Shadowing Practice: How to Ask for Directions in English For Beginners | Slow Easy English Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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Excuse me?
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Excuse me, sir?
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Yes?
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Hi.
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Can I help you?
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How do I get to from here?
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Okay.
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First, go straight on this road.
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Just after the library, The library.
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Okay, that's a good landmark.
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Just after the library, there is a crosswalk.
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Cross the street there.
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Hey guys!
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Welcome back to Daily English Talk, the podcast where we help you speak English with confidence, one conversation at a time.
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place and
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if you are coming back welcome back we missed you okay Tom I have to ask how was your weekend
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because mine was let me just say interesting oh no what happened
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so I went to a new part of the city a new neighborhood and I got completely totally 100 % lost No!
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Yes, I had no internet signal, my map app was not working, and I had to ask people for directions,
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in English, out loud, with my mouth.
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With your mouth?
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The horror!
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I know, I know.
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But honestly, it turned out to be a really great experience, and that gave me the idea for today's episode.
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This is so useful, whether you are traveling, living abroad, or just walking around a new city.
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And by the end of this episode, you will know exactly what to say, how to understand the answer, and what to do if you get confused.
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So stay with us.
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This is going to be a great one.
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Okay, before we start, we have a question for you.
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Are you ready, Tom?
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Ready.
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Here is today's question.
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Listen carefully because the answer is in this video.
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Ooh, I love this part.
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What is the name of the place that Lily and Tom are trying to find in today's story?
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I already know the answer!
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Tom, don't say it!
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I won't, I won't.
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Okay, everyone listen carefully.
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The answer will come up in the story.
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When you hear it, pause the video and write your answer in the comments section below.
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Writing in English even just one sentence in the comments is a great way to
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comment every single one okay are you ready for the story let's go okay
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so imagine this it's a Saturday morning beautiful day Tom
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and I decided to visit a famous place called the cats
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coffee shop we heard it was stunning this time of year
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I had been looking forward to it all week I even wore my nicest shoes He did.
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He really did.
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I like to look good when I walk through a coffee shop.
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Anyway, we took the bus to a general area, but when we got off, we had no idea where we were.
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Everything looked the same.
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Buildings, streets, more buildings, more streets.
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And my phone?
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Dead.
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Zero battery.
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That is my nightmare.
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I know.
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So Tom looks at me, and I look at Tom.
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And I said, "So, do you know where we are?" And I said,
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"Absolutely not." We stood there for like a full minute just looking around.
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And then I said, "Okay, we have to ask someone." And Tom went completely pale.
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I did not go pale.
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He went a little pale.
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Fine, maybe a little.
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Asking strangers for directions in English makes me nervous.
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What if I don't understand their answer?
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This is exactly why we are making this episode, because so many of you feel the same way Tom does, right?
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Totally normal.
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But Lily helped me.
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And today, we are going to help you.
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Okay, let's talk about the language.
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When you ask for directions, there are a few key sentence structures you need to know.
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And these are super simple, don't worry.
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The first and most important thing: always start with "excuse me." This is polite.
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It shows respect.
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It signals that you need help.
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Excuse me.
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Say it with me.
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Excuse me.
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Good.
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Now, after excuse me, you can ask your question in a few different ways.
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The first way is a direct question.
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For example, "Excuse me, where is Kat's Coffee Shop?" Simple and clear.
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"Where is..." and then the name of the place.
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The second way uses the phrase "How do I get to?" For example,
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"Excuse me, how do I get to the cat's coffee shop?" This sounds very natural and native.
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How do I get to and then the place?
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What about if you want to be even more polite?
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Great question!
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You can add "could you tell me" at the beginning.
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For example, "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the cat's coffee shop?" Ooh, that sounds very sophisticated.
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It does!
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And you can also ask, "Can you help me?
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I'm looking for the cat's coffee shop." That one is so natural.
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"I'm looking for." People use that all the time.
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So, let's review the four main structures.
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Are you ready to write these down?
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Get your notebooks out!
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Number one: Excuse me, where is the city square?
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Number two: Excuse me, how do I get to the city square?
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Number three: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the city square?
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Number four: Excuse me, can you help me?
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I'm looking for the city square.
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All four are correct.
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All four are natural.
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Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.
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And remember, the magic word is always "excuse me" at the start.
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It opens the door to a helpful conversation.
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Now, asking the question is only half the job.
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The other half is understanding the answer, and that can feel scary.
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Very scary.
