sube al coche
/sube al kot͡ʃe/from spelling rules
To say "get in the car" in Spanish, you use sube al coche.
This phrase is an instruction or request for someone to enter a vehicle. While English uses the phrase "get in", Spanish uses the verb subir (to go up/climb), implying the action of stepping up into the vehicle.
Which one should you use?
While sube al coche is more idiomatic, you can also use entra en el coche, which is a literal translation of "enter the car".
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional variations include Súbete al coche in Spain and Monta en el auto in many Latin American countries. In many parts of Latin America, carro is used instead of coche to refer to an automobile, leading to expressions like súbete al carro or the informal Entra al carro.
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the polite usted form, change sube to suba.
How do you pronounce it?
/sube al kotʃe/
Did you know?
- The word coche actually traces its lineage back to a specific Hungarian village called Kocs, which was famous for producing high-quality horse-drawn carriages in the 15th century.
- Spanish uses the verb subir (to climb) because early carriages and horse-drawn vehicles required passengers to physically step up to enter.
- In many Latin American countries, you might hear someone say Monta en el auto, using the verb montar which is more commonly associated with riding an animal like a horse.
Examples in context
- Señor, por favor, suba al auto.Sir, please, get in the car.
- Si no le importa, ingrese al automóvil.If you don't mind, get in the car.
- ¡Entra al carro, vamos a la playa!Get in the car, we are going to the beach!
- Monta en el auto y te llevaré a la fiesta.Get in the car and I will take you to the party.
- Súbete al coche, que llegaremos tarde.Get in the car, or we will be late.
- Sube al coche rápidamente.Get in the car quickly.
- Sube al coche, que llegamos tarde.Get in the car, we're late.
- Por favor, sube al coche ahora.Please, get in the car now.
Example conversation
Elena is waiting for Alejandro in the driveway.
- Elena¡Alejandro, sube al coche!Alejandro, get in the car!
- AlejandroYa voy, Elena.I'm coming, Elena.
- ElenaNo tenemos mucho tiempo.We don't have much time.
- AlejandroVale, ya estoy dentro.Okay, I'm inside now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
