Spoken EnglishA1Lesson 2.1
🗣️ Spoken English A1 · Lesson 2.1

Out and about — asking the way

Can-do: I can stop a stranger politely, ask for directions, and understand a simple answer.

Listen first

A traveller stops someone on the street. Listen for "Excuse me" and the three direction words.

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New vocabulary — tap to hear
Excuse me/ɪkˈskjuːz miː/ · always start here 🔊
Where is the station?/wɛr ɪz/ · point of the whole exchange 🔊
How do I get to the market?/haʊ dʊ aɪ ˈɡɛt tuː/ · ask for the route 🔊
Go straight on/ɡoʊ ˈstreɪt ɒn/ · keep going forward 🔊
Turn left / turn right/tɜːrn lɛft/ · the two turns 🔊
Is it far?/ɪz ɪt fɑːr/ · check the distance 🔊

Now say it

Tap the phrase to hear it, then press the mic and repeat — we score your pronunciation for real (Chrome/Edge).

« Excuse me, where is the station? » 🔊
Let your voice rise gently on "station" — a soft question sounds friendlier.
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Pronunciation

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Read the dialogue

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Excuse me, where is the station? 🔊Polite opener + the question
Go straight on and turn left at the bank. 🔊A simple two-step route
Thank you. Is it far? 🔊Thank them, then check distance
No, about five minutes on foot. 🔊"On foot" = walking
Grammar in focus · the imperative

Directions use the imperative — the plain verb with no "you": "Go straight", "Turn left", "Take the second road". It sounds like an order in your language but in English it's simply how instructions work. It's polite as long as you started with "Excuse me" and end with "thank you".

Full lesson: imperatives & commands

Write it yourself

A tourist asks you the way to the nearest café. Write your 2-line answer using "go straight" and one turn.

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Tip for this task
Directions stay in the imperative — no "you" needed. "Turn right", not "You turning right".

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. The politest way to start is…
2. "Go straight on" means…
3. "Is it far?" is asking about…
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