Lesson 14, Giving Directions

last revised April 30, 2004

• 從書店到運動場怎麼走?
• How do you get from the bookstore to the sports field?
• 到學生活動中心怎麼走?
• How do you get to the student union?

To ask directions in Chinese, you usually give the point of origin and destination (marked by 從 and 到) or just the destination (marked by 到) followed by 怎麼走? See the examples above. A response might take the form of the sentence below:

• 從這兒一直往前開, 過兩個路口, 往左一拐就到了
• From here, drive straight ahead past two intersections, as soon as you turn left you'll be there.
• 運動場就在你的左邊
• The sports field will be on your left.

As you can see, responding to such a question can be complex. Each stage in the journey is given as a complete clause, separated from the others by a comma. There are several ways one can modify a verb when giving directions. Starting point, location and direction usually appear before the verb, while distance and ending point are usually found after the verb. Useful verbs are: 開(車) to drive, 走 to go (not necessarily by walking), 拐 to turn, and 過 to pass. Useful additional words include: 一直, 往, 到, 在. Here are some examples using various parts of the pattern. To emphasize the sequence of actions, use 了 after the verb and be sure to include the arrival at destination If you want to include the idea of "as soon as..." then add 一 right before the main verb and add something like 就到了 for the final component. Notice the position of key words highlighted in red and green in the examples below.

Point of Origin	Adverb or location	Direction	Verb	Distance or time	Destination	English
從這兒	一直	往南	開		到書店	Drive straight south from here to the bookstore.
	一直	往前	開			Drive straight ahead.
從運動場	一直		走		到電腦中心	From the sports field, go straight to the computer center.
			走	五分鐘	就到了	Walk for five minutes, and you'll be there.
			走	一英里		Go one mile (英里 means "mile," 公里 means "kilometer.")
	在第二個路口	往東	拐			Turn east at the second intersection.
	在書店	往左	拐			Turn left at the bookstore.
		往北	拐			Turn north.
		往右	一拐		就到了	As soon as you turn right, you'll be there.
			一過	語言實驗室	就到了	As soon as you go past the language lab, you'll be there.
			過了	兩個路口	日本飯館就在前邊了	After you pass two intersections, the Japanese restaurant will be right in front.
			過	三個紅綠燈		Pass three stop lights.

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This page created by Mary Jacob