help. I mean "two-bit helper" sounds pretty offensive.

Two bits is twenty-five cents. :P

Oh sh*t! I thought one bit = 25 cents! :)