What car do you drive?

[GoodTaste]

Suppose it is in a barroom, people are chatting there.

A: What car do you drive? BMW or Mercedes-Benz?
B: Ford Flex.


The question is whether the phrase "what car do you drive?" sounds natural in English. Is it the way you native speakers talk?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Suppose it is in a barroom, and people are chatting there.

A: What car do you drive? A BMW? Or a Mercedes-Benz?
B: A Ford Flex.


The question is whether the phrase "what car do you drive?" sounds natural in English. Is it the way you native speakers talk?

Yes, we might say:

- What car do you drive?
- What kind of car do you drive?
- What do you drive?

We probably would not name any makes (like BMW or Mercedes). There are too many.

When I lived in Manhattan in New York City, no one assumed that anyone had a car. So the questions there might be: Do you drive? Do you have a car? What kind?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes, we might say:

- What car do you drive?
- What kind of car do you drive?
- What do you drive?

We probably would not name any makes (like BMW or Mercedes).

Especially as those two are among the most expensive.

(See Posh Cars by Iona Bentley and Hiram Aserati.)

 

[emsr2d2]

Suppose [STRIKE]it is[/STRIKE] you are in a bar [STRIKE]room,[/STRIKE] and people are chatting. [STRIKE]there.[/STRIKE]

Note my corrections above.

 

[Tdol]

You could also say what make of car do you drive? Marque also exists, but is less common.

 

[GoodTaste]

You could also say what make of car do you drive? Marque also exists, but is less common.

The phrase what make of car do you drive? is not understandable to me. It sounds as if you drive a make (and people ask you what make you drive). What does "make" mean here?

 

[GoesStation]

The phrase what make of car do you drive? is not understandable to me. It sounds as if you drive a make (and people ask you what make you drive). What does "make" mean here?

"Brand". You should have looked this up before asking.

 

[GoodTaste]

"Brand". You should have looked this up before asking.

I've guessed it exactly as "brand" before scrolling down to see your reply. :-D

 

[GoesStation]

[STRIKE]I've[/STRIKE] I'd guessed it [STRIKE]exactly as[/STRIKE] meant "brand" before scrolling down to see your reply. :-D

"Exactly as" wasn't grammatically incorrect, and it's understandable. It's just not very natural.

 

[Tdol]

The phrase what make of car do you drive? is not understandable to me. It sounds as if you drive a make (and people ask you what make you drive). What does "make" mean here?

BMW is a make. You can then subdivide a make into models, like the 5 Series.