Learn English – How to say “gas”

ambiguity

A friend of mine is working in a gas-mining industry. In a colloquial conversations with English speakers about his work, he uses the word "gas".

In English, there are several distinct meanings for "gas", and two are highly confusing:

  1. A gaseous fuel, such as natural gas.
  2. Gasoline.

I have noticed different native English speakers understand the word "gas" differently and even don't suppose another meaning so it requires a longer explanation.

In his language (Russian), there are distinct words for "gas":

  • /gaz/ for "gaseous gas" and for a physical substance;
  • /benzin/ for "petrol";

How can this ambiguity be resolved when you want to convey the former meaning ("gaseous gas")? At the moment, I see him saying something like "gas, not the petrol", but it sounds a bit clunky.

P.S. If it is related, how do I say "fuel my car with gas", if a car has "gaseous gas" equipment, I mean those large red tanks in a trunk?

Best Answer

Gas to refer to gasoline, I believe is an U.S.-ism. In Canada, gasoline is called "petrol" (short for "petroleum"), and "gas" is reserved for, well, gas, and not liquids.

In the U.S., where gasoline is typically shortened to "gas", context is usually necessary to determine to which gas one is referring. When disambiguation is necessary, one would typically say "gasoline" or "natural gas" (or propane, or whatever type of actual gas is in use).

I'm reminded of a local Taco Bell ("Mexican" fast food chain popular in the U.S.) which advertised one summer:

Get gas for under $1!

A play on words, only possible in the U.S. where "gas" means gasoline. The implied meaning was "Buy gasoline for under $1 per gallon." The literal meaning was "Buy a bean burrito for under $1, and get digestive gas."

If you have a car that is fueled by gas, you would specify that:

My car is fueled by natural gas.

Or with the appropriate abbreviation, CNG (compressed natural gas) or LNG (liquified natural gas).

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