Learn 10 phrases to use when driving
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| This one is going to be fun. Beep-beep. I don't know. I haven't driven a vehicle in like nine years. Okay. Begin. |
| Hi, everybody and welcome back to Top Words. My name is Alisha, and today, we're going to talk about 10 phrases to use when driving. So, let's go. |
| "Steering wheel." The first expression is "steering wheel." "Steering wheel" is that thing, that circular object in the car you use to move the vehicle. It's called the "steering wheel." So, in a sentence, "Keep both hands on the steering wheel." |
| Next, "blinker/turn signal." The next expression is "blinker or turn signal." We have two words for this, "blinker or turn signal." This is the part of the car, the light that blinks. So, this sort of on/off, on/off, we say it blinks. That's the verb that we use to describe that on/off action. Or "turn signal" is another way to explain this one. But we use this to signal when we are turning to the right or turning to the left. So, in a sentence, "Make sure to use your turn signals." |
| "Windshield wiper." The next expression is "windshield wiper." Your windshield is that thing, the piece of glass at the front of the car that keeps the car separate from the world outside it. That is your windshield, literally, windshield. It shields you, the driver, and your passengers from the wind, the windshield. So, a "windshield wiper" is those rubbery things. They wipe the windshield like rain or other objects that might fall. Okay. In a sentence, "I accidentally turned on the windshield wipers." |
| "Fast lane." The next expression is "fast lane." And there's also a slow lane, but "fast lane" is a specific lane, a specific part of the road for cars that want to drive quickly. So, if you'd like to go fast, you should go in the "fast lane." If you do not want to go fast, you should go in the slow lane, or maybe just the regular lane. So, there's a fast lane and a slow lane on some roads and some highways. In a sentence, "Keep a quick pace in the fast lane." |
| "To hit the gas." "To hit the gas," the gas means the accelerator. So, to hit the accelerator. To hit has the nuance of suddenly or quickly doing something. So, "to hit the gas" means to quickly increase speed. So, in a sentence, "Hit the gas. You're going too slow." |
| "To hit the brakes." Then the other side of this expression is "to hit the brakes." So, the brakes are the parts of the car that slow the car down. "To hit the brakes" means to suddenly step on the brakes, to suddenly try to slow the car down, or maybe stop the car quickly, is to hit the brakes. You can also say "to slam on the brakes," which is even stronger than "hit the brakes." So, in a sentence, "Don't hit the brakes so hard." |
| "To break the speed limit." The next expression is "to break the speed limit." So, "to break the speed limit" means you break the law. Actually, break here, break does not refer to destroying something or damaging something. Break, instead, is the verb that we use to mean we have violated a law. We have done something bad according to the rules in our country or our city or something. So, "to break the speed limit" or "to break the law" means we are going faster than the allowed speed limit. If the speed limit is 20 miles an hour or 20 kilometers an hour and our car is traveling at 50 kilometers an hour or 50 miles an hour, whatever your country uses, this is breaking the speed limit, to break the speed limit. It is too fast. So, in a sentence, "I broke the speed limit and I got a ticket." |
| "To pass." The next expression is "to pass." So, this is used in a situation where there is one car moving slower than another car. So, car A is moving along at a slow pace. Car B decides that it wants to go faster than car A. So, "to pass" means to move to the side of the slower car. Pass the car and then move back in front and continue on. So, sometimes there is a specific passing lane to do this. Other times there are specific marks on the road that indicates or that show that it's okay to pass. So, in the U.S., it's a dotted line which means you can pass in this part of the road. It's safe to pass. So, "to pass" means to move beyond another car going more slowly than you. "Be careful to pass other cars safely." |
| "To be in an accident." "To be in an accident" means in this case, a car accident, a car crash. So, something unfortunate has happened and maybe the car was damaged, the person was hurt or killed perhaps. In all of those situations, we can say, "He or she was in an accident." Or, "I was in an accident." In a sentence, "Have you ever been in an accident?" |
| "Fender bender." The next expression is an interesting word. It's called "fender bender." A "fender bender" is a minor accident, a small accident. This expression comes from fender. Fender is a part of a car. Fender is at the front of a car. It's usually kind of a plastic sort of barrier or a plastic part right at the front of the car above the wheels but below the hood of the car. So, a "fender bender" is a small accident where maybe two cars collide a little bit and the fender on the front of the car becomes bent. So, there's a small bit of damage to the fender only on the car. So, "fender bender" is used to talk about small scale accidents. So, sometimes this might literally mean the fender of the car was damaged, but it can also mean just a small bit of damage to a car somewhere else. So, a small accident is called a "fender bender." In a sentence, "My friend got in a fender bender last weekend." |
| Alright, so that's the end. So, those are 10 phrases to use when driving. I hope that you find them useful. Thanks very much for watching and we will see you again soon. Bye! |
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