Practical English – Giving directions
Eccoci qua con un nuovo post dedicato al “practical english”, l’inglese che può tornarci utile nella vita di tutti i giorni.
Dopo aver imparato le espressioni di base da usare per comprare da mangiare e da bere in un pub (Practical English – Buying lunch), per ordinare al ristorante (Practical English – At the Restaurant) e fare acquisti per negozi (Practical English- At the Shops), oggi impareremo a dare e a chiedere indicazioni stradali e lo faremo grazie a questo video realizzato per il corso face2face – Elementary – second edition della Cambridge University Press.
Conversation 1
Alison: Excuse me, is there a newsagent’s near here?
Man 1: Yes, there’s one in Berry Street.
Alison: Where’s that?
Man 1: Go along this road and turn right. That’s Berry street. Go past the pub and the newsagent’s is on the right, opposite the supermarket.
Alison: So, I go along this road and turn right, then I go past the pub and …
Man 1: And the newsagent’s is on the right.
Alison: Opposite the supermarket. Oh, great, thanks a lot!
Man 1: No problem.
Conversation 2
Wayne: Excuse me.
Man 2: Can I help you?
Wayne: Yes, where’s the post office?
Man 2: The post office? It’s over there, next to the café.
Wayne: Ah yes, I can see it. Thanks. Sorry, I’m on holiday here and I don’t know my way around.
Man 2: No problem. Bye.
Wayne: Goodbye.
Man 2: And have a nice holiday!
Wayne: Thanks a lot!
Conversation 3
Daisy: Excuse me. How do we get to the market?
Woman: You go along this street and over the bridge. That’s new road and the market’s on your left.
Daisy: So that’s, er, along this street, er…
Josh: Over the bridge and the market’s on the left.
Woman: Yes, in New Road. You can’t miss it.
Daisy: How far is it?
Woman: Oh, it’s not far. Only about five minutes’ walk.
Daisy: Great. Thanks a lot. Right, let’s go. Do you remember the way? I never listen when people give me directions…
Intanto, prima di imparare a chiedere e a dare indicazioni, occorre imparare i nomi dei negozi e dei luoghi della città. Ecco quelli menzionati nel video:
newsagent’s = newsagent’s shop = a shop that sells newspapers and magazines = edicola
supermarket = a shop that sells food and household items = supermercato
pub = a place that serves beer, alcoholic drinks and food = pub
post office = a place that sells stamps and receives and sends mail = ufficio postale
café = a small or inexpensive restaurant that serves coffee, other drinks and light meals = caffè
market = an open place or a covered building where people gather to buy and sell things = mercato
bridge = a structure that is built over a river, road, or railway so that people and vehicles can cross = ponte
Ed ecco anche le preposizioni di luogo usate nel video:
near = vicino
in = esprime lo stato in luogo
along = lungo
past = oltre
opposite = di fronte
next to = accanto
over = sopra, attraverso
A questo punto, vediamo le espressioni che possono tornarci utili per chiedere e dare indicazioni stradali.
Per chiedere indicazioni:
excuse me = scusa, mi scusi, scusatemi – espressione da usare per attirare l’attenzione di un’altra persona, in questo caso di un passante
is there a newsagent’s near here? c’è un’edicola qui vicino?
where’s the post office? dove si trova l’ufficio postale?
how do we get to the market? come facciamo ad arrivare al mercato?
Per dare indicazioni:
yes, there’s one in Berry Street sì, ce n’è una (edicola) in Berry Street
go along this road vai lungo
turn right gira a destra
go past the pub supera il pub
go over the bridge attraversa il ponte
over there, next to the café laggiù, accanto al cafè
on the right, opposite the supermarket sulla destra, di fronte al supermercato
on your left alla tua sinistra
you can’t miss it non puoi sbagliare
Una volta che ci vengono date le varie indicazioni, potremmo voler sapere:
how far is it? quanto dista?
A cui si risponde
it’s about five minutes’ walk circa cinque minuti a piedi
E, per finire, anche in questo caso, mai dimenticare le buone maniere:
“Thanks a lot!”
“No problem”.
Ora non ci resta che fare un po’ di pratica con alcuni esercizi che ho selezionato in rete per voi e che trovo davvero utilissimi:
Giving directions 1
Giving directions 2
Asking for and giving directions
Tra l’altro, questi esercizi ci consentono anche di arricchire il nostro lessico con altri nomi di luoghi e negozi della città ed espressioni utili, tra i quali, per esempio:
– book shop = a shop that sells books = libreria
– bus station = a place with waiting areas, stands for buses, and ticket offices from which buses or coaches depart = stazione degli autobus
– cinema = a place where people go to watch films = cinema
– factory = a large building where machines are used to make large quantities of goods = fabbrica
– hospital = an institution that provides medical or surgical care = ospedale
– library= a building where things such as books, newspapers, videos, and music are kept for people to read, use, or borrow = biblioteca
– museum = a building where a large number of interesting and valuable objects, such as works of art or historical items, are kept, studied, and displayed to the public = museo
– police station = the police headquarters for a particular district = commissariato
– roundabout = a circular structure in the road at a place where several roads meet. You drive round it until you come to the road that you want = rotatoria
– theatre = a building designed for the performance of plays, operas, etc = teatro
– traffic lights = a set of coloured lights placed at crossroads, junctions, etc, to control the flow of traffic = semaforo
– underground station = a place where underground trains depart and leave = stazione della metropolitana
take the first/second left/ right prendi la prima/seconda a sinistra/destra
at the roundabout turn left alla rotatoria gira a sinistra
take the second right on to King’s Road prendi la seconda a destra su King’s Road
go straight on vai dritto
Quando avremo imparato i vari vocaboli ed espressioni, potremo cambiare il luogo di partenza e di destinazione sulle mappe fornite negli esercizi e inventarci noi dei dialoghi.
E come dicono gli inglesi: “practice makes perfect”, quindi, mettiamoci al lavoro!
Buon divertimento, j
