English vocabulary for talking about driving | Learn English in contexts

This blog post tells you how Americans give commands when driving. Of course, there are various ways to tell the same thing. But as a second language learner of English, the best way for you to approach these real-life English contexts is to stick to a single way of phrasing a particular thing. That way your mind won't get stuck up between different usages for the same command. It is pretty okay if you try to know every other usage, but be mindful to stick to one when you try using them.


this is a photo of a man driving a car featured in a blog post on a English vocabulary for talking about driving
Driving vocabulary in American English

There are only so many things we need to speak about driving. Never mind your usual chat during driving! Also, this blog is intended for advanced learners of English. So the grammar, meaning, or explanation won't be given for the phrases below. But you will get it! We are going to approach the vocabulary in the order of we approaching a car to drive.

Also, notice that there are differences in terminologies. Americans would say blinkers for indicators, gas for petrol, parking brake for handbrake, and so on!

Important phrases that you need to learn for talking about driving

  1. Unlock the car
  2. Open the door
  3. Put the keys in the ignition
  4. Turn on the car/ Start the car
  5. Warm up the car
  6. Buckle up
  7. Take off the parking brake
  8. Roll down the window
  9. Press the clutch (if the car is manual)
  10. Put it into drive/ park/ reverse/ neuter
  11. Put it into first/ second/ third/ fourth
  12. Put it into reverse and back out of the driveway
  13. Step on the gas (accelerator)
  14. Hit the brake
  15. Go in reverse for a couple of feet
  16. Turn on the blinkers
  17. Turn on the headlights
  18. Turn on the brights
  19. Turn on the windshield wipers
  20. Turn on the AC, Radio
  21. Speed up
  22. Slow down
  23. Pull over to the shoulders
  24. Do you need a ride to the office?
  25. Put your hands on the wheel
  26. Don't cut off people like that
  27. Look for an On-ramp and merge into traffic carefully
  28. Don't change lanes like that
  29. Don't tailgate
  30. Don't be a backseat driver
  31. Look at the mirror before changing lanes
  32. Check your blindspot
  33. We are running out of gas
  34. We are running low on gas
  35. There is not much gas in the car
  36. We need gas
  37. We need to put gas in the car
  38. We need to put 30 dollars of gas in the car
  39. There is low air in the tires
  40. We need to put some air in the tires
  41. The car in front of us is too slow, pass it
  42. Buckle off
  43. Turn off the car
  44. Put on the parking brake

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