Day 16: Asking directions
Asking is easy. Understanding the answer is the hard part, and no course prepares you for it — the reply comes fast, from a stranger, possibly in an accent.
So today has two halves: the phrases (sections 1–3), and ★ a script for when you did not catch it (section 4). The second half is what actually gets you there.
1. Asking
★ Open with 请问 (Day 4) — you are addressing a stranger.
| 请问,银行怎么走? | Excuse me, how do I get to the bank? |
|---|---|
| 请问,洗手间在哪儿? | Where's the toilet? |
| 请问,这儿附近有超市吗? | Is there a supermarket near here? |
| 我想去火车站,怎么走? | I want to go to the station — how? |
| 这是什么地方? | ★ Where is this? / What place is this? |
⚠️ 走 or 去?
| 走 zǒu | to walk, to go on foot | ★ 怎么走? = how do I get there (walking) |
|---|---|---|
| 去 qù | to go (any way) | ★ 怎么去? = how do I get there (any transport) |
★ 怎么走 is the default for anything walkable, and it is what you will say most. 怎么去 is the right question if it might need a bus or the subway.
2. ★ 往 — toward
### 往 wǎng + direction + verb
| 一直走。 | ★ Go straight on |
|---|---|
| 往前走。 | Go forward |
| 往左拐。 | Turn left |
| 往右拐。 | Turn right |
| 往回走。 | Go back |
★ 拐 guǎi = to turn, and 往 + direction always comes before the verb — ★ the same before-the-verb slot as Day 15's place phrase. 往左拐, never 拐往左.
| 左 zuǒ | left | 右 yòu | right | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 前 qián | front, ahead | 后 hòu | back, behind | |
| 对面 | opposite | 旁边 | next to | |
| 路口 lùkǒu | intersection | 红绿灯 | traffic light | |
| 过马路 | cross the road | 十字路口 | crossroads |
一直走,到红绿灯往右拐。 — Go straight, turn right at the traffic light.过马路,银行就在对面。 — Cross the road; the bank is right opposite.
★ 就 jiù here means "right / just" — 就在对面 = it's right opposite. It adds certainty, and you will hear it constantly in directions.
3. How far, how long
| 远吗? / 远不远? | Is it far? |
|---|---|
| 不远,很近。 | Not far, it's close |
| 有多远? | How far is it? |
| 要多长时间? | ★ How long does it take? |
| 走路十分钟。 | Ten minutes on foot |
| 大概二十分钟。 | About twenty minutes |
| 走路可以吗? | Can I walk there? |
| 太远了,坐地铁吧。 | Too far — take the subway |
★ 大概 dàgài / 大约 dàyuē = about, roughly. ⚠️ They go before the number: 大概二十分钟, not 二十分钟大概.
⚠️ ★ Chinese addresses and directions run on landmarks, not street names. 超市旁边, 银行对面, 地铁站三号出口 — this is more useful than any street name, and it is what you will be given.
4. ★★ When you didn't catch it
You will not understand the first answer. That is normal, and the fix is a script, not more vocabulary.
Step 1 — do not nod
Nodding ends the conversation and leaves you lost.
| 我不懂。 | I don't understand |
|---|---|
| 请再说一遍。 | Please say it again |
| ★ 请说慢一点儿。 | Please speak more slowly |
| 什么? (carefully) | Sorry, what? |
Step 2 — ★ repeat back what you DID catch
### 一直走,然后往右拐,对吗?Straight on, then turn right — correct?
★ This is the single most valuable technique in the course. You are not asking them to explain again — you are asking them to confirm or correct a short summary, which needs far less Chinese from you and is far easier for them to answer.
(然后 ránhòu = "then, after that" — the word that lets you chain two steps.)
Step 3 — narrow it down
| 左边还是右边? | Left or right? (Day 6's 还是) |
|---|---|
| 远不远? | Is it far? |
| 可以给我看看吗? | Can you show me? (pointing at a map) |
| 您能带我去吗? | Could you take me there? |
And the reply you may get
我也不知道,我不是本地人。 — I don't know either, I'm not local. ★ 没关系,谢谢! and ask someone else. It happens in every city.
