Lesson 8: Asking for Directions

Asking is the easy half. The hard half is understanding the answer, so this lesson gives you the questions and the words for saying you did not catch them.

How to use this lesson. Read each conversation aloud, slowly, two or three times. Do not worry about speed — clear is better than fast. Notice the expressions under each conversation, then try the practice at the end. If you can, read with a friend and take turns playing each person.

1. Finding the Station

Tourist: Excuse me. How do I get to the train station?

Local: Go straight for two blocks.

Tourist: And then?

Local: Turn left at the traffic lights. It's on your right.

Tourist: Is it far?

Local: Five minutes on foot.

Useful expressionsHow do I get to ...?Go straight for two blocks.Turn left at the traffic lights.on foot

2. Which Bus Goes There?

Passenger: Does this bus go to the hospital?

Driver: No, you want the 24.

Passenger: Where do I catch it?

Driver: Same stop, other side of the road.

Passenger: How often does it come?

Driver: Every ten minutes.

Useful expressionsDoes this bus go to ...?You want the 24.Where do I catch it?How often does it come?

3. Where Do I Get Off?

Passenger: Could you tell me where to get off for the museum?

Driver: Four stops from here.

Passenger: Will you say when?

Driver: I'll call it out.

Passenger: Thank you.

Driver: Sit near the front.

Useful expressionswhere to get offfour stops from hereI'll call it out.near the front

4. Finding a Street Address

Visitor: I'm looking for 14 Bridge Street.

Local: Walk down here and turn right at the corner.

Visitor: Is it near the park?

Local: Just across from it.

Visitor: Thanks very much.

Local: You can't miss it.

Useful expressionsI'm looking for ...turn right at the corneracross fromYou can't miss it.

5. Asking About Distance

Traveller: Is the museum far from here?

Local: Not really. Ten minutes by bus.

Traveller: Could I walk?

Local: You could, but it's twenty minutes.

Traveller: Which is quicker?

Local: The bus, at this hour.

Useful expressionsIs it far from here?Not really.by busWhich is quicker?

6. When You Did Not Understand

Visitor: Sorry, could you say that again?

Local: Go straight, then right at the bank.

Visitor: After the bank?

Local: Keep going until you reach the bridge.

Visitor: And it's past the bridge?

Local: Just past it, on the left.

Useful expressionsCould you say that again?Keep going until ...just past iton the left

7. Meeting Someone in Town

Friend: Where are you now?

Alex: By the shopping centre.

Friend: Can you see the library?

Alex: It's right in front of me.

Friend: Wait there. Five minutes.

Alex: I'm not going anywhere.

Useful expressionsWhere are you now?by the shopping centreright in front of meWait there.

8. Giving Directions Yourself

Tourist: Could you help me find the city museum?

Nadia: Go along this road for five minutes.

Tourist: And then?

Nadia: Left at the first lights. It's opposite the bank.

Tourist: That sounds easy.

Nadia: If you reach the river, you've gone too far.

Useful expressionsCould you help me find ...?Go along this road.opposite the bankyou've gone too far

Words to know

block	the distance from one street corner to the next Go straight for two blocks.
on foot	walking, not by car or bus Five minutes on foot.
catch a bus	to get on a bus Where do I catch it?
get off	to leave a bus or a train Where do I get off for the museum?
stop	a place where a bus stops to let people on and off Four stops from here.
across from	on the other side of the road, facing it Just across from it.
opposite	directly facing something It's opposite the bank.
You can't miss it.	it is very easy to find Thanks very much. You can't miss it.

Quick practice

Complete each sentence with an expression from the lessons.

1. A: How do I get to the train station?
B: ________ straight for two blocks.

2. A: Where do I ________ the 24?
B: Same stop, other side of the road.

3. A: Could you tell me where to ________ off for the museum?
B: Four stops from here.

4. A: Is the museum far from here?
B: ________ really. Ten minutes by bus.

5. A: Sorry, could you say that ________?
B: Go straight, then right at the bank.

6. A: Is it near the park?
B: Just ________ from it.

Show the answers

1. Go 2. catch 3. get 4. Not 5. again 6. across

Common mistakes

Not: Where is the more near bus stop?

Say: Where's the nearest bus stop?

Short words like near add -est. They never take more or most.

Not: I go down from the bus at the museum.

Say: I get off the bus at the museum.

You get on and get off a bus, a train or a plane.

Not: Can you say me where is the bank?

Say: Can you tell me where the bank is?

Use tell me, and inside that kind of question the verb moves to the end.

Your turn

Imagine you are in a town you do not know and your phone has died. Say these five things aloud, one after another.

Stop someone politely and ask the way to the train station.
Ask whether it is far and how long it takes to walk.
Ask a driver which bus goes to the hospital and where to catch it.
Say you did not understand, and ask them to say it again.
Repeat the directions back to check you have them right.

Quick review

Think of the route from your home to the nearest station or bus stop. Say it out loud in five sentences, as if a stranger had asked you. Use go straight, turn, past, opposite and next to at least once each.