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car is broken vs. has broken down
What's wrong with the following sentences?
My car is broken.
My car has broken down.
Can I say "My car is broken." to convey that my car no longer works?
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down
Nothing is wrong with them. They mean your car is not functioning.
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down

Originally Posted by
svartnik
Nothing is wrong with them. They mean your car is not functioning.
Svartnik, I agree with you that nothing is wrong with the sentences. There's something wrong with the car, though.
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down

Originally Posted by
unruly2009
What's wrong with the following sentences?
My car is broken.
My car has broken down.
Can I say "My car is broken." to convey that my car no longer works?
I was told that native speakers don't say "My car is broken." Although it's grammatically correct, it's not commonly spoken. Is that true? So, when when someone says "My car is broken.," you automatically know that English isn't his/her first language?
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down
I often hear in American films that something is broken. More often than something is mended.
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down

Originally Posted by
unruly2009
I was told that native speakers don't say "My car is broken." Although it's grammatically correct, it's not commonly spoken. Is that true? So, when when someone says "My car is broken.," you automatically know that English isn't his/her first language?
Yes that's right we don't say 'my car is broken' and it sounds strange to my ear.
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down

Originally Posted by
bhaisahab
Yes that's right we don't say 'my car is broken' and it sounds strange to my ear.
"My watch is broken."
Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22my...fp=leBsIIJAIN0
4. not functioning properly; out of working order.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=broken&r=66
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down

Originally Posted by
svartnik
Yes, we do say 'my watch/glass/cup/nose etc. is broken. Perhaps illogically, we don't say 'my car is broken'.
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down

Originally Posted by
svartnik
SV,
The second link does not work on my PC. Could you check it out?
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Re: car is broken vs. has broken down
copy paste:
google.com/#hl=en&q=%22my+car+is+broken&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g1&fp=1& cad=b]Google
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