Directions and getting around
Stop a stranger politely, ask the way, actually understand the answer, and use buses, the metro and taxis with a few fixed questions.
THE REAL PROBLEM
Asking is easy. Understanding the answer is the hard part.
You can prepare your question. You can't prepare their answer, and it usually comes fast. The trick is to stop trying to catch every word. Listen for just three kinds of words: a direction (left, right, straight), a landmark (the bank, the lights), and a distance (two blocks, five minutes). Then say it back to check.
"…so you wanna go straight down here for like two blocks and then hang a left at the lights…" What you need from that: straight, two blocks, left, lights.
Omid: Excuse me, do you know where the nearest metro station is?
Woman: Sure. Go straight for two blocks, then turn left at the traffic lights.
Omid: Straight for two blocks, then left at the lights?
Woman: That's right. It's on your right, next to the bank. You can't miss it.
Omid: Great, thanks a lot. Is it far?
Woman: No, about five minutes on foot.Omid opens with "Excuse me", asks an indirect question, repeats the key words back, and thanks her. The repeat in line 3 is what makes sure he arrives."You can't miss it" means it is very easy to see.
After "Do you know…", the verb goes to the end
"Where is the station?" is correct, but said to a stranger with nothing before it, it sounds blunt. Put "Excuse me, do you know…" or "Could you tell me…" in front, and one thing changes: the second part is no longer a question, so it uses normal word order. where + thing + is.
- Excuse me, do you know where the station is?
- Could you tell me how I get to the airport?
- Do you know where is the station?
- Where is the station?
Check yourself
You need a bank. Stop a stranger and ask politely, starting with "Do you know".
Show the answer
Do you know where the bank is
Right. After "Do you know", it's "where the bank is", with "is" at the very end.
Go straight /ɡoʊ ˈstreɪt/
Keep walking or driving forward without turning
Go straight for about 200 meters, and you'll see the pharmacy on your left.
The words you will hear in the answer
- Turning: "Turn left at the lights." "Take the second right." (= the second street on your right)
- Passing: "Go past the supermarket." (= keep going until it is behind you)
- Where it is: "It's on your left." "It's next to the bank." "It's across from the park." "It's on the corner."
- Distance: "It's about two blocks." "It's a five-minute walk." "It's too far to walk. You should take a bus."
Check yourself
Match each direction to what it means
Show the answer
- Go past the pharmacy → Keep walking until the pharmacy is behind you
- It's across from the park → It faces the park from the other side of the street
- It's on the corner → It is where two streets meet
- Take the second right → Skip one street on the right, turn at the next
Buses, metro, taxis
- Finding the right one
"Does this bus go to the city center?" "Which line goes to the airport?" "Where do I change for the museum?"
- Buying a ticket
"A one-way ticket to Oxford, please." (British: a single) For going and coming back: "a round-trip ticket" (British: a return).
- Getting off
"Could you tell me when we get to Park Street?" "Is this the stop for the stadium?"
- In a taxi
"Could you take me to this address, please?" "Roughly how much will it be?" "Could you stop here, please?"
Check yourself
Sara is at a bus stop with a suitcase. A bus arrives and she asks the driver.
Excuse me, ____ this bus go to the airport?
Show the answer
does
Persian has one ببخشید. English has two.
Excuse me
Before you bother someone: to get a stranger's attention, to call a server, to pass someone in a crowd. "Excuse me, do you know…?"
Sorry
After something went wrong: you bumped into someone, you're late, you made a mistake. (British speakers also use "Sorry" to get attention, so you will hear both.)
Check yourself
Sara is lost in a new city. She sees a man waiting at a bus stop. Which opening is both polite and correct?
- Hello mister, where is the museum?
- Sorry, museum?
- Excuse me, do you know where is the museum?
- Excuse me, do you know where the museum is?
Show the answer
Excuse me, do you know where the museum is?
Yes. "Excuse me" first, then the indirect question with "is" at the end.
Check yourself
A passer-by tells Omid: "Go past the supermarket and take the second left. It's across from the school." Where is the place he is looking for?
- On the first left, right next to the supermarket
- Before the supermarket, behind the school building
- On the second left after the supermarket, facing the school
Show the answer
On the second left after the supermarket, facing the school
Right. "Go past" means the supermarket ends up behind him, "second left" skips one street, and "across from" means facing.
Lesson recap
- Open with "Excuse me", then ask indirectly: "Do you know where the station is?" The verb goes to the end.
- In the answer, listen for three things: direction, landmark, distance.
- Say the key words back with a rising voice to check: "Left at the lights?"
- "Go straight", "go past", "across from", "on the corner", "take the second right".
- On transport: "Does this bus go to…?" and "Could you tell me when we get to…?"