give me a ride to / drive me to / take me to

[Sweetpumpkin]

Hi, guys,

I have a question on the usage of the three expressions: give me a ride to/drive me to/take me to somewhere. Is it okay to tell a taxi driver when you grab a taxi, "Give me a ride to the Seoul Station"? It sounds a bit awkward to me because "give sb a ride" seems used in a situation doing someone a favor. How about "drive me to somewhere" "take me to" to a taxi driver? Is it okay?

Thank you for your answers in advance,

sweetpumpkin

[Skrej]

Hello Sweetpumpkin,

Yes, I agree that 'give me a ride to ____' isn't appropriate when talking to a taxi driver. As you mentioned, it does sound like you're asking for a favor. You might ask a friend that, but not a taxi driver, because it sounds like you're expecting something for free.

'Drive me to ___' and 'Take me to ___' are both completely natural and appropriate for the taxi situation. I would probably prefer to say 'take me to ___', but both are correct.
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[Ralf]

Hi Sweet Pumpkin,

This is how I imagine a typical taxi situation.

Cab Driver: 'Where to?'
Passenger: '23 Hillsborough, please.'
Cab Driver: 'All right.'
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[Sweetpumpkin]

Thank you, Skrej! Your answer is what I'm looking for.

[Sweetpumpkin]

Thank you for your attention, Ralf! The shorter, the better in some typical situations, indeed.