Rocket German Newsletter Series
Guten Tag! Welcome to the Rocket German Newsletter Series!
Even though asking for directions is easy, understanding the directions you are given may not be. That’s why, in this lesson you’re going to learn a variety of words and phrases related to directions.
But first, let’s quickly review the different ways of asking for directions.
» Audio 1 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Where can I find the train station, please? | Wo bitte finde ich den Bahnhof? |
| How do I get to the train station? | Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? |
| Do you know where the train station is? (formal) | Wissen Sie wo der Bahnhof ist? |
| Do you know where the train station is? (casual) | Weißt du wo der Bahnhof ist? |
Another more complete way of asking for directions is by saying…
» Audio 2 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Excuse me please! Could you please tell me where the train station is? (formal) | Entschuldigen Sie bitte! Können Sie mir bitte sagen wo der Bahnhof ist? |
| Excuse me please! Could you please tell me where the train station is? (casual) | Entschuldige bitte! Kannst du mir bitte sagen wo der Bahnhof ist? |
Here’s a list of some places you might like to go to and places you may pass on the way to getting there.
» Audio 3
Click Play To Hear Audio
Where can I find…
| The travel agency | Das Reisebüro |
| The street | Die Straße |
| The shopping centre | Das Einkaufszentrum |
| The historic centre | Die Altstadt |
| The police station | Die Polizeiwache |
| The hospital | Das Krankenhaus |
| The park | Der Park |
| The town hall | Das Rathaus |
| The public restrooms | Die öffentlichen Toiletten |
| The town centre | Das Stadtzentrum |
| The suburb | Der Vorort |
| The beer garden | Der Biergarten |
| The monument | Das Denkmal |
| The bar | Die Kneipe |
Here are some words and phrases you might get to hear when asking for directions…
» Audio 4 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Left | Links |
| Right | Rechts |
| To the left | Nach links |
| To the right | Nach rechts |
| Straight | Geradeaus |
| At the end of | Am Ende von |
| At the beginning of | Am Anfang von |
| To the west | Nach Westen |
| To the north | Nach Norden |
| To the south | Nach Süden |
| To the east | Nach Osten |
| Around the corner | Um die Ecke |
| The next street to the left. | Die nächste Straße nach links. |
| The next street to the right. | Die nächste Straße nach rechts. |
| The street after the next. | Die übernächste Straße |
| The corner | Die Ecke |
| The bridge | Die Brücke |
| In front of | Vor |
| Next to | Neben |
When someone gives you directions, they’ll tell you that you need to take such-and-such street; turn left, and then follow another street…
» Audio 5 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Take… | Nehmen Sie… |
| Cross | Überqueren Sie… |
| Follow | Folgen Sie… |
| Go | Gehen Sie... |
Now, you might want to know whether it is far or not…
» Audio 6 Click Play To Hear Audio
| Is it very far? | Ist es sehr weit? |
| It’s far. | Es ist weit. |
| It’s not far. | Es ist nicht weit. |
| Is it close by? | Ist es in der Nähe? |
| It’s close by. | Es ist in der Nähe. |
| It’s not close by. | Es ist nicht in der Nähe. |
Well done, you have just finished today’s lesson. I hope you enjoyed it.
See you next time.
Bis bald!
Paul Weber
Rocket German
P.S. Here are two exercises to test your German skills!
Exercise 1. Match the German word with its English translation.
| 1. | Am Ende von | (_________) | a. take |
| 2. | Nehmen Sie | (_________) | b. the hospital |
| 3. | Das Krankenhaus | (_________) | c. the corner |
| 4. | Die Ecke | (_________) | d. to the left |
| 5. | Nach links | (_________) | e. at the end of |
Exercise 2. Now, match the questions and statements with the correct English translation.
| 1. | Es ist nicht weit. | (_________) | a. It's not close by |
| 2. | Die nächste Straße nach links. | (_________) | b. It’s not far. |
| 3. | Wo bitte finde ich den Bahnhof? | (_________) | c. Do you know where the train station is? |
| 4. | Es ist nicht in der Nähe. | (_________) | d. Where can I find the train station? |
| 5. | Weißt du wo der Bahnhof ist? | (_________) | e. The next street to the left. |
|
P.S. Don't forget to check out my special bonus offer only available for
6 Day Course subscribers: http://www.rocketlanguages.com/german/6day_special.php |
Previous Newsletters
01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
