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In Pakistan, when we don't have any transportation then we say "I don't have any conveince". This spelling is wrong but I never used in written English so I don't know.

None of my English fellows in London knows about it. And secondly since I only know the pronunciation and my Asian accent is difficult to catch so they understood what this word is.

Can someone please guide me if this word is completely wrong or is this word lost in translation.

sumelic
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adeel41
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4 Answers4

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I think the word you want is conveyance. It's pronounced something like kun-VAY-unss and means "a method or way of being transported".

It is a valid English word, but it's slightly obscure and stilted-sounding for what you want to say, which may also be why people have trouble understanding it. I'm American, not British, but I would be more likely to say "I don't have any way to get there" or "I don't have a vehicle".

stangdon
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    Another phrase you could use is "mode of transport". – wizzwizz4 Sep 19 '17 at 19:23
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    Another phrase is "I don't have any transport". – Rosie F Sep 20 '17 at 05:44
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    You could also say, "I don't have any means of transportation.", or "I don't have any means of transport.". The latter sounds best to my British ear. – Ergwun Sep 20 '17 at 06:16
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    I would say "I don't have a car". I suspect in Pakistan it is common for people to get around on motorbikes etc and "conveyance" covers them all. In the UK that is very rare, and one would just say "car". – Martin Bonner supports Monica Sep 20 '17 at 12:46
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    Listeners may not be able to identify the word out of context, but I would be very surprised if native English speakers (US or UK) didn't generally understand what it meant if someone said they couldn't get to a destination because they didn't have conveyance. The word "convey" is used all the time, even if this variant is a little bit less common. Asking out of context or writing it "conveince" [which causes one to think of "convenience"] seem like the likely reasons OP was not finding anyone who claimed to recognize the word IMHO. – Darren Ringer Sep 20 '17 at 19:35
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    The only downfall to "I don't have any way to get there" or "I don't have a vehicle" is that depending on the distance and the culture, walking might be a valid way to get there. There is also taking a bike, or maybe a bus, taxi, or something else. I assume that since the OP refers to conveyance, the distance is too far for walking or biking (or there is a physical impairment of the speaker). – MikeP Sep 20 '17 at 19:42
  • @wizzwizz4 -- a "mode" of transport is some kind of transport. Automobiles are a mode of transport. If you personally own an automobile, or have borrowed one, or stolen one, then you have means of transport. – Michael Lorton Sep 21 '17 at 01:44
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    Agree that the word is "conveyance" but surprised that, in spite of the OP's accent, his English fellows did not recognise the word. I would conclude that lack of recognition speaks to their vocabulary since, although in many places it would not be used in everyday speech, it is still used in [native] English formal written contexts. – Mick Sep 21 '17 at 02:48
  • @Malvolio Well, you can say, "I don't have any mode of transport," just like you can say, "I don't have any kind of transport." There's nothing wrong with that. – Brian McCutchon Sep 21 '17 at 07:16
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    @BrianMcCutchon -- to my ear, that just sounds wrong; to me, a "mode" is very abstract. It's a kind of transport, like a species of animal or a variety of flower. Maybe it's regional. – Michael Lorton Sep 21 '17 at 07:29
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    A friendly note: I suggest that you qualify some of your statements. You write that the word is slightly obscure, but we just learned from the question that this is not true in Pakistan. You could be understood as saying that the English spoken in Pakistan is not “real” English, and you may not have intended to imply that. I do not even think that the OP would mind though, otherwise he had not chosen ELL ;) – Carsten S Sep 21 '17 at 07:48
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    "I don't have a car" would be fine. Whoever you're speaking to isn't going to start interrogating you with "Do you have a motorbike? Do you have a truck? A van?" They'll assume that you'd have mentioned those things if you had them. – David Richerby Sep 21 '17 at 12:08
  • @DavidRicherby “I don't have a car” would be fine only if it was common/expected for a typical person to have a car and drive themselves somewhere. The word “conveyance” as it's used on the subcontinent covers a broader range of typical meanings, such as “I don't have someone with a motorbike to drive me there” or “there isn't a (reasonably convenient) bus from my place to that place”. In such a context, saying “I don't have a car” would be a non-sequitur, stating something unsurprising and unlikely to lead to the intended implication. (Imagine someone told you “I don't have a helicopter”.) – ShreevatsaR Sep 22 '17 at 02:44
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    @ShreevatsaR OK. Then it sounds like "I can't get there" covers pretty much the full meaning. – David Richerby Sep 22 '17 at 08:16
  • English is an ever-moving language, and you find that 'the year' that English moved to a particular country tends to influence the words they continue to use. Like a genetic tree.