5. Dialogue
Alex: 请问,火车站怎么走?阿姨: 一直走,到红绿灯往右拐,然后过马路。Alex: 不好意思,请说慢一点儿。阿姨: 一直走… 到红绿灯… 往右拐… 过马路。Alex: 一直走,红绿灯往右拐,对吗?阿姨: 对! 然后你就看到了。Alex: 远吗?阿姨: 不远,走路大概十分钟。Alex: 太好了,谢谢您!阿姨: 不客气。 (五分钟后)Alex: 请问,这是什么地方? 我想去火车站。叔叔: 火车站? 在那边,超市对面。左边还是右边… 右边。Alex: 谢谢!
★ Alex does three things right, and none of them is vocabulary: asks for it slower, repeats it back, and confirms with 对吗?★ And when lost again, uses 这是什么地方? rather than going silent.
6. Exercises
A. Ask it.
- Excuse me, how do I get to the bank?
- Where's the toilet?
- Is there a supermarket nearby?
- How long does it take?
- Is it far?
B. ★ 走 or 去?
- 银行怎么___? (walking) 2. 机场怎么___? (by transport) 3. 我想___北京。
C. ★ 往 — build the direction.
- Turn left. 2. Turn right. 3. Go forward. 4. Go straight on. 5. Go back.
D. Translate.
- Go straight, turn right at the traffic light.
- Cross the road; the bank is right opposite.
- It's about twenty minutes on foot.
- It's not far, it's close.
E. ★ What do you say if…
- …they spoke too fast?
- …you want to confirm what you understood?
- …you only need to know left or right?
- …you want them to show you on a map?
- …you are completely lost?
F. ⚠️ Fix the mistake.
- 拐往左。
- 二十分钟大概。
- 一直走,往右拐,吗?
- 请问,银行在怎么走?
Answers
A. 1. 请问,银行怎么走? 2. 请问,洗手间在哪儿? 3. 这儿附近有超市吗? 4. 要多长时间? 5. 远吗? / 远不远? B. 1. 走 2. 去 3. 去 C. 1. 往左拐。 2. 往右拐。 3. 往前走。 4. 一直走。 5. 往回走。 D. 1. 一直走,到红绿灯往右拐。 2. 过马路,银行就在对面。 3. 走路大概二十分钟。 4. 不远,很近。 E. 1. 请说慢一点儿。 2. ★ …对吗? 3. 左边还是右边? 4. 可以给我看看吗? 5. 这是什么地方? F. 1. 往左拐 — 往 before the verb 2. 大概二十分钟 3. …对吗? — 吗 can't follow a statement asking for confirmation this way; use 对吗 4. 银行怎么走?
7. Today's 10 sentences (flashcards)
- 请问,银行怎么走? — Excuse me, how do I get to the bank?
- 洗手间在哪儿? — Where's the toilet?
- 一直走。 — Go straight on
- 往右拐。 — Turn right
- 到红绿灯往左拐。 — Turn left at the traffic light
- 就在对面。 — It's right opposite
- 远吗? — Is it far?
- 走路大概十分钟。 — About ten minutes on foot
- 请说慢一点儿。 — Please speak more slowly
- 一直走,然后往右拐,对吗? — Straight on, then right — correct?
8. 📲 Upload to LangNote
Upload section 2 (往), section 4 (the script) and section 7 → study language Chinese.
| Mission | What to do with it today |
|---|---|
| 🎧 Podcast | The dialogue at speed — directions are always delivered fast |
| ✍️ Dictation | 左 zuǒ / 右 yòu are what you will actually mishear |
| 🗣 Shadowing | All ten, especially 一直走 and 往右拐 |
| 🎭 Role-play | Today's key mission. Ask directions, deliberately fail to understand, and recover with §4 |
| 📖 Vocab | The four rescue phrases as whole units |
★ Practise failing. Everyone drills the question and nobody drills what happens next — which is why real conversations collapse at turn two. In today's role-play, ask the tutor to answer quickly, then dig your way out with 请说慢一点儿 and …对吗?
Tomorrow: transport — and the three different verbs Chinese uses for "take" a vehicle.
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