English for travelling
So you’ve booked your next trip to (not so) sunny England and you’re super excited to see all the sights and eat the famous fish and chips. Then you think ‘help!’ I don’t know how to speak English! It can be a daunting thought but read on to find out our top useful phrases for English for travelling.
How to learn English for travelling
Let’s start with the most important of all…
1. When you meet anyone new be sure to say ‘Hello, my name is…’. Remember that in England we don’t give two kisses! When meeting someone for the first time you should instead shake their hand. If meeting someone in a formal setting you should shake their hand every time as the proper greeting. Remember have a firm handshake while being friendly. You should always smile and introduce yourself and say, ‘it’s nice to meet you.’
2. One of the first situations you will probably encounter on your trip to England is arriving at the hotel. When you first arrive you should go to the reception desk and say ‘Hello, I have a reservation in the name of…’ and state your name or the name that the reservation was made in. The receptionist will give you your room details which leads on to the next situation…
3. Finding your way around! If you need to find somewhere you can ask ‘Where is…?’ and insert the name of the monument or place you want to reach. Here are the basics directions that people will give you: left, right, straight ahead. Study these English for travelling phrases carefully as sometimes they can be a bit confusing to learn! Remember that English it is always important to be polite, so when stopping to ask someone where something is, such as a museum or a restaurant, you should start by saying, ‘Excuse me…’.
4. And of course you need to know the names of some basic amenities. Probably the most important are restaurant and supermarket! Remember that in case of an emergency in the UK you call 999 or ask someone for the ‘hospital’. To put all of this together you could say, For example, ‘Excuse me, do you know where the nearest supermarket is?’ Remember to use the proper articles such as ‘the’ or ‘a’ to describe something specific or in general such as the for a specific place or by using a for a place in general.
5. At a restaurant you can say ‘I would like…’ when ordering your dish and at the end of the meal you can say ‘cheque, please!’. To be polite you can even say, ‘I would like the cheque, please!’. And let’s not forget a very useful phrase – ‘Where is the bathroom?’. After you get a response don’t forget to say the very important words, ‘thank you’.
6. Finally, a very useful phrase to know is ‘Speak slowly!’ this will give you time to understand someone who is speaking – they may have a different accent to what you’re used to! Sometimes native speakers speak very quickly without thinking, so there is no problem in reminding them to slow down a bit and be more clear for you to properly understand.
We hope you’ve found this English for travelling article useful! The more you practice speaking English the better! With these phrases you will successfully be able to communicate the necessities when on your next trip to any English speaking country! With just a few simple phrases you will be able to communicate and find your way around during your travels! And once you have these down, have a little fun and learn some common expressions for the place you are travelling to!
