Hi

Happy February!

Now that January is finished, and you have had a bit of romance (Happy Valentines Day!) I’d like to ask you a question.

Do you remember the last time that you had to take a taxi in an English speaking country?

I hope that it was a good experience, but maybe you found the situation frustrating and stressful.

-How do you explain where you are going?
-How do you give directions if you know where your destination is?
-How can you ensure that you do not pay too much for the trip?
-Should you make conversation or sit silently in the back?
-English for travel...is it different than normal English?

In this month’s newsletter we are going to look at everything related to taking a taxi...and give you a free report too!

Some Useful Vocabulary

The meter = the machine that tells you how much you owe (the amount of money you must pay).

Back seat = the seat in the back or rear of the car (behind the driver).

Passenger seat = the seat beside the driver.

Taxi rate = the amount of money that you pay per kilometre or time period.

Airport surcharge = this is an additional charge that is added onto trips from airports.

Traffic Jam = when traffic is not moving quickly or at all.

The trunk (USA) or the boot (UK) = the place at the back of the car where you store luggage.

Good expressions to know

Take me to ___________ please.

Or

I need to go to ___________ please.

Pull over here please.

Here is fine thank you (thanks).

How much do I owe you?

Or

How much is it?

Could I have a receipt please?

Taxi talk

1) Where are you from? - I'm from Canada.

2) How long are you in town for?- I'm here for the weekend.

3) Business or pleasure?- Business. I am here for a conference.

4) What is it like in _______ (Canada)?- It's really nice. Very cold in the winter though.

5) Have you ever been to _________(Madrid) before?- Yes, I used to live here actually.

6) Did you have a nice flight?- No I didn't. We were delayed for 3 hours in Frankfurt.

Giving Directions

Here we will look at some very common expressions used to give directions. They are very useful, especially if you know where you are going.

*Ok, continue down the street until you get to _________ (Rockfield street)

*Then

*Take a left/right. (Take your next right/left. Take your second right/left)

*Then

*Go past _____________(rockfield street or the bus station).

*Then

*Go north, south, east, west on __________(rockfield street) until you reach_____.

*Keep going.

*It’s on the left/right.

*Here is fine.

Application Exercise

What I would like you to do is write the directions that you would give to the taxi driver (if you were in the car and it were moving along each arrow).

Give a new piece of information for each arrow. (7 Arrows)

Compare your answers with these sample directions:

2) Take a left on Abingdon Street and then take the next right on to Victoria St.

3) Continue down Victoria Street past Westminster abby.

4) Keep Going.

5) Keep Going until your reach Broadway. Take a right on Broadway St.

6) Then take a left onto Caxton Street.

7) It is on the left. Here is fine. Thank you.

You do want to be very careful with your pronunciation though, and if you are not confidant that you can pronounce the address properly be safe and show the taxi driver the address written on a piece of paper.

So that is it for now! I hope you have enjoyed this topic: "taking a taxi" and if you happen to find a mistake or you would like to discuss this topic, feel free to leave a comment by visiting the above link and scrolling to the bottom of that page.

See you next time!

Diana

PS: Don't forget to: