Learn how to ask where you can buy something
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| Have you ever been in a city you don't know at all, and you are desperately looking for something you need and cannot find it? It happened so many times to me! I wandered around without knowing where to go to reach, for example, a bar, a phone, or a restroom! Don't worry! Thanks to our survival phrases, if you go to the States you will always be able to ask for information and help. |
| Today, we would like to introduce you to a phrase that will help you track down that specific something you're looking for. Where can I find... is the phrase, and then, you add the name of the specific thing you are looking for. |
| In this sentence, you can use a basic structure in any situation in which you will need to get something. This structure is made up of the adverb where followed by the helping verb can, and then I find and then the thing you're looking for. Let's break it down by syllable.Where can I find...? |
| Now let's see what kinds of things you might need if you're traveling abroad. Let's imagine you're walking around one busy city, it's very hot, and you need to get something to drink. Let's go and ask where you can find a bar! Where can I find a bar? is the question you ask. |
| As you can easily note, you have the structure you have just seen, where can I find and then at the end you add a bar. So once again, that's where can I find a bar? |
| With this form, you can go anywhere you need and ask for anything you are looking for. You could use another form if you wanted to be more polite and wanted to use a different expression. Let's imagine you are looking for a phone this time. Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find a pay phone? Don't you think this is more formal? Of course it is! So what do we have here? We have excuse me, then could you which is used for polite requests. Followed by tell me. After that we have where I can find to tell them what you need. And then finally the thing you're looking for. In this case it would be a pay phone. There you have it! Let's see the phrase one more time! Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find a pay phone? |
| To ask for any other item, we can just replace a pay phone with any other word and the phrase works brilliantly! Let's try it with tobacco shop. Let's break this word down - tobacco shop. So the question would be, Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find a tobacco shop? |
| These phrases will come in handy before leaving the hotel and when talking with taxi drivers or other people trying to help you locate a desired item. |
| Okay, now to close out today's lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll say the phrase or sentence, and why don't you try saying it out loud? Good luck everybody! |
| - Where can I find...? |
| - Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find a pay phone? |
| - Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find a tobacco shop? |
| All right, that's going to do it for today! See you all soon! |
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