Car

Question

Is it appropriate to use "she" pronoun with car? My car is black. She runs great. Does this sound right?  OR I must use "it"? thanks

Maj · Accepted Answer

You would certainly used it for a ship. Never heard anyone say that about a car. However, if I were you I would consider the relationship you have with your car, which I would assume it's great. Maybe then it would be totally adequate to call it "she". LOL.  haha.

Raul · Answer

In English, it is customary to refer car as "she". Of course, if you talk about someone else's car you simply use "it". The same happens with ships. For any common person, a ship is neutral, but for the Captain and the crew, it's a she.

Hope this helps!

Rommie · Answer

The Starship Enterprise is usually referred to as "she", for example. It would be VERY unusual to refer to a car in this way, however, in my opinion.

Raul · Answer

This may have changed after years. I can recall some Deep Purple's "Highway Star" lyrics:

"Nobody's gonna beat my car
she's gonna take the speed of sound.

Ooh, it's a devil's machine
she's got everything

I love her
I need her..."

This a 70's song, but according to what I learnt, "she" could be usef for cars and ships.

Cheers!

Sohj · Answer

I spend a lot of time on the Diesel Discussion board of MercedesShop.com and discuss the finer points of dealing with a 20 year old car with engineering different from any other car on the market.

My car is named Hilda.

We ALL call our cars "she". And we're not all men on the board.

And all our cars are great!

Maj · Answer

My car is named Lupi, and it is my dearest "he" to me. LOL. He takes me everywhere. LOL.

Sasori · Answer

how about an animal.should we call it "she" as well...

Rommie · Answer

In response to "how about an animal.should we call it "she" as well..."

The gender-neutral pronoun in English depends on whom you ask.

In strict formal English, "he" is alleged to be gender-neutral, however, in practice, it isn't. Trying to use the same word for both (1) males, and (2) everyone, is just ASKING for trouble. If you use "he" in this way, you will NOT be communicating effectively, since the person hearing your words may simply assume you're being sexist.

Modern usage is to employ "they" (singular) as the gender-neutral pronoun. So you have to choose between the rules and the reality. And, while I normally regard the rules as very useful guidelines for effective and subtle communication, in this particular case, this is one instance where the rules can (and should) be ditched, thrown overboard, burnt, locked away in a dungeon with the door welded shut, buried under five miles of concrete, and completely abandoned forever. "They" (singular) will be much more widely understood. (Just my opinion).

However, I don't believe I have heard anyone use "she" as gender-neutral pronoun. In the specific case of ships (and maybe cars) I believe "she" still counts as feminine. These are very, very rare exceptions, however. For humans, use "he", "she", or "they" (singular); for things, use "it". For everything else (animals, AI, extraterrestrial life, etc.), you must choose whether to treat is as human-like or thing-like, and your choice will affect your choice of pronoun. (If your listener's choice is different, you'll be giving away a small part of your outlook on life in your choice).

Rommie

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