Practice
English practice: directions and locations
Sign in to saveYou are outside a station and need the library. A good answer does not need a long speech. Turn left, walk past the pharmacy, and it is opposite the park gives the listener a route they can follow.
Ask where a place is and give a short, clear direction using location phrases, imperative verbs, and useful route details.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Go straight ahead and turn left at the corner. /ɡəʊ streɪt əˈhed ən tɜːn left æt ðə ˈkɔːnə/
The short answer
Use a route verb first, then add a landmark or location phrase. For example, say Go past the bank and turn left at the traffic lights. To ask for help, say Excuse me, where is the museum?
Go straight ahead. The café is next to the post office.
Why it works: Go straight ahead tells the person what to do. Next to the post office helps them identify the destination.
6 more examples
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Turn right at the traffic lights.
Turn is an instruction. At the traffic lights identifies the point where the route changes.
Not this:Turn right
on the traffic lights. What changes: Use at for the point where you turn, not on. -
The chemist is opposite the bus station.
Opposite means directly across from another place.
Not this:The chemist is
behindthe bus station. What changes: Behind gives a different position. It is not the same as directly across from. -
Walk past the bakery and take the second left.
Past means you continue beyond a place instead of stopping there.
Not this:Walk
to the bakeryand take the second left. What changes: To the bakery can sound like the bakery is the destination. Past makes clear that the route continues. -
The bookshop is on King Street, near the river.
Use on with the name of a street. Near the river adds another useful landmark.
Not this:The bookshop is
in King Street. What changes: For an address or position along a street, on King Street is the usual choice. -
Is there a cash machine near here?
Is there asks whether one place or thing exists nearby.
Not this:
Are there a cash machinenear here? What changes: Cash machine is singular, so use Is there. -
Go through the park and cross the bridge.
Through means entering one side of a place and leaving by another side.
Not this:Go
across the parkand cross the bridge. What changes: Across can work for an open space, but through is often clearer when a route passes inside a park.
Read the full guide
Think about what the listener needs first. They need the first action, a point where the route changes, and a way to recognise the destination. Give one step at a time. Use familiar places such as a corner, a bridge, a station, or traffic lights as landmarks when they are useful.
Ask for help politely
Begin with Excuse me when you ask a stranger for directions. Then ask a direct question: Where is the library? You can also ask How do I get to the library? Both questions are common and clear.
Excuse me, where is the nearest bus stop?
Where is asks for the position of the bus stop. Nearest tells the listener that you want the closest one.
Excuse me, how do I get to the town hall?
How do I get to asks for the route, so the answer will usually contain movement instructions.
Which polite words can you use before asking a stranger for directions?
Start with Excuse me. It shows that you are asking for the person's attention politely.
Start directions with an action
Directions often use an imperative, which is the base verb without a subject. Common route verbs are go, walk, turn, cross, take, and follow. The listener understands that the instruction is for them.
Walk along this road for two minutes.
Walk gives the action, and along this road tells the person which route to follow.
Take the first turning on the left.
Take is followed by the turning. On the left identifies which side of the road to choose.
What base verb begins a clear instruction to move across a road?
Use cross: Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing.
Use landmarks to divide the route
A landmark is a place or object that helps a person check their route. Shops, bridges, traffic lights, statues, and stations can all work. Use past when the route continues beyond the landmark and at when the person must change direction there.
Go past the supermarket, then turn left at the roundabout.
The supermarket is a place the traveller passes. The roundabout is the point where the next action happens.
Follow the signs for the museum.
The signs act as landmarks and guide the person toward the destination.
How can a landmark make a direction easier to follow?
It gives the traveller something visible to look for before the next instruction.
Describe where the destination is
After the route, say where the destination is in relation to a familiar place. Next to means beside. Opposite means directly across from. Between names two places with the destination in the middle. Near means close, but it does not give an exact distance.
The tourist office is next to the railway station.
Next to tells the traveller to look beside the railway station.
The hotel is between the cinema and the bank.
Between needs two reference places. The hotel is in the middle of them.
Which phrase means directly across from the post office?
Use opposite the post office.
Choose in, on, and at for locations
Use in for an area or enclosed place, such as in the park or in the station. Use on for a street or a surface, such as on Market Street. Use at for a precise meeting point or address, such as at the corner or at the entrance.
Meet me at the entrance to the museum.
At the entrance points to one specific place where the two people can meet.
There is a small café on Bridge Street.
On is the usual preposition with the name of a street.
Which preposition fits: The children are playing ___ the playground?
Use in: The children are playing in the playground.
Check that the route is understood
A listener can repeat the important part of a route to check it. Say So I turn right after the bridge? The other person can then confirm or correct the route. If you give directions, keep the first answer short and ask if the person needs another detail.
So the gallery is opposite the library, right?
The speaker repeats the landmark and location phrase to check the information.
Yes. Do you know where the library is?
This question checks whether the listener already knows the landmark before more instructions are given.
What can you say when you are not sure that you heard a direction correctly?
Repeat the key step as a question, such as So I take the second left?
Before you go
Remember this
Ask politely where a place is. Give directions in travel order: start with an action, add a landmark, and describe the destination's position. Use at for turning points, on for streets, and clear phrases such as next to, opposite, and between to help someone recognise the right place.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: directions and locations"
How do I politely ask for directions in English?
Begin with Excuse me, then ask Where is the place? or How do I get to the place? For example, you can say Excuse me, where is the nearest bus stop? The first question asks for a position, and the second asks for the route.
Turn right at the traffic lights.
What verbs are useful when giving directions?
Useful direction verbs include go, walk, turn, cross, take, and follow. Use the base form for an instruction: Turn left, cross the road, or follow this street. Add a landmark or turning point so the person knows where to act.
Turn right on the traffic lights.
What is the difference between next to and opposite?
Next to means beside something. Opposite means directly across from it. A café next to a station is beside it, while a café opposite a station is usually on the other side of a road or open space.
The chemist is opposite the bus station.
When should I use in, on, and at for places?
Use in for an area or enclosed place, such as in the park. Use on with a street name, such as on King Street. Use at for a particular point, such as at the corner, at the entrance, or at the bus stop.
The chemist is behind the bus station.
How can I check that I understood a direction?
Repeat the important step as a short question. You might say So I turn left after the bridge? The other person can confirm the step or correct it. This is useful when there are several turns or similar landmarks.
Walk past the bakery and take the second left.