    So Conveyance is now relatively rare and related to communication than transport, but would have been commonplace when it arrived in Pakistan. There are lots of words like this

    So words and meanings change and shift in focus, and that's what's probably happened here. There's lots of similar examples in Jamaican English and Indian English.

     – Timo Sep 25 '17 at 12:20
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I assume you mean conveyance, which OALD defines as

  1. [uncountable] (formal) the process of taking somebody/something from one place to another
  2. [countable] (formal) a vehicle

The formal tag indicates that while educated people might know the word, even they might not use in day-to-day conversation.

I am not familiar with how the term is used in Pakistan, so I cannot offer a direct substitute. If you are trying to indicate that you do not own or have access to a car, you can simply say I don't have a car.

There are a variety of ways to explaining that you do not have the means to get someplace. Suppose I live in the city center, and have neither a car nor a driver's license, and am invited to someone's house in the countryside for the weekend. I could explain that I can't go because I don't have a car, or because I can't drive, or more generally

I would need a ride — in order to get there, someone will need to drive me or otherwise arrange transportation for me

I don't have a way of getting there — this is less direct, if you are concerned your host will interpret the first as a request which it would be impolite to turn down.

choster
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    I would need a ride. An alternative is I would need a lift. – Rosie F Sep 20 '17 at 05:45
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    @RosieF lift is more specific; this rules out rentals or public transport. – Mr Lister Sep 20 '17 at 07:17
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    @MrLister - my understanding is that "a ride" is the American term for the British English "a lift". Neither cover rental or public transport. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Sep 20 '17 at 12:45
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    @MartinBonner: Not quite so. In the US, 'ride' has more meanings than than 'lift'. You can own a 'ride'. As in 'pimp my ride', or 'my other ride is...' bumper stickers. It's often used as a slang term for a car, as in: 'hey, nice ride man!'. So, 'I would need a ride' could mean either 'I would need a lift (from a third party)' or 'I would need a car (of my own)'. – Baldrick Sep 20 '17 at 14:59
  • @Baldrick Would it cover rental or public transport though? – Martin Bonner supports Monica Sep 20 '17 at 15:00
  • @MartinBonner: Rental, certainly yes. Public transport, no. Possibly a taxi (at a stretch), but not buses or trains. – Baldrick Sep 20 '17 at 15:02
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    @Baldrick No. In the US ride pretty much means you are not driving. "My ride is late", "I need a ride", "I don't have a ride" all imply very strongly that you are not driving. I would be very surprised if you tell someone that you need a ride and they take it to mean that you need a car. The only exception I can think off is if you are at talking to a car salesman. – ventsyv Sep 20 '17 at 21:56
  • @RosieF In parts of Manchester at least a lift would mean assistance or a helping hand and have little to do with a ride – KalleMP Sep 22 '17 at 07:35
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This is awkward in English, and there is no agreed upon acceptable substitute to indicate that you don't have your Car & Motorcycle & Bike other than the imploring case "I need a lift/ride".

"I have no means of transport" sound like you don't own a car, and also are grandiloquent

There is an informal case you might like: "I don't have wheels" assuming boating is not an option, that conveys the right tone and state need without a direct ask.

Owen
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    It is not awkward, and still commonly used. I often find myself in need of a conveyance. – mckenzm Sep 21 '17 at 23:00
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    @mckenzm Where is this word "still commonly used" in this context? As a native Brit living in England, I would say this is very uncommon. The comment and answer on this other ELL question also suggest it is "very rare" / uncommon in the US and Australia. – MrWhite Sep 24 '17 at 00:23
  • I'm in Australia. We are big Jeremy Clarkson fans here. You must get "Top Gear" there... It does not have to apply to mean a motorcar either. Pick up a few dozen regency romance novels and it will jump out at you sooner or later, along with "bespoke" which seems to be drifting back in nowadays. Conveyances are typically "summoned" (Uber, Lyft etc.). Perhaps we are giving ourselves airs, and possibly ideas above our station. For that, I apologise. – mckenzm Sep 26 '17 at 05:15
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I suggest I am on foot. It perfectly conveys what you mean.

fralau
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