Asking & giving directions in English

1. Asking for Directions

a) Basic Phrases
When you’re approaching someone to ask for directions, start off with these polite
phrases to get their attention:

 Excuse me…

 Pardon me…

 Can I ask you a question?

 Could you help me?

Then you can ask for directions to the specific place you have in mind:

 How do I get to…?

 Where is the…?

 Can you show me the way to…?

 I’m trying to find…

 Where’s the nearest…?

 How can I reach…?

b) Distance
Distance can be described by kilometers or miles, but you can also ask about time—
how long it’ll take you to get to your destination.

 How far is it to…?

 Is it a long walk?

 How long does it take to get there?

 How many blocks away is…?

 About how many minutes away is it?

c) Transportation
Common modes of transportation include walking, taking the bus or train, driving and
even riding a bike.

 Is it walkable?
 Asking & giving directions in English
 Would it be better to take a bus or train?

 Should I take the bus or train?

 Is it accessible by car?

 Can I bike there?

d) Landmarks
Landmarks are very helpful for checking if you’re on the right track with the directions.

 Are there any landmarks I should look for?

 Is it next to…?

 Is it before or after the…?

e) Clarifications
Since listening to directions can sometimes be confusing, you can make sure you’re
understanding it correctly with these expressions:

 Just to confirm…

 Let me make sure I got it…

 Could you repeat that?

 Did you say turn left or right?

 I missed that, could you explain again?

 Can you go over that one more time?

2. Giving Directions
Chances are, you’ve experienced being asked for help before with directions. Giving
directions in English is a little trickier because you need to imagine the route that the
other person will take, but you’ll get the hang of it with practice! It’s important to give the
right directions because you don’t want other people to get (more) lost, do you?
a) Basic Phrases
These are the most important phrases for you to remember:

 Turn right at…

 Turn left at…

 Go straight until you see…

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 Continue on this street.

 Follow this street until…

 You’ll need to cross…

 Keep to the right.

b) Distance
Most of the time, people will want to know how long it takes to get somewhere.

 It’s about a 10-minute walk.

 You’ll come across it after about ten minutes.

 Drive for around 2 miles.

 It’s just a short distance away.

c) Suggesting Other Routes
If you know other ways to get to the destination, these are the phrases to use:

 Another way is…

 You can also go through…

 If that route is busy, you might want to…

d) Landmarks
Don’t forget to mention landmarks so the people you’re helping out will be less likely to
get lost!

 Pass the…

 Head to the…

 It’s right next to the…

 You’ll see a [landmark] on your left.

 You’ll pass a big [landmark], then…

 If you’re at the [landmark], you’ve gone too far.

 You’ll know you’re there when…