bathroom related questions

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Dear teachers,Suppose you are on a driving trip with a friend, and if you want to know whether he needs to go the the bathroom or not, how do you normally ask?Can you say like:  How's the bathroom situation?  How's your bathroom situation?  How's the bathroom situation with you?Or simply,  Do you need to go to the bathroom, yet?Also if you were to ask him, if he could wait a little longer to go to the bathroom or not, can you ask like:  Could you hold it?  Could you hold the bathroom?   (don't know if these mean something different??)Thank you.

Nona the brit · Accepted Answer

I guess you want American advice as 'bathroom' isn't really used in this way elsewhere, so I'll leave the suggestions to someone there. However, I'm certain that 'Could you hold the bathroom?' doesn't make sense there either.

In the UK you'd usually say something like 'Do you need a loo?' if we want to be direct but in that context we'd probably just say something like 'there's a service station ahead. Shall we stop for a little while/take a break?'

Pter · Answer

I am also very interested in this question. I think Anon wants to know the polite way of asking if someone needs to go to the bathroom, but I am also interested in how actually native speakers say that at their home with each other.
If you are talking to a little child, you may probably say

Do you want to go wee-wee?
Do you want to go poo-poo?

But I suppose you don't say that to an adult, right?
I have also heard "I need to take a leak". What are the other ways?

Nona the brit · Answer

I'm struggling to come up with examples as it's not something you really ask adults - we assume they'll be able to look after themselves in these matters and don't need someone else organising their toilet breaks. We only really ask children.

When it comes to asking if someone wants to go/someone telling you they want to go, then there are so many different ways. Different countries and cultures will have different ways. Different age groups and types of people will have different ways.

Yankee · Answer

To me, the expression "I need to take a leak" would be used primarily by men.  I really don't think women use that sentence very often (if at all).

Kooyeen · Answer

LOL, "How's your bathroom situation?" sounds pretty funny to me.

I think you can just say "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" - but I don't think I would say something like that unless I have to go to the bathroom... "Do you have to go to the bathroom? Because I have to... So we're going to stop in a few minutes."
Also, it depends where I am. If I am driving in the middle of the Death Valley, I wouldn't say "bathroom", since there are no bathrooms... or buildings, or people. But I might say bathroom anyway if I am talking with someone I know might not appreciate my direct way of expressing myself.

CalifJim · Answer

KooyeenLOL, "How's your bathroom situation?" sounds pretty funny to me.

Me too. My bathroom situation right now is that it needs to be remodeled!

CJ

BarbaraPA · Answer

You can simply say "There's a rest area coming up ahead. Should we stop?" - pretty much what Nona said.

However, with my children in the car, I would simply say "Girls, do either of you have to go to the bathroom?" Driving along for a while, I might say "Does anyone need a potty break?" and if the answer is yes, we look for a place we can stop.

Pter · Answer

nona the britI'm struggling to come up with examples as it's not something you really ask adults - we assume they'll be able to look after themselves in these matters and don't need someone else organising their toilet breaks. We only really ask children.
When it comes to asking if someone wants to go/someone telling you they want to go, then there are so many different ways. Different countries and cultures will have different ways. Different age groups and types of people will have different ways. Exactly! English learners rarely heard these. That's why I asked!
YankeeTo me, the expression "I need to take a leak" would be used primarily by men. I really don't think women use that sentence very often (if at all).
Yes, I heard this the first time in the movie Star Trek First Contact. It was spoken by Cochrane (a man) and Goerdi didn't seem to understand it, probably to show that such phrase is no longer used in the 24th century. And don't know why, I automatically assumed that it would be used only by men.

Goodman · Answer

To me “taking a leak” is a bit too rough-on-the-edges.
There are many ways to answer your restroom questions. Some are more indirect than the others.
In the driving trip scenario, I would use any of the following:
Does anyone need a break, or need to freshen up/ use the restroom/ make a stop/ go/ ?

Khoff · Answer

While travelling, I would say "do you want to make a rest stop?" or maybe "There's a rest stop coming up, shall we stop now, or wait for the next one?"

(A "rest stop" can be either the activity of stopping for a break while travelling, or the place designed for travellers to stop.)

More generally, a good phrase is "do you want (or "would you like") to use the facilities?

"We'll be in the car for several hours and there are no decent rest stops on the road. Maybe you'd like to use the facilities here before we get started."

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