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Directions have so many steps, go here, turn there, cross this, walk that way.
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Exactly.
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But, Here's the good news: you only need to listen for a small number of key words.
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Let's teach those words right now.
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The first word is straight.
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S -T -R -A -I -G -H -T.
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Straight.
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Straight means keep going in the same direction.
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Don't turn, don't stop, just walk forward.
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For example, go straight on the street.
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Or, walk straight for five minutes.
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Can I tell a little story about this word?
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Yes, please.
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OK.
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So once I was in a new city.
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Someone told me to go straight.
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Just straight.
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Simple, right?
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But there were four different roads in front of me, and I had no idea which one was straight.
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Oh, no!
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I stood there for three minutes trying to figure out which direction was the straight one.
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What did you do?
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I guessed.
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I was wrong.
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I ended up at a bus station.
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A bus station?
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"go straight" and you're not sure which road, it's okay to say "which road" or point and ask "this way." Perfect tip, Tom.
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Don't be afraid to ask a follow -up question.
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Okay, the next words are "turn left" and "turn right." These are probably the most important direction words.
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"Turn left" means change your direction to the left side.
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"Turn right" means phrase is "At the corner,
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turn left" or "After the traffic light, turn left, turn left, turn turn right.
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Listen for the word before the turn, too.
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It tells you when to turn: at the corner, after the light, when you see the park.
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Can I tell another story?
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Okay.
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Tom loves his stories.
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So this is embarrassing.
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I was following directions, and someone said, Turn left.
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I turned left.
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But I turned at the wrong place.
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I turned
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too early oh no the classic too early turn so i ended up walking down a tiny alley a very dark alley
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tom it was fine there was a cat there we had a moment
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but the lesson is listen carefully for the landmark before the turn not just left
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or right but where to turn wonderful story wonderful lesson You're welcome.
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Okay, the next word is crosswalk.
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C -R -O -S -S -W -A -L -K.
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Crosswalk.
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What is a crosswalk?
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A crosswalk is the area on the road where people can safely cross from one side of the street to the other.
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It usually has white stripes painted on the road.
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In some countries it's called a zebra crossing because the white stripes look like a zebra.
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Yes!
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So if someone says cross at the crosswalk, they mean walk across the street at those white lines.
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Cross the street at the crosswalk.
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Very common in directions.
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My personal story about crosswalks?
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When I first moved to a new city, I didn't know where the crosswalks were.
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I kept trying to cross the street in random places.
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People were honking at me.
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Oh no!
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It was embarrassing.
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Now I always look for the white lines first.
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Always use the crosswalk, everyone.
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For safety, and for understanding directions.
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Great life lesson!
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This next word is one of the most helpful words in the whole episode.
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The word is landmark.
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L -A -N -D -M -A -R -K.
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A landmark is a well -known object or building that helps you know where you are.
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It could be a big store, a colorful sign, a tall building, a park, a fountain, anything that stands out.
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When someone gives you directions using landmarks, it is so much easier to follow.
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For example, "walk until you see the big red bookstore" or Turn left at the old church.
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The church is the landmark.
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Landmarks are your friends.
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When you ask for directions, you can also ask for a landmark.
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You can say, "Is there anything I can look for?
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A store or a sign?" Ooh, that's such a smart thing to say.
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Good one, Tom!
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I have my moments.
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You do, you really do.
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Okay, our fifth vocabulary item is the phrase "on your left
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and on your right." These phrases tell you which side something is on when you arrive.
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So, it's different from "turn left." Exactly right.
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"Turn left" is an instruction.
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It tells you what to do.
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"On your left" is a location.
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It tells you where something is.
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For example, the park is on your left.
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That means when you are walking forward, the park will appear on the left side.
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Or you will see a fountain on your right.
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That means the fountain is on the right side as you walk.
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One time someone told me,
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"The cafe is on your right," and I was so focused on looking right full speed in front of many people.
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I'm sorry.
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I'm sorry.
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That's terrible.
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It's okay.
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The poll is fine.
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I'm fine.
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But the lesson is look up, and look to the side.
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Oh my goodness, thank you for that, Tom.
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Okay, now let's put everything together with a full real -life conversation.
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Tom and I will act it out.
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I'll be the person asking for directions.
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Tom, you be a helpful stranger.
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I love being helpful.
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And everyone, listen for all five vocabulary words we just taught.
