Asking for and Giving Directions

Konu Anlatımı

Directions — Yol Tarifi

Yabancı bir şehirde yön bulmak için hem soru hem de cevap kalıplarını bilmek gerekir. Emir kipi (imperative) yön tarifinde sık kullanılır.

Prepositions of Movement (Hareket Edatları)

Yol Sorma ve Teşekkür Kalıpları

Yol sormaya kibar bir girişle başlanır: Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the station? ya da How do I get to the museum? ile yapılır ve ceap daima süre ya da mesafe verir: It is about ten minutes on foot. Yön sormanın kısa yolu ise Where is the nearest pharmacy? cümlesidir; bu soruda yalnızca konum istenir, tarif değil.

Konuşma, tarifi alan kişinin teşekkür etmesiyle biter: Thanks a lot., Thank you very much for your help. Anlaşılmayan bir adım varsa Sorry, could you say that again, please? ile yeniden istenir. Sınavlarda bu kapanış kalıpları diyalog tamamlama sorularında ölçülür.

Tarif Etmek: Sıralama, Yön ve Mesafe

Tarifte önce sıra kelimeleri gelir: First, go straight ahead. Then, turn left at the second crossing. After that, you will see the bank on your right. Bu üç adım birbirini izlediğinde dinleyen kaybolmaz; sıra kelimeleri sınavda da doğru cevabı belirleyen işaretlerdir.

Yön ve konum ifadeleri tarifi tamamlar: on your right / on your left, opposite the mosque, next to the bank, between the school and the park. Uzaklık belirtmek için ise go past the market ve cross the bridge gibi hareket edatları kullanılır.

Yön tarifinde cümleler emir kipiyle kurulur: özne yoktur, fiil yalın hâlde kalır. Turn left doğrudur; Turn to left ve Go straightly yanlıştır. Bu üç hata sık sorulan ayırt edici durumlardır.

Ne Öğreneceğiz

In this lesson you will learn how to ask for and give directions in English. You will study the polite opening questions — Excuse me, how do I get to...?, Could you tell me the way to...?, Is there a... near here? — and the answers that give distance and time: It is about ten minutes on foot, It is two blocks away.

You will learn the imperative, which is the form used to give directions: Go straight ahead, Turn left, Take the second turning. You will see that there is no subject and the verb stays in the base form.

Finally you will learn the prepositions of movement (along, across, through, past, into, up, down) and the position expressions (on your left, opposite the bank, between the school and the park, on the corner).

Ön Bilgi

Two things must be ready.

First, the imperative. It is formed with the base form of the verb and no subject: Go straight, Do not turn here (or contracted in speech: Don't turn here). Because there is no subject, there is also no to: Turn to left is wrong.

Second, the prepositions of place you already know — next to, opposite, between, behind, in front of, near — because directions end with a position statement: The pharmacy is opposite the mosque.

You should also be able to understand short instructions spoken quickly, so listen for the verbs first: go, turn, take, cross, continue.

Basit Örnek ve Günlük Yaşam

Read this short exchange, which is the type of dialogue used in exam tasks.

A: Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the nearest pharmacy? B: Of course. Go straight along this street and take the second turning on your right. A: How far is it from here? B: It is about five minutes on foot. It is next to the bank, opposite the park. A: Thank you very much for your help.

Notice the three moves: a polite question, directions with sequence words, and a distance answer. Then the conversation closes with thanks.

Now write a similar dialogue of six lines about finding a library near your school.

İleri Örnek

Compare spoken directions with written ones in an email.

Spoken: Go straight, then turn left at the lights. You can't miss it.

Written: To reach the sports hall, follow the main road for about three hundred metres, then turn left at the traffic lights. The entrance is on your right, next to the swimming pool. If you are coming by bus, get off at the second stop and walk back fifty metres.

Written directions need exact distances, sequence words (then, after that, finally) and one alternative route. Spoken directions can be shorter and often end with reassurance such as You can't miss it.

Adım Adım Çözülmüş Örnek

Follow these steps to give clear directions.

1. Step 1 — Start with the main verb in the imperative. Go straight ahead. Do not add a subject and do not add to after the verb.
2. Step 2 — Use a movement preposition to describe the route. Walk along the river. / Go across the bridge. / Drive through the tunnel.
3. Step 3 — Mark the turning point with at. Turn right at the traffic lights. / Turn left at the second crossing.
4. Step 4 — Say which side it is on. It is on your left. Use on your left / on your right, not to left or in left.
5. Step 5 — Finish with a position statement. It is opposite the mosque, between the bakery and the bookshop.
6. Step 6 — If asked, give the distance or the time. It is about ten minutes on foot. / It is two hundred metres from here.

Karşılaştırma Tablosu

Prepositions of movement and position are the core of this topic.

Careful: across needs a surface you cross (a bridge, a road); past means you continue without stopping.

Sık Yapılan Hatalar

Six mistakes are common in direction dialogues.

• Adding to to a direction verb. Turn to left and Go to straight are wrong. Write Turn left and Go straight ahead.
• Using by foot. Walking distance is on foot: It is ten minutes on foot.
• Using the second turning instead of the first without checking. The exam often changes the number, so read the question carefully: first, second, third turning are all possible.
• Forgetting the article with traffic lights. Say at the traffic lights, not at traffic lights.
• Answering a distance question with a direction. How far is it? asks for distance or time, not for a route.
• Ending the dialogue without thanks. A polite closing (Thank you very much for your help) is part of the functional language the task tests.

Özet

Directions are built from imperatives, movement prepositions and position words.

• Asking: Excuse me, how do I get to...? / Could you tell me the way to...? / Is there a... near here?
• Giving directions: Go straight ahead, turn left / right, take the... turning, go past..., cross...
• Movement prepositions: along, across, through, past, into, out of, up, down.
• Position: on your left / right, opposite, next to, between, behind, in front of, on the corner.
• Distance: It is about ten minutes on foot / two hundred metres from here.
• Closing: Thank you very much for your help.

Kendini Dene

Answer in full sentences and then check the key.

1. Complete: Go ____ ahead and turn left at the traffic lights. (straight / straightly / directly)
2. Which question asks for a route? (a) How far is it? (b) How do I get to the station? (c) Is the bank open?
3. Rewrite correctly: Turn to left at the second crossing.
4. Fill in the preposition: Walk ____ the river until you see the bridge. (along / across / through)
5. Answer the question with a distance: How far is the museum from here?
6. Write a six-line dialogue. One person asks for a pharmacy; the other gives two directions and a distance.

Answer key: 1) straight — straight is also the adverb; straightly does not exist. 2) (b) — it asks for the route. 3) Turn left at the second crossing. — no to after the direction verb. 4) along — you follow the line of the river. 5) It is about ten minutes on foot. or It is two hundred metres from here. 6) Any correct dialogue, e.g. Excuse me, is there a pharmacy near here? Yes, go straight ahead and take the first turning on your right. Then walk along the park until you see a bakery. The pharmacy is next to the bakery, about five minutes on foot. Thank you very much.