How to ask for and give direction in English

When you are asked about direction such as
" How can I go to cinema?"
" Where is the nearest bank"
"Could you show me how to get the bus station?"
" Is it the right way to go to University?"
You can answer with the following expression. This expressions in "giving direction" are
very useful

Expreesion for "Go for five blocks/After three blocks"
"After you turn right, go for five blocks and turn left. It will be right around the corner."
"After three blocks, turn left. You will see it on your right hand side."
"Go for four blocks and then turn right."

Expression for "Across the street from/Directly across"
"It's across the street from the library."
"It's directly across from Taco Bell."
"Go for three blocks, turn left at the next light. You'll see it across the street from McDonalds."
"Go down the street. You'll see it directly across from the gas station."

Expression for "Go for 2 miles"
"It's pretty far from here. Go on Washington Street for about 2 miles. You'll see it next to a school."
"Turn right at the stop sign and go straight for a couple of miles. At 112th turn left. You'll see it on your right hand side."
"Go straight on this street for about 3 miles. You'll see it next to Wendy's."
Partly taken from: http://www.improvespokenenglish.org/2010/04/how-to-ask-directions-in-english.html

Simple Dialog in "How to Ask for and Give Direction"

The dialogues bellow are about how to ask for and give direction
Dialog 1
A. Excuse me. Is there a bank near here?
B. Yes. There's a bank on the corner.
A. Thank you.
B. You're welcome

Dialog 2
A. Excuse me. Is there a supermarket near here?
B. Yes. There's one near here.
A. How do I get there?
B. At the traffic lights, take the first left and go straight on. It's on the left.
A. Is it far?
B. Not really.
A. Thank you.
B. Don't mention it.
Source: esl.about.com/od/beginnerpronunciation/a/bd_directions.htm

Useful Expressions in "Asking and Giving Direction"

English is practical and used as functional daily activity in real life. Asking direction is one of the expression which is very functional, especially for "stranger" in a "strange" country.

Be aware of some useful English expressions vocabulary for asking directions in English. Study how to ask for and give direction in English bellow. This material is taken from English at home

Asking for directions in English
"How do I get to your office?"
"Can you tell me the best way of getting to your office?"
"What's the quickest way of getting to your office?"
"Where are you exactly?"

Giving directions in English
"Come off the motorway / highway at Junction / Exit 12."
"It's signposted 'Manchester'."
"Follow the signs to …"
"There's a one-way system in the centre of town."
"Take the 'A12' to 'Chelmsford'."
"Go straight on / left / right at the lights / at the roundabout /at the junction of … and …"
"Go past the supermarket."
"You'll come to / see …"
"It's the first turning on the right after the bank."
"You'll see a large sign / roundabout."
"On your left you'll see an industrial centre / a hospital / the police station."
"Just after the level crossing / shopping centre (or mall)."
"Go past the petrol station / the garage."

Getting information
"Will you be coming by car or by train?"
"It's much easier if you take the train."
"Which hotel are you staying at?"

General information in English
"We're not far from…" or "We're quite close to…"
"It's about a mile / kilometre / two blocks from…"
"We're opposite / next to / in front of / across the road from / round the corner from the supermarket."

Final tips

• If you're giving directions over the phone, remember to speak slowly to allow the other person to write things down.
• Check that the other person has understood.
• If you're speaking face-to-face with someone, use your hands to show left, right, or straight on.
• Use "please" when you ask someone to give you directions. It's polite, and will normally get you what you want!