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Straight, turn left turn right crosswalk landmark on your left can you catch them all ready here we go
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okay deep breath excuse me excuse me sir yes hi can i help you yes thank you
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so much i'm looking for the cat's coffee shop how do i get to the cat's coffee shop from here Oh, Cat's Coffee Shop. Of course.
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It's not too far.
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Let me explain step by step.
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Thank you.
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Step by step is perfect.
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Okay.
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First, go straight on this road.
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Just keep walking in the same direction you're going now.
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Go straight?
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Okay.
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Walk straight for about four minutes.
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Then you will come to a big intersection.
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There's a traffic light there.
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A big intersection with a traffic light.
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Got it.
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that traffic light, turn left.
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Turn left at the traffic light?
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Yes.
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After you turn left, walk for about three minutes.
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You'll see a large blue building on your right.
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It's a library.
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A large blue building on the right, the library.
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Okay, that's a good landmark.
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I'll look for that.
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Good.
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Just after the library, there is a crosswalk.
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Cross the street there.
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Cross at the crosswalk.
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Got it.
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After you cross, keep walking straight for two more minutes.
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The cat's coffee shop will be on your left.
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You'll see a large glass entrance door.
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You really can't miss it.
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Straight after crossing, two minutes, and the coffee shop is on my left.
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That's exactly right.
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It's about a 10 to 12 minute walk total.
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Oh, that's not bad at all.
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Thank you so much.
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You explained it very clearly.
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My pleasure.
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The cats are very friendly.
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Enjoy your time.
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Thank you.
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Have a wonderful day.
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You too.
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Okay, how was that?
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Did you catch all the key words?
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Let's recap the route.
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First, go straight on this road for four minutes.
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Then, turn left at the traffic light.
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Then, look for the blue library on the right.
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That's our landmark.
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Then, cross the street at the crosswalk.
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Then walk straight for two more minutes.
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And Katz Coffee Shop is on your left, a large glass entrance door.
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See?
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When you break it down step by step, it's not scary at all.
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And remember, if you don't understand something, you can always ask them to repeat it.
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Just say, "I'm sorry, could you say that again more slowly, please?" People are almost always happy to help.
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Most people love helping someone who is trying their best.
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Okay everyone, it's drill time!
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This is where we repeat the most important words and phrases together.
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This is how your brain remembers.
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Say each phrase after us, out loud.
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Don't be shy, no one can hear you except you.
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Unless you're in public, in that case, maybe whisper.
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Okay, let's go.
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Word number one: straight.
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straight.
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Go straight.
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Walk straight for 5 minutes.
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Go straight on this road.
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Keep going straight.
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Great.
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Word number 2: Turn left.
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Turn left.
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Turn left at the corner.
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At the traffic light, turn left.
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Make sure you turn left, not right.
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Very important!
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Not right, left.
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Word number 3: Crosswalk.
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Crosswalk.
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Cross at the crosswalk.
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You will see a crosswalk on the left.
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Use the crosswalk to cross the street.
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Good!
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Word number four, landmark.
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Landmark.
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Look for a landmark.
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Use landmarks to find your way.
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The library is a good landmark.
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And word number five, on your left...
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On your right.
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On your left.
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The park is on your left.
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The bookstore will be on your right.
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You will see the coffee shop on your left side.
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Amazing!
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You did it!
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Say those five words one more time with me.
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straight, turn left, turn right,
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crosswalk, landmark, on your left, on your right.
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Beautiful.
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Okay, we have a bonus section for you today, because asking for directions is just part one.
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Part two is what do you do if you get confused mid -directions?
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This happens all the time, even to native speakers.
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So here are some super helpful phrases to use when you need a moment or more help.
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Phrase 1: I'm sorry, could you say that again, please?
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This is polite and clear.
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Use this if they spoke too fast or you missed something.
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Phrase 2: Could you speak more slowly, please?
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Most people will happily slow down for you.
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Don't be embarrassed to ask.
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Phrase 3: I'm sorry, I don't understand.
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Could you show me on the map?
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This one is great if you have a printed map or can show your phone.
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Visual help makes everything easier.
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Phrase 4: Is there a landmark I can look for?
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We already talked about this one.
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Landmarks save lives.
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Well, they save you from getting lost.
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Same thing.
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Same thing.
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And phrase five, thank you so much for your help.
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Always, always say thank you.
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People are giving you their time. Be grateful.
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And you know what the beautiful thing is?
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When you say thank you with a big smile, it feels good for both of you.
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It really does.
