In the process of getting to know each other, one way or another, there comes a moment when the interlocutors, having finished with pleasantries, talk about what worries them.

The British are then concerned about a person’s origins, namely, where he is from, what country he is from, and even from what city. Therefore, before traveling abroad, it would be a good idea to remember the basic phrases that will help you write a description of the city in English at the right time. If this topic is necessary only for writing an essay, it doesn’t matter. The logic for constructing the description remains the same in both cases.

• A beautiful introduction is half the success

In the case of school essay The more beautiful and flowery the introduction is, the higher the chances of success. To do this, you can use both and quotes from famous writers about the house. The most famous - “An Englishman’s home is his castle”. You can use others, for example: “There’s no place like home”, “East or West – home is best”. In live communication this is all unnecessary. You can and should start with the most banal introductory words“Well”, “And so...” and so on. Considering that beautiful turns of phrase are highly valued by the British, one can say something sublime, for example, “Ever since I was a child I’ve thought that my town is the best place on Earth. It is the birthplace of many famous people and is a true cultural center of our region”“Since childhood, I thought that my city was the best place on earth. Many were born in it famous people, besides, our city is a real cultural center.”

• Description: simple and tasteful

As with any storytelling, we start by voicing our own opinions. It's obvious that you love your city, but it's worth saying. The more personal assessment in the story, the better. A personal assessment will give your judgment more weight in the eyes of your interlocutor. A description of a city in English is a kind of presentation, so be sure to mention famous people who lived or worked in your city. Don't remember any? It’s okay, limit yourself to a general phrase about the many poets who created and continue to create in the city. For example:

“I like my town and I think it’s quite natural. In my opinion, everyone loves his place just because it gave him the best hours in life – hours with his family. I am not an exception as you see. My town is not very big, but a lot of famous people lived and worked there. Among them there are local poets and actors” – “I love my city and I think it’s natural. It seems to me that everyone loves their own native home primarily because the best hours were spent there – hours with family. As you can see, I am no exception. My city is small, but many famous people lived and worked in it. Among them are many local actors and poets.”

• Don't go overboard with details!

When describing the city, do not overdo it with embellishment. It will be enough to say about the size of the city, its characteristic features and attractions. In some cases, it is possible and necessary to point out that the city is quite old, with its own history and traditions.

“My town is not very special but it has its own traditions and a long history. It was built 200 years ago and is named after ……. We have many flowers and fountains in the center of the town. The streets are wide and clean. You can see a lot of shops there. There’s also an old house where……lived and worked” – “My city is the most ordinary, but has its own long history and traditions. It was built 200 years ago and named after...... The city center has many trees and fountains, its streets are wide and clean. There are also many shops in the city. Among the attractions we can highlight the old house, where... lived and worked."

Thus, by connecting all the parts together, you will receive a coherent description of the city in English, into which you only need to substitute your data.

So, you have already easily checked into a hotel using our phrase book “English in a Hotel”, you have rested after the trip and are ready to show yourself, watch people - go on an excursion to the city. Of course, having a Russian-speaking guide makes life easier for our tourists abroad, but traveling as a “savage” is much more interesting and cheaper. And if you also learn the phrases we suggested for orientation in the city, then your trip will be easy and pleasant. In addition, thanks to your knowledge of English, you will be able to make new friends from another country.

We have written a simple phrasebook for travelers, in which you will find dialogues, phrases and vocabulary on 25 essential topics. Go on a journey with the main character and improve your English. You can download the book for free at.

Names of main institutions in English

To begin with, we will give you the names of various places in the city in English. We recommend learning them first, you don't want to end up in a cave instead of a toilet.

As you noticed, there are several words for the name of the toilet. Typically, WC is used in almost every country, and in the UK the words toilet and lavatory are often used. The word loo is also used there; it has an informal connotation. In the US, the most popular words are restroom and bathroom, although the latter also refers to a bathroom with a toilet in someone's home. In Canada, the word bathroom is widely used. However, even in different regions of the same country, different words may be used, so do not be afraid to use any of them: you will be understood in any case.

How to ask for directions in English

So, let's imagine that you decide to take a walk around the city, sightseeing and enjoy the beautiful views. If you decide to do without a tour guide, then to navigate the city you will need a map and a guide book, as well as knowledge of some phrases in English that will help you reach your destination, because it is not always easy to find your way around map, and some attractions or institutions may not be marked on it at all.

