To go down or to go downstairs
I can say "I go down" if I use the lift or a ramp, for example.
I should say "I go downstairs" if I use the stairs.
Is that it?. Thank you.
10 Answers
Even if you use an elevator (the lift) you can say "I'm going downstairs to the first floor" because "downstairs" is also a location.
You can say "Where's Dan?" and I would respond "He's downstairs feeding the cat."
I can ask you "Where's mom?" and you can reply "She's upstairs" because "upstairs" is also a location.
Here in the US, we use the term "downstairs" to refer to the actual location and not necessarily the mode of transportation (i.e. stairs, lift, ramp etc).
For example, if I asked the librarian, "Where is your reference section?" She might respond that the reference section is (located) upstairs. I might then decide to either (1). use/take the elevator (lift) or (2). use/take the stairs.
Often, when someone gets on an elevator, they might ask the occupants of the elevator whether they (the elevator) are going up/down.
"I go downstairs" or "I go down" does not have tense. Downstairs is a location in relation to upstairs. Down is a direction.
English speakers will understand you; however, it should be placed in the past, present, or future.
Downstairs:
Past: Did you go downstairs? I did go downstairs. – More correct – I went downstairs.
Present: What are you doing? I am going downstairs.
Future: Where will you go? I will go downstairs.
(Via lift, stairs, ramp, or jumping)
Down: Past: Did you go down? I did go down. – More correct – I went down. Present: Which way are you going? I am going down. Future: Which way will you go? I will go down.
If the method has not been established literally or by assumption then it can be included. I did go down the ramp. I went down the stairs.
In addition, I go down can also be completely unrelated to an up/down direction. I did go down the hall. I will go down to the store.
FYI about Slang in the US; the phrase “I go down” by itself has a vulgar meaning of “I perform oral sex.” I do not know if this is true for other English speaking countries.
I am going downstairs (indicates where you are going to go)
I am downstairs (indicates where you are)
I am going to go down the stairs (indicates how you will get to where you are going)
Substitute "upstairs" for any of the above.
"I go downstairs" - is a statement of fact not of movement or location.
Example: I have to go downstairs to answer the door.
''Downstairs'' is a place or direction. If you are on the second floor and you want to go down to the first floor you go downstairs. You can still say ''I go down'' if you go down using the stairs, the lift, or a ramp. It's all the same.
Subir and descender are the two most common verbs used to express ascending or descending levels or a flight of stairs.
Downstairs is a generic term meaning the level or floor below.
It derives from the Days when Servants worked and lived in the basement or lower Quarters of the Household whereas the Gentlemen and Ladies lived "Upstairs" where the rooms had lavish furnishings and made for a much nicer environment.
The action is about to happen in the present....so the present tense is "I am going down, please."
Is it most common to say something like "voy a arriba (abajo)"?
To me it almost seems a bit redundant to specify the stairs, unless it was for emphasis; for example to eliminate confusion if there are multiple ways to go up or down (ramp, elevator, stairs, rocket pack).. or to emphasize the action of going up or down the stairs instead of trying to state where it is you want to go.
I am going upstairs: "voy a subir las escaleras"
Is my train of logic correct here?
DonVon said:
I go downstairs" or "I go down" does not have tense.
English speakers will understand you; however, it should be placed in the past, present, or future.
Just to be fair and to avoid any confusion regarding the grammar terms, the original sentences are already in the simple present tense (indicative mood). At the same time, it is unfair to say that this would somehow be an inferior construction to be used but rather depends much on the context. For example, if you are needing to describe a habitual action then you would need to use the simple present as detailed in Nila's original sentence:
• Person 1: What do you usually do for lunch?
• Person 2: I go downstairs to the cafeteria to eat.
DonVon said:
Past: Did you go downstairs? I did go downstairs. – More correct – I went downstairs.
Here, again, there is a problem in stating that the first sentence is somehow inferior (in terms of grammar) to the second. When an auxiliary verb (such as do) is present, it is the auxiliary verb that determines the tense. In this case, the auxiliary is in the past, so there is nothing incorrect in using did go here. In this case either could be used. It is worth noting, however, that in English the auxiliary verb "do" is used in the indicative mood to provide emphasis. So in the first case you would be left with:
• Person 1: Did you go downstairs?
• Person 2: Yes, I did go downstairs. [more emphatic]
Whereas the second answer would be less emphatic:
• Person 2: Yes, I went downstairs. [less emphatic]
Realistically, in this context it would probably be more idiomatic to simply say "Yes, I did (go downstairs)" [first case - emphatic] and "Yes, (I went downstairs)" [second case - less emphatic] than to use the entire expression. This is because the question really only requires an affirmative or negative response (a "yes" or a "no"). In many cases, it would probably be somewhat stiff/affected (in both English and Spanish) to answer this type of question with a verbatim response such as was suggested previously.
Of course, there are plenty of example where the emphatic sentence would not be appropriate. For example:
• Person 1: Where did you go?
• Person 2: I went downstairs.
Here the emphatic, "I did go downstairs," would not be considered an appropriate response.
DonVon said:
Present: What are you doing? I am going downstairs.
As I am sure that you probably recognize, this is not actually the simple present but rather the present progressive. In this case, both the question and the response are in reference to an action in progress. (as opposed to a habitual action that would require the simple present as described above).
Going upstairs or downstairs is all very well if you are in a house but if say you were in a department store and you said you were going upstairs or downstairs it wouldn't be clear were exactly you were going you would need to say I am going down to the basement/ground floor etc. or I am going up to the cafetera and you could say that wether you were using the stairs or the lift.
I am going upstairs: "voy a subir las escaleras"
¿Qué vas a hacer? Voy a subir.
¿Por dónde vas a subir?. Voy a subir por las escaleras.
¿Por dónde vas a subir? Voy a subir por el ascensor.
In Spain, it is more usual to say "voy a subir" rather than saying "voy a subir las escaleras" because on some occasions, it can be redundant to say "voy a subir las escaleras". However, it is very used in narrative: "subió las escaleras a toda velocidad". And also, you can use it when it is not obvious that there are stairs.
