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Asking For Directions

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast episode 80: Asking for Directions.

You’re listening to English as a Second Language Podcast number 80. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This podcast is about listening or rather asking for directions. So, let’s get started!

[start of dialogue]

I went to Vancouver for a meeting this week. I have always liked Vancouver, and on top of that, my cousin Dominick just moved there. I got in touch with him and he invited me over to see his new place.

On the way over, though, I got a little lost. I knew I was in the right area, but I was turned around. He lived in an apartment over an old bakery and I couldn’t find it.

I stopped a man who was walking by to ask for directions.

Lucy: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Cross Bakery building?

Man: The Cross Bakery building? Oh sure. You’re actually walking in the opposite direction.

Lucy: Oh, you’re kidding! I thought I was heading east.

Man: No, east is the other direction. To get to the Bakery, you need to turn around and go three blocks to Broadway. When you get to the intersection of Broadway and Elm, you hang a left. Go straight down that street for half a block and then you’ll see the building on your left.

Lucy: Okay, let me see if I’ve got that. I need to go down Elm until I hit Broadway, then I make a left and the building is on my left- hand side. Is that right?

Man: Yeah, you’ve got it. Do you want me to show you the way?

Lucy: Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ve got it. Hopefully, I won’t get lost again on my way there!

[end of dialogue]

This podcast is about asking for directions, h. How to get somewhere when you are lost or don’t know where to go. This story begins with Lucy going to Vancouver and she says she likes Vancouver but “on top of that” her cousin Dominick just moved there. The expression, “on top of that,” means in addition to. It could be a good thing, it could be a bad thing. – In t Tthis case, it’s a good thing. “I’m going to a Hawaii and on top of that I’m going to take a cruise around the islands,” – something additional, something better. Lucy says that she “got in touch” with her cousin. “To get in touch with someone” means to contact them. We often say to people, “Stay in touch,” meaning keep in contact with me. Call me every few weeks or few months, whatever it happens to be. But when Lucy says she “got in touch” that means she called or communicated, maybe emailed her cousin. He “e” invited her over” to see his new place. “To invite someone over,” – one of those two-word verbs we’ve talked a lot about. “To invite over” means you’re inviting someone to come to your location. If someone says, “I want to invite you over to dinner,” they mean, “I want you to come to my house for dinner.” But if someone says, “I want to invite you to dinner,” usually that means you’re going to go to a restaurant.

The new “place” that Lucy is visiting is just another word for the new house or the new apartment. People refer to where they live sometimes as their “place.” “My place is located near Santa Monica, California.” It can be anywhere you’re living. Lucy said that she “got a little lost.” “To get lost,” here means that you couldn’t find your way, – you didn’t know where you were. The expression, “get lost,” when you say that to someone as a command, – “You, get lost!” – wWe’re saying we want you to leave. It’s kind of something that you would say to someone you don’t like and you want them to leave. – “Get lost!” Lucy said that she was “turned around” when she was trying to find her cousin’s apartment. “To be turned around” or to be “all turned around” – means that you’re not sure which direction you are travelling in. “I went to downtown Los Angeles and there were many one-way streets, – streets where you can only move in one direction, – and I got all turned around;” – I didn’t know where I was.” Lucy says, “Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Cross Bakery building?” She begins in asking for directions, by saying, “Excuse me” which is a common way of getting someone’s attention that you – particularly someone that you don’t know. It’s a polite way of getting their attention. The expression, “Could you tell me how to get to,” means can you give me directions on how to arrive to this particular place. So, she asks for directions to a bakery and the man says, “Sure, I can tell you but you’re walking in the opposite direction.” He means here that she is going, for example, north, when she should be going towards the south, – the other direction, – opposite of what she is travelling. So, east would be west, west would be east.

Lucy says, “Oh, you’re kidding!” The expression “You’re kidding” (kidding) means here that she is surprised by the response that she gets. “To kid someone” (kid) – “to kid,” as a verb, – means to joke with them, – not to tell them the truth but in a sort of fun or joking manner. So, when Lucy says, “You’re kidding!” – sShe’s saying, “Wow, are you sure? I didn’t realize;” – that surprises me.” The other expression is “I’m kidding,” and when someone says, “I’m kidding,” or “Just kidding,” they mean they’re joking, they’re not telling the truth. Lucy says that she thought she was “heading” east. “To head” in a direction”, – east, west, north, south, – means that you are travelling or going, – walking, driving, etc., – in that direction. You can also “head” to a particular place. “I’m heading to the store” means I’m going to the store. The man tells Lucy that east is the “other direction,” meaning pretty much the same here as the opposite direction.