Where can I get a card? Firstly, almost every hotel will offer you a map of the city. Secondly, you can buy it at a newsagent's. Choose the most detailed one, with a large scale and a guide for tourists: on good maps all institutions, monuments, museums, etc. will be indicated. To purchase a map, ask the following question: Do you have a map of the city? (Do you have a map of the city?).

By the way, at the hotel you can ask the staff what places are worth visiting in the city. Ask a simple question: Could you tell me, please, what is worth visiting? (Can you tell me what is worth visiting?). This way you will get first-hand information about the most interesting attractions.

Let's imagine a very real situation: you are confused in the streets of an unfamiliar city and cannot find the attraction you are looking for. In this case, contact a passerby: apologize and ask for help. If you see a policeman next to you, ask him for help, it’s safer: in this case, you definitely won’t run into scammers.

You chose a “victim” for questioning, stopped him and attracted his attention. Now you should find out from a passer-by how you can get to the desired institution or chosen attraction. This is where you will need knowledge of the words from our first tablet. The following phrases are synonymous, that is, interchangeable. Choose those that are easier for you to remember, and simply substitute the name of the establishment you need in them.

It would also be a good idea to check with a passerby whether the attraction you need is far away: this way you can decide whether to use public transport or walk.

In this article we presented phrases for local orientation, and in the article “” we talked in detail about how to rent a car and communicate in public transport in English.

How to give directions in English

So, you overcame the language barrier in one fell swoop and easily asked where you should go. Now you need to understand what your interlocutor is answering. To do this, study the following phrases in English. In addition, you can use these same sentences when meeting a foreigner in your own city: now you can easily explain to the person how to find the nearest bank or metro station - +10 to communication skills in English.

First, learn basic phrases that will help you indicate the direction of movement.

Here are simple answers that you can get in response to a question about the direction of movement:

And now a small life hack for those who are afraid of getting confused in the long explanations of a passerby: show your interlocutor a map and ask the question: Could you show me on the map? (Could you show me on the map?). Then they will simply show you where to go. This way you definitely won’t get confused or get lost.

Read the following dialogues to help you understand how to give directions in English:

Dialogue #1

- Excuse me, where is the theater located?
- Go left here and then take the second right. The theater will be around the corner.

Excuse me, where is the theater?
- Go left and then turn right at the second corner. The theater will be right around the corner.

Dialogue #2

- Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the nearest bank?
- Go straight on for about 2 miles. You will see the bank directly opposite to the post office.

Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the nearest bank?
- Go straight along this street for about 2 miles. You will see a bank directly opposite the post office.

Dialogue #3

- Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the museum?
- It's pretty far from here. Turn left and then right, go along for a mile or so and the museum is on your left.

Excuse me, can you tell me the way to the museum?
- It's quite far from here. Turn left and then right, go straight for about a mile and the museum will be on your left.

Dialogue #4

- Excuse me, I am looking for a cafe. Do you know how to get there?
- Go left here and turn right after you go past the bank. The cafe is in front of the market.

Excuse me, I'm looking for a cafe. Do you know how to get there?
- Go left and turn right after you pass the bank. The cafe will be right in front of the market.

We also recommend listening to an audio recording of a lesson for English learners from the BBC, where they talk about how to give directions. The text of the recording can be downloaded on the website, so you can easily understand this lesson.

In the institution

You have safely reached your chosen attraction or entertainment venue. Now you will need a few more phrases so that you can find out the price of the ticket, as well as some rules for visiting this place.

Inscriptions and signs in English

Useful sites to learn how to navigate the city in English

• Travel English Lessons- educational 2-3 minute videos in English for travelers. Native speakers speak clearly and use simple phrases, so watch, listen, get used to the sound English speech and repeat the sentences after the announcers - at the same time learn everything you need.
• LearnEnglishFeelGood.com - site with exercises. Pay attention to the Sightseeing section, where you will find useful tasks for practicing the vocabulary you have learned. Practical exercises will help you consolidate all the phrases in your memory.

In addition, do not forget about our school: it will allow as soon as possible improve your knowledge and you will feel confident abroad.

