Lesson 25 - Giving directions
🍉 Excuse Me, Where Is the Bank?
Lesson 25 — Giving Directions
Imagine you are in an unfamiliar city. Your phone battery is almost empty, you have an appointment in 20 minutes, and you need help. Learn to ask for directions, understand a route, and explain how to get somewhere.
Learning goals
- Ask for directions politely.
- Understand instructions and follow a route.
- Use go straight, turn left, turn right, cross the road and walk past.
- Describe places using next to, opposite, near and between.
Grammar: Imperatives and polite questions.
Example: “Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the museum?”
Getting around a new city
Answer aloud or write a few notes. Try first, then reveal a sample answer.
1. Have you ever got lost in a city? What happened?
2. Do you prefer using a map or asking local people?
3. What would you do if your phone battery was at 1%?
4. Are you comfortable asking a stranger for directions?
Your city survival kit
Search for a word or phrase. Ukrainian translations are included for support.
16 vocabulary items
| Word / phrase | Pronunciation (IPA) | Українською | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| direction | /dəˈrekʃən/ | напрямок | Could you give me directions to the station? |
| go straight | /ɡəʊ streɪt/ | йти прямо | Go straight for about two minutes. |
| turn left | /tɜːn left/ | повернути ліворуч | Turn left at the supermarket. |
| turn right | /tɜːn raɪt/ | повернути праворуч | Turn right at the traffic lights. |
| cross | /krɒs/ | переходити | Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing. |
| road | /rəʊd/ | дорога | The hotel is on this road. |
| street | /striːt/ | вулиця | The office is on Green Street. |
| corner | /ˈkɔːnə/ | ріг вулиці | The pharmacy is on the corner. |
| traffic lights | /ˈtræfɪk laɪts/ | світлофор | Turn left at the traffic lights. |
| pedestrian crossing | /pəˈdestriən ˈkrɒsɪŋ/ | пішохідний перехід | Use the pedestrian crossing. |
| near | /nɪə/ | біля, неподалік | Is there a bank near here? |
| opposite | /ˈɒpəzɪt/ | навпроти | The cinema is opposite the park. |
| next to | /nekst tə/ | поруч із | The bakery is next to the bank. |
| between | /bɪˈtwiːn/ | між | The café is between the bank and the hotel. |
| excuse me | /ɪkˈskjuːz miː/ | перепрошую | Excuse me, where is the museum? |
| How do I get to…? | /haʊ də aɪ ɡet tə/ | Як мені дістатися до…? | How do I get to the library? |
Vocabulary check: What does “opposite” mean?
Ask like a local
1. You want to ask a stranger for help. What should you say?
2. You want to know if a place is far away.
3. You want directions to the museum.
Pronunciation tip: LEFT /left/ has a short vowel. RIGHT /raɪt/ rhymes with “bite”. Practise saying “Turn left” and “Turn right” clearly.
Imperatives for directions
Use the base form of the verb to give instructions. You do not need a subject such as you.
Go straight for 200 metres.
Turn right at the traffic lights.
Cross the road carefully.
Walk past the supermarket.
Take the first street on your left.
For a polite question, use “Could you tell me how to get to…?” or “Excuse me, where is…?”
1. _____ straight until you reach the traffic lights.
2. _____ the road at the pedestrian crossing.
3. Which question is correct?
The tourist who followed a duck 🦆
Before reading: What animal would make the worst tour guide? Why?
Tom was visiting a city for the first time. He had a meeting at a famous museum, but he was terrible at reading maps. His phone battery was almost empty, so he stopped near a bakery and asked an older man for help.
“Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the museum?” Tom asked.
“Of course,” the man replied. “Go straight along this road. Cross the road at the traffic lights and turn left. The museum is opposite the park, next to the bank.”
Tom thanked him and started walking. Just then, a very confident duck crossed the road. It turned left at the traffic lights, so Tom followed it.
The duck walked past a bakery, crossed a pedestrian crossing and stopped beside a small pond. Tom looked around. There was no museum. There were only trees, ducks and a woman eating a sandwich.
“Excuse me,” Tom asked the woman. “Where is the museum?” She pointed across the road. “It's opposite the park. You're in the park now.”
Tom looked at the duck. “Does this duck know the way?”
“No,” the woman said. “It knows where people keep their sandwiches.”
Tom finally found the museum. Inside, he saw a sign: “Today's special exhibition: The History of Ducks.” He looked back at the duck outside. “Perhaps it was right after all!”
1. Why did Tom ask for directions?
2. What directions did the man give Tom?
3. Why did Tom follow the duck?
4. Where did the duck take Tom?
5. What was the joke at the end?
Short written response: Was the duck a good guide? Explain your opinion in two or three sentences.
Find your way around town
You are at the bus station. Use this fictional map to practise directions. Imagine the streets connect each row and column.
START
Mission 1: Find the bank. Write directions from the bus station to the bank.
Mission 2: Find the cinema. Explain how to get from the bus station to the cinema.
Mission 3: Find the park. Give directions and include a landmark.
Complete the directions
Choose the correct word for each gap.
Word bank: straight · left · opposite · cross · next to · far
The confused tourist
Work with a partner, or read both roles aloud. Ask follow-up questions such as “Is it far?”, “Can I walk there?” and “Which street should I take?”
Situation A — A quick lunch
You are at the bus station. Ask for a nearby café, whether it is far, and if you can walk there.
Local: Yes. Go straight and turn right at the traffic lights. It's next to the bank.
Tourist: Is it far? Can I walk there?
Local: No, it's about five minutes on foot.
Situation B — The wrong street
You have turned left twice and are confused. Ask for directions to the city centre.
Local: Of course. Go straight to the traffic lights. Turn right, then walk past the supermarket. The city centre is opposite the library.
Tourist: Thank you. Is it far?
Local: No, about ten minutes on foot.
Situation C — A birthday cake
You need to find a bakery. The bakery is next to the bank.
Local: Go straight and turn left at the traffic lights. The bakery is next to the bank.
Tourist: Thank you very much.
Local: You're welcome!
Funny challenge: No “left” or “right”! Give directions without using those words. Try: “Go towards the park, then take the street beside the café.”
Can you give directions?
Choose one answer for each question, then check your score.
1. A stranger asks, “How do I get to the station?” You say:
2. The café is on the other side of the street, facing the bank. It is:
3. Which sentence is correct?
4. You want to ask politely for help. Choose:
5. The pharmacy is beside the supermarket. It is:
My neighbourhood
Draw a simple map of your neighbourhood or a place you know well. Include at least five places, such as a supermarket, café, bank, bus stop and park. Write five sets of directions using today's vocabulary.
Example: First, I leave my apartment and go straight. Then I turn right at the supermarket. The bakery is next to the bank. It takes about ten minutes to walk there.
0 words
Self-check before you finish
Say these sentences without looking
“Excuse me, how do I get to the station?”
“Go straight and turn left at the traffic lights.”
“The café is opposite the park.”