He gives her instructions by telling her that she needs to “turn around and go three blocks to Broadway.” When you tell someone to “turn around,” you mean to go in the opposite direction. He says that she needs to go three “blocks.” A “block” is – in a city – is the distance between two streets – is one “block.” She needs to go three “blocks” and when she gets to the “intersection” of Broadway and Elm, she should “hang a left.” The “intersection is the place where two streets cross and the expression “to hang a left” is informal. It means to “take a left” or “to go left.” Notice the expression is “hang a left” or “take a left.” You can also say, “mMake a left.” A – all those are the same. You can, of course, also “hang a right,” or “make a right” or “take a right.” The expression using the verb “turn,” however, doesn’t take the article “a” or (a). So, you “turn right” not “turn a right.” You “turn right,” you “turn left.” T– that means the same as to make a right, – to take a right or to hang a right. “Hang” is very informal, however.

The man then tells her to “go straight down the street.” “To go straight” means don’t go left, don’t go right – go in the direction you are walking.” And the building she is looking for will be “on your left,” meaning on the left-hand side. Lucy repeats the directions back. She says, “Okay, I need to go down Elm until I hit Broadway.” “To go down a street” just means to travel or to move down a street in your car or by walking. “To go down to Elm until she hits Broadway” – when we say, “You should go to this in this direction until you hit a street or a freeway or a road” we mean until you arrive there. “Go until you hit 5th Street then hang a right” means drive until you reach or arrive at 5th street and turn right.

Lucy said then that she needs to “make a left.” A– again, we talked about that expression and the building will be on her “left-hand side.” “Left-hand” side” is the same as on your left.

At the end the man says, “Do you want me to show you the way?” “To show someone the way” means you’re going to take them or they are going to follow you. I’m going to show you the way, – the route or how you get there. The man may be interested in more than just helping Lucy here, we might guess. And Lucy says, “Thanks for the offer” – means thank you for offering or for volunteering to help me. Anything that you offer or say that you will do for another person, you could use this expression. – “Thanks for the offer of taking my car to the mechanic.” Notice we would offer –, in this expression, we use the preposition “of” and then we use the verb in the “-ing” form. “Thanks for the offer of going to the store for me.” But Lucy “turns down” the offer, and that’s the verb we use, to “turn down” an offer, – to say no. The opposite would be to “accept” an offer, – to say yes. Lucy says that “I’ve got it,” and what she means here is she understands. When someone says, “I’ve got it” – means, “Yes, I understand. I don’t need any more help.” Now let’s listen to the dialogue this time at a native rate of speech.

[start of dialogue]

I went to Vancouver for a meeting this week. I have always liked Vancouver, and on top of that, my cousin Dominick just moved there. I got in touch with him and he invited me over to see his new place.

On the way over, though, I got a little lost. I knew I was in the right area, but I was turned around. He lived in an apartment over an old bakery and I couldn’t find it.

I stopped a man who was walking by to ask for directions.

Lucy: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Cross Bakery building?

Man: The Cross Bakery building? Oh sure. You’re actually walking in the opposite direction.

Lucy: Oh, you’re kidding! I thought I was heading east.

Man: No, east is the other direction. To get to the Bakery, you need to turn around and go three blocks to Broadway. When you get to the intersection of Broadway and Elm, you hang a left. Go straight down that street for half a block and then you’ll see the building on your left.

Lucy: Okay, let me see if I’ve got that. I need to go down Elm until I hit Broadway, then I make a left and the building is on my left- hand side. Is that right?

Man: Yeah, you’ve got it. Do you want me to show you the way?

Lucy: Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ve got it. Hopefully, I won’t get lost again on my way there!

[end of dialogue]

We hope you won’t get lost in going to our website at www.eslpod.com. You can find our scripts there and other information about our podcast. From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. We’ll see you next time on ESL Podcast.

ESL Podcast is a production of the Center for Educational Development in Los Angeles, California. This podcast is copyright 2005. No part of this podcast may be sold or redistributed without the expressed written permission of the Center for Educational Development.