Complete list of words and phrases for download

Don't forget to download the list of useful vocabulary. If he is with you on a trip, then you can always find the place you want to visit.

(*.pdf, 282 Kb)

Ready to test your knowledge? Then try to score the maximum number of points in our test.

Vocabulary test on the topic “How to navigate the city in English: a simple phrasebook”

We think that now you definitely won’t get lost in the city, and if this happens, you can easily cope with this trouble, using the help of local residents and phrases from our phrasebook. We wish you not to get lost in any situation, have a pleasant journey!

Many people nowadays live in cities or strive to live there, preferring active activity to quiet solitude. But for now, let’s not compare “life in the city” and “life outside the city,” but let’s start with descriptions of the city in English. English words for beginners on the topic “Cities and Towns” you will find below. Also, when describing any place, be it a city or a country, it is necessary to master “description constructs”, namely:

• there is/are
• it has

Cities and Towns. English words on the topic "City". List No. 1

Nouns (nouns):

1. the capital - capital
2. city ​​- Big city(usually in every such English city there is cathedral- Cathedral)
3. town - town
4. lawn - lawn
5. square - area
6. the center - center
7. street - street
8. place - place
9. palace - palace
10. castle - castle
11. bridge - bridge
12. park - park
13. the cinema - cinema
14. the theater - theater
15. the museum - museum
16. the library - library
17. the staduim - stadium
18. the zoo - zoo
19. the church - church
20. (corner) shop - store
21. market - market
22. supermarket - supermarket
23. a view of - view of

Adjectives (adjectives):

1. new - new
2. old - old
3. small - small
4. big - big
5. high (tall) - high
6. famous - famous
7. beautiful - beautiful
8. main - main
9. narrow - narrow
10. wide - wide
11. straight - straight

Construction Be + Adjective (=verb):

1. be proud of - be proud
2. be rich in - to have in large quantities
3. be famous for - to be famous for
4. be full of - to be complete

My Home Town. My hometown

• be not far- be nearby
• fresh- fresh
• mainly- mainly

Exercise. Read and translate the text from English.

My home town is small. It is rich in parks and gardens, so it is very green. The town stands on the river and from the bridges you can have a nice view of its beautiful houses. In the center there are mainly old buildings and a church. There is no theater in my town but there is a museum. The museum is not far from the main square.

The streets of my town are narrow and the houses are not very high. There are many small corner shops where people usually buy food. Also there is a market where people can buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

My home town is not very famous but I am proud of it.

My Friends' Town. The city where my friend lives

Exercise.Insert articles into the text where necessary. Translate the text.

My friend lives in…small town. It is... new town. … streets in … town are wide and straight. There are…beautiful buildings in them. … town is very green, and so … air is fresh. There are … beautiful parks and gardens in … town. … people like to go there after … work. In … evening you can hear … sounds of … music from … parks. There are … schools, … libraries, … supermarket, … hospital, … theater, … cinemas, … clinics and … kindergartens in … town.

Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland)

• fortress- fortress
• cathedral- Cathedral
• ancient- ancient

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the UK.

The main sight of the city is a famous fortress- Edinburgh Castle. The castle stands high on the mountain. From its towers you can have a good view of the city’s historical buildings, churches and cathedrals.

Tourists from different countries visit Edinburgh every day. They walk narrow streets, do sightseeing, buy souvenirs and enjoy the unusual spirit of the ancient city.

Moscow. Moscow

• magnificent- majestic
• historical- historical
• impressive- impressive
• be located- located
• GUM[ɡum] – GUM (store)
• TcUM— TSUM (store)

Moscow is the capital of Russia and one of the largest cities in the world. It stands on the Moscow River.

The center of Moscow is Red Square. It is always full of people because tourists from many countries come to visit it. From Red Square there is a good view of St. Basil's Cathedral, the magnificent Russian church. Also Red Square is famous for Lenin’s Mausoleum and two most famous shopping places in the center of the city: GUM[ɡum] and TcUM .

The most famous historical place of Moscow is the Kremlin. The Kremlin is rich in its churches and cathedrals, its towers and museums. From the bridge of the Moskva River there is a good view of the Kremlin Palace, the impressive building, which is located on the territory of the Kremlin.

There are many high buildings in Moscow.

