问路
Wèn lù — Asking Directions
One of the genuinely useful units. Students learn to stop a stranger politely, ask where something is, and — harder — understand the answer they get back.
Unit objectives
- Open with 请问 before asking a stranger anything
- Ask 怎么走？ — “How do I get there?”
- Understand and give four-step directions
- Follow a spoken route on a map
Key vocabulary
请问 怎么走 左 右 直走 转 路口 近 远 旁边
A full exchange
请问，地铁站怎么走？
Qǐngwèn, dìtiězhàn zěnme zǒu? — “Excuse me, how do I get to the subway station?”
直走，然后在路口左转。
Zhí zǒu, ránhòu zài lùkǒu zuǒ zhuǎn. — “Go straight, then turn left at the intersection.”
Asking, and understanding the answer
Excuse me…
请问 and the politeness that goes with approaching a stranger. Practised until it’s automatic.
Left, right, straight
Direction words drilled with bodies before paper — the class physically walks the instructions.
Follow the route
A map and a spoken route. Students trace where they end up — pure listening comprehension.
Both sides of the conversation
Role-play in pairs: one lost, one helping. Then swap — giving directions is the harder half.
North, south, east, west — indoors
In much of northern China, people give directions by compass point rather than left and right, even inside a building: “the bathroom is on the south side.” This comes partly from cities like Beijing being laid out on a strict north-south grid for centuries. Students find it startling, and it’s worth mentioning that a Chinese speaker helping them may answer with 北 or 南 rather than the left-right they were expecting.
Unit 2 progress check
A light, no-pressure way to see what’s sticking:
- Does your child start with 请问?
- Can they follow a three-step spoken route?
- Can they give directions as well as ask for them?
Understanding the answer is the real skill — anyone can memorise a question. Spend the time on listening.