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Kindness is its own reward.
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Okay, let's do a quick summary of everything we covered today.
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Big day, lots of learning.
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Number 1.
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Always start with "Excuse me, it's polite and it works." Number two: Use one of these four structures to ask your question.
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Where is, "How do I get to?", "Could you tell me how to get to?", or "I'm looking for..." Number three,
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when listening to directions, focus on the key words: straight, left, right, crosswalk, and landmarks.
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Number 4.
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If you're confused, don't panic.
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Ask them to repeat, speak slowly, or show you on a map.
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And number five, most people are kind and happy to help.
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All you need to do is try.
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And today you tried.
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You listened.
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You learned.
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You should feel really good right now.
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We are so proud of you for making it this far in the video.
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Okay, time for our interactive question.
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Remember, at the beginning of the video we asked, "What is the name of the place that Lily
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and Tom are trying to find in today's story?" Did you hear the answer?
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It was mentioned during our story conversation and again in the dialogue demonstration.
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Do you remember?
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That's right!
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It was the Cat's Coffee Shop.
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Now here is your task.
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Go to the comment section right now and write this sentence.
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Lily and Tom were trying to find the cat's coffee shop.
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Write it right now.
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Don't wait.
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Tom is very firm about the comments.
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I just know it works.
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Writing in English, even one sentence, trains your brain.
385
It's like a little workout for your English skills.
386
And while you're there, tell us, have you ever gotten lost in a new place?
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What did you do?
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Write it in the comments in English.
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We love reading your stories.
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They make us so happy.
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Alright everyone, that's a wrap for today's episode of Daily English Talk.
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We talked about how to ask for directions, we learned key direction words, we practiced real conversations, and we had a lot of fun.
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You are doing something amazing by studying English every day.
394
Keep going.
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Every single lesson is making you better.
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And remember what we said in the story today.
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Asking for help is not a weakness.
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It is brave.
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It shows you care about learning and growing.
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So next time you're lost, take a deep breath, find someone friendly and say, Excuse me, can you help me?
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I'm looking for… And maybe remember where the crosswalk is.
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Tom.
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Too soon?
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Never too soon.
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Okay, don't forget to like this video if it helped you today.
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Subscribe to the channel so you never miss a new episode.
407
We upload new content every single day.
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And hit that notification bell so YouTube tells you the moment our next video goes up.
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I do not.
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She does.
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Okay, fine, I do.
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So come back tomorrow.
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We will be here waiting for you with new words, new stories, and new conversations.
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Thank you so much for being here today.
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It truly means everything to us.
416
You are the reason we make this show.
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So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
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See you next time.
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Bye -bye.
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5-Minute English for Travel: Asking for Directions on the Train & Small Talk
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will learn essential phrases and vocabulary for asking for directions in English. This is particularly useful for travelers, expats, or anyone exploring a new city. By practicing these dialogues, you'll gain confidence in navigating unfamiliar places and engaging with locals. Whether you're lost in a neighborhood or simply asking for a point of interest, this session will equip you with the skills you need to communicate effectively.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Excuse me - A polite way to get someone's attention.
- Go straight - A common instruction meaning to continue forward without turning.
- Cross the street - To walk over to the other side of a road.
- Landmark - A significant object or feature that helps in identifying a location.
- New neighborhood - An unfamiliar residential area.
- Completely lost - The feeling of not knowing where you are or how to get somewhere.
- Working map app - A mobile application that provides navigation and directions.
- Help you - Offering assistance or support to someone in need.
Practice Tips
To effectively practice asking for directions, consider using the shadowing technique. This involves listening to the dialogue in the video and repeating it aloud, imitating the intonation and rhythm of the speakers. Since the content is delivered at a slow pace, it’s ideal for beginners. Here are some tips for successful shadowspeak:
- Use a shadowing app to repeat phrases in real-time. Start by pausing after each sentence and trying to imitate the pronunciation.
- Focus on clarity and fluency. Don’t worry about making mistakes; the goal is to improve your overall English pronunciation.
- Repeat the phrases multiple times until you feel comfortable with the sounds and flow of the language. This will help you remember phrases more effectively.
- Practice with a friend or language partner, taking turns to ask and answer questions about directions. This adds an interactive element that enhances learning.
- If you get confused during practice, refer back to the transcript to clarify any unclear phrases.
By engaging in these techniques, you will feel more prepared to approach locals and navigate through new environments confidently. Enjoy your learning journey!
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.