I welcome all readers to the next audio lesson of the course “Conversational English for Beginners”. The fifth lesson covers the topic “City”, that is, we will look at various situations, questions and phrases that a foreigner asks when arriving in an unfamiliar city. You will have the opportunity to learn various expressions with which you will be able to navigate even the largest city.

This audio course lesson " Conversational English for Beginners"will teach you the vocabulary that will help you travel around English-speaking cities and countries without difficulty. You can easily find a common language with the local population if you ask questions correctly, correctly and politely. And for this you, first of all, need to learn the correct pronunciation of phrases on the topic “City”.

And our audio lesson, in which all phrases were voiced by a qualified speaker, will help you with this. And for complete mutual understanding with residents of populated areas, learn all the previous audio lessons of conversational English course, which discuss words of greeting, gratitude, politeness, etc. And right now you can listen to an exemplary pronunciation of vocabulary on the topic “City” in English: /wp-content/uploads/2014/08/les-05.mp3 But the main thing This is not just listening to a recording, but the most accurate reproduction of everything said by the speaker. So practice your pronunciation!

Text of the lesson “Vocabulary on the topic “City”

To make information easier to remember, it needs to be seen concretely and not presented abstractly. Therefore, rely on the graphic expression of all voiced phrases, that is, on tables with text with an expression in Russian and a translation in English. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the key conversational English questions and phrases from the lesson on the topic “City”.

By tradition, we’ll start with a list of the most common questions that foreigners ask when they find themselves in an unfamiliar area in another country:

With these questions you will quickly know which direction you need to go to go to another town or area.

Now let's remember a few popular English phrases, which you will need to say very often in an unfamiliar city:

Don't forget about politeness and gratitude. It would also be a good idea to remember how to pronounce numerals in English, so you can’t do without the names of house numbers and hotel rooms.

I wish you a pleasant journey with the audio course “Conversational English for Beginners”. Good luck!

1. The building next to the railway line where people buy tickets is called a ___
2. Native North Americans lived in a ___
3. A king or queen lives in a ___
4. The Empire State Building is so tall that it’s called a ___
5. Eskimos traditionally live in a house made of ice called an ___
6. A lightweight portable shelter used when camping is called a ___
7. A tall round building that warns ships of dangerous rocks is called a ___
8. A place where lots of students sleep when they live on campus is called a ___
9. A kind of house found moored and floating is called a ___
10. A place that has many doctors and nurses is called a ___

- download

Answers - Answers: 1. railway station 2. wigwam 3. palace 4. sky-scraper 5. igloo 6. tent 7. lighthouse 8. dorm 9. port 10. hospital

Task 2 - Place Names

1. If you want to see monkeys, lions, tigers and bears, you would go to the ___.

2. A place where famous paintings and sculptures are kept and displayed to the public is called an ___.

3. The building where you can go and watch the latest blockbuster film is called a ___.

4. A place where you can go to see many different kinds of fish swimming is called an ___.

5. If you want to watch a basketball game or a soccer match, you would go to a ___.

6. A place which serves drinks such as beer and whiskey and where people go to relax and meet friends is called a ___.

7. The place where rock musicians and orchestras play is called a ___.

8. The place to go if you want to ride on a roller coaster or drive bumper cars is called an ___.

9. A place where you can arrange loans, keep your money in an account which receives interest is called a ___.

10. A place where you can buy stamps, post letters and pay some bills is called a ___.

11. A place where you go to book holidays and buy train tickets is called a ___.

12. If you need to arrange a burial, you would go to a ___.

13. Dirty clothes which can’t be washed at home are taken to a ___.

14. If you have a burst pipe or a leaking tap, you need to call a ___.

15. If you don’t have a job but are looking for one, you might go to an ___.

16. If you want to hire a lawyer or draw up a will, you would go to a ___.

17. If you want to sell your house, buy a new one, or rent a place to live for a while, you would go to a ___.

18. If your clothes need washing, but you don’t have a washing machine, you would go to a ___.

- download

Answers - Answers: 1. zoo 2. museum 3. cinema 4. aquarium 5. stadium 6. bar 7. concert hall 8. motordrome 9. bank 10. post-office 11. tourist office 12. funeral agency 13. dry-cleaner's 14. plumber 15 employment center 16. notary 17. real estate agency 18. laundry

Task 3 — City (Task 3 — “City”)

Match the words