‘Gas’ o ‘petrol’, ‘motorways’ o ‘freeways’. Si va a conducir por Gran Bretaña y EE. UU. necesita saber que estos países usan palabras distintas para designar lo mismo.

British cars use petrol, whereas American cars use gas, which is short for gasoline. So if you need to fill up your car, you must ask for a petrol station in the UK and a gas or filling station in the US. There are service stations in both countries. Service stations are usually found on multiple-lane roads called motorways in Britain and highways or freeways in the US. (Highway is generic, while freeways are literally free of charge). There is a lot of confusion with roads: in the US a pavement is the surface of the road and pedestrians use the sidewalk, while the British call the sidewalk the pavement.

IN THE HOOD

Let’s look at a car. Where do you put your luggage? In a British family car you put it in the boot, in the USA that’s a trunk. At the front of the car the engine is covered by a bonnet (UK) or a hood (US): here both are originally types of hat. The front window of a car is called a windscreen in the UK and a windshield in the US: screens and shields both offer protection. Before a car turns into another road, or changes lane, small lights flash on the side of the car. These lights are called indicators in the UK, but turn signals or blinkers in the US. Blink literally means to open and close both eyes.

STEP ON IT

The controls inside the car have the same names, except the British change gear with a gear stick and Americans use a gear shift. Shift is a synonym of ‘change.’ Finally, cars have three foot pedals: the clutch, the brake and, while British cars have an accelerator, American cars have a gas pedal.

Glossary

petrol, gas: gasolina
to fill up: llenar el depósito, repostar
multiple-lane roads: carreteras con varios carriles
surface: superfície
sidewalk: acera
boot, trunk: maletero
bonnet, hood: capó
windscreen, windshield: parabrisas
screens: pantallas
shields: escudos
gear: marcha
clutch: embrague
brake: freno