Getting lost in a new city is, believe it or not, one of the best things that can happen to an English learner. You are forced to open your mouth, walk up to a stranger, and have a real conversation in English — no script, no teacher, no time to look up the perfect word. It is messy, slightly stressful, and absolutely brilliant for your speaking skills.
Asking for and giving directions is also one of those everyday topics that comes up constantly when you travel, study abroad or move to a new country. In this lesson we will look at how to politely ask for help, the key verbs and prepositions you need, the landmarks you will hear in the answer, two short sample dialogues, common mistakes, and a quick quiz to test yourself.
How to politely ask for directions
In English, jumping straight in with Where is the station? can sound a little blunt. A short polite opener makes a huge difference and gives you a second to gather your thoughts. Try one of these:
- Excuse me, could you tell me where the post office is?
- Excuse me, do you know where the nearest cash machine is?
- Sorry to bother you — how do I get to the bus station?
- Is there a supermarket near here?
- Could you point me in the direction of the old town, please?
Notice the structure after could you tell me and do you know. We do not invert the verb, so it is where the post office is, not where is the post office. This is called an indirect question, and using it instantly makes you sound more polite and more advanced.
If the person looks busy, a quick Sorry to bother you at the start works wonders. And do not forget a Thanks so much, that is really helpful at the end — small things, but they go a long way.
Direction vocabulary — verbs and prepositions
Once someone starts giving you directions, your job is to follow a chain of small instructions. The good news is that the same handful of verbs and prepositions come up again and again. Learn these and you will understand most of what people say to you.
Useful verbs:
- turn left / turn right — change direction at a corner
- go straight on (or keep going straight) — do not turn
- take the first / second / third on the left — count the streets and turn into one
- go past the cinema — walk by it without stopping
- cross the road / the bridge
- follow this road for about five minutes
- head towards the sea / the church
Useful prepositions and phrases:
- opposite the bank — directly across from it
- next to the pharmacy — right beside it
- between the bakery and the bookshop
- on the corner of Main Street and King Street
- at the end of the road
- in front of / behind the museum
- on your left / on your right
A small tip: on the corner means the building sits on the outside of the corner, where two streets meet. In the corner is for inside spaces — the chair in the corner of the room. Mixing these up is one of the most common mistakes at A2/B1 level.
Landmarks and reference points
British English uses some specific words for the things you see on the street. If you do not know them, the directions someone gives you will be impossible to follow. Memorise this short list and your life will be much easier:
- traffic lights — the red, amber and green lights at a junction
- roundabout — a circular junction where cars drive around an island (very common in the UK and in Malta)
- junction — the point where two or more roads meet
- T-junction — where your road ends and you have to turn left or right
- crossroads — where two roads cross each other
- zebra crossing — the black-and-white striped pedestrian crossing
- pedestrian crossing — any official place to cross the road on foot
- pavement — the path beside the road for people walking (Americans say sidewalk)
- lane — a narrow road, often in older parts of town
- square — an open public space, usually with shops or cafés around it
So a typical instruction might be: Go straight on, past the traffic lights, and at the roundabout take the second exit. The bank is on your left, just after the zebra crossing. If you can picture that as you read it, you are already in great shape.
Sample dialogues
Let us put all of that together with two short conversations. Read them out loud — directions are a speaking topic, so the words need to feel comfortable in your mouth, not just on the page.
Dialogue 1: In the city centre
Tourist: Excuse me, could you tell me where the cathedral is?
Local: Yes, of course. Go straight on down this street, past the small square on your right. At the traffic lights, turn left. The cathedral is at the end of the road, opposite a big café.
Tourist: Sorry, did you say the first or the second left?
Local: The first left, at the traffic lights. You cannot miss it — it is a huge building.
Tourist: Brilliant, thanks so much.
Dialogue 2: Asking the way to the station
Student: Sorry to bother you — how do I get to the bus station from here?
Passer-by: No problem. Walk to the end of this road and turn right. Keep going for about five minutes, until you reach a roundabout. Take the second exit, and the bus station is on your left, next to a big supermarket.
Student: Is it far? Should I get a taxi?
Passer-by: No, it is only about ten minutes on foot.
Student: Perfect, I will walk. Cheers!
Notice the small clarifying questions: Did you say the first or the second left? and Is it far? Native speakers do this all the time. You do not have to understand everything the first time — you just have to ask.
Common mistakes
Here are the slips I hear most often from A2/B1 students when we practise directions in class:
- Tense confusion: When giving directions, we use the imperative — turn left, go straight on, take the second right. Avoid turning left or you are turning left; the -ing form sounds like a description, not an instruction.
- You vs imperative: Both You turn left at the lights and Turn left at the lights are fine. What does not work is mixing them: You turning left at the lights.
- On the corner vs in the corner: Buildings on a street are on the corner. Things inside a room are in the corner.
- Opposite vs in front of: Opposite means across from, on the other side of the road. In front of means directly before something, on the same side.
- Take vs go: You take a road or a turning, but you go straight on or go past something. Take straight on is not English.
- Missing prepositions: Learners often drop the small words: It is corner of Main Street instead of It is on the corner of Main Street. Those tiny prepositions carry a lot of meaning.
Mini quiz — 8 questions
Time to test yourself. Write your answers down before you scroll to the bottom — no peeking!
- Complete: Excuse me, could you tell me where the museum ____?
- Which is correct: The bakery is in the corner of King Street or The bakery is on the corner of King Street?
- What do we call the black-and-white striped place where people cross the road?
- Fill the gap: At the roundabout, ____ the second exit.
- True or false: Go straight on means change direction.
- Which preposition fits? The chemist is ____ the bank and the post office.
- What is a T-junction?
- Polite or impolite? Where is the station? shouted across the street.
Answers
- is — indirect question, no inversion.
- on the corner of King Street — buildings are on, not in, the corner.
- A zebra crossing.
- take the second exit.
- False — it means do not turn, keep going.
- between the bank and the post office.
- A junction where your road ends and you must turn left or right — it forms the shape of a T.
- Impolite — start with Excuse me and use an indirect question instead.
If you got six or more right, you are already in great shape for asking your way around any English-speaking city. Want to practise this kind of everyday English with real teachers, on a sunny island in the middle of the Mediterranean? Get a quick course quote from Maltalingua here and our team will put together a plan that fits your level and your dates.