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How would you call that if I'm on public transport, sitting comfortably on a chair, and then a senior or a lady in red walks in and so I want to stand up and give my place to that person ?

like, I ... my place/chair (to) that person. I'm not sure, but there should be something like that.

Thanks for your help, guys :)

Arman
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    You yield (or give up) the seat to a senior (but not to a non-senior woman (they can't have women's lib and seats, unless with an arm load of kids)) . But you probably wouldn't use either word in everyday non-technical conversation. You can also not say anything and just stand up and maybe look at the senior giving them the option. Some seniors don't want to sit down. –  Apr 10 '15 at 18:58
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    And I have no idea what you mean by "lady in red". –  Apr 10 '15 at 19:02
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    I just meant some nice lady :) – Arman Apr 10 '15 at 20:59
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    Well, why don't you put 'nice lady'? 'Lady in red' can be a prostitute, who are not always nice. It also has some other slang meanings. –  Apr 11 '15 at 09:39
  • @pazzo, The Woman in Red (or the Woman in the Red Dress) is a famous character from the Matrix movie, meant to appear harmless but to catch trainees' attention in the Agent training program. She is also referenced as "lady in red" sometimes. Thanks for another meaning, would have never thought of "lady in red" as of prostitute. Maybe Lady in Yellow as in Walk of Shame? :) Well, yeah, this is when your knowledge about a language is more built upon movies rather than real experience. – Arman Apr 13 '15 at 12:35
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    @ArmanMcHitaryan I immediately thought of the woman in the red dress form the Matrix, and assumed you meant any random woman, so your meaning did not entirely fall on deaf ears. – DCShannon Apr 14 '15 at 19:52

3 Answers3

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The other answers I see here describe how to tell the person that you would like to let them have your seat, but that doesn't appear to me to be what the question asked.

To answer your question by finishing your example sentence, I would say:

I gave up my seat to an elderly lady.

An alternative form would be:

I let an elderly lady have my seat.

This could imply that she asked for it, and you then let her have it, as opposed to the first phrasing which implies that you did it without prompting.

That being said, one of the comments on this page indicates that a listener may interpret those two phrasings with the reversed meaning, with the second phrasing voluntary and the first forced.

Either way, the two phrasings are essentially identical. Use whichever you prefer.

As far as offering your seat, I normally wouldn't even say anything. I would just stand and move aside when someone who clearly needs the seat more gets on. This is partially because most buses I've been on have signage saying to give up your seats for the elderly or handicapped.

bus sign

enter image description here

DCShannon
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  • Thank you, Shannon, for your detailed answer. This was just what I was asking for. – Arman Apr 11 '15 at 08:00
  • You could also say "I gave my seat to the elderly lady." or "I gave her my seat." It's less formal, but often heard (AmE). – Stew C Apr 09 '17 at 22:55
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You smile and stand and ask, "Would you like to sit down?"

"Chair" doesn't work here. It refers to a single, free-standingpiece of furniture, not to shared seating such as we find on the subway or bus.

Eileen Wilks
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  • Thank you, @Eileen. Can I then say that I "gave up my seat to somebody" today? Would 'give up' be correct? – Arman Apr 10 '15 at 20:56
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    "Give up" implies hardship a bit, and this is something you did willingly. I'd say "I let them have my seat." This implies that you were happy to do it. – StilesCrisis Apr 10 '15 at 22:03
  • These sound more native than "gave up" in this particular sentence: "I gave my seat to somebody" or... "I offered my seat to someone*" (offered but not necessarily gave it). – Stew C Apr 09 '17 at 23:00
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In your context, I would say:

Would you like my seat?

I wouldn't use chair as that usually refers to a standalone unit for one person only to sit, and wouldn't expect that on mass transit.

Place might be OK, but would be better in a situation like where you are waiting in line to go into a movie:

Would you like my place in line?

user3169
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