Post Office If you buy too many things and you have to send it through the mail, you can go to the post office.  If you don't have a box, most post offices sell boxes of all sizes.  "Do you sell boxes here?"  "Can I buy one of those large boxes?"  "What is the largest box you sell?"  "How much is the box?"  If you are sending it to a different country, you have to fill out a form.  You can either wait until you are ready to send it, or you can fill out the form before going to the counter.  They will have blank forms available next to the counter for anyone to take.  On the form, you have to specify what you are sending, how much it costs, and the address of where you are sending it to.  After filling out the form and packing your box, you are ready to go back to the post office to send it.  Because the box should already have the address, they will not ask you where you are sending it.  The first question they usually ask is how you want to send it.  You can send it by boat, and a variety of air mail.  "How would you like to send it?"  "How much is it for air mail?"  If that is too expensive, you can ask if there is anything cheaper.  "What is the cheapest way to send it?"  Because you are sending a box, they have standard questions they ask everyone.  "Are there any perishable food items in the package?"  "Are there any fragile items?"  They also ask if you want insurance on the package.  It's not that expensive so you can ask how much it is.  "Would you like to insure your package?"  "Would you like insurance?"  "How much is it?"  "It's $7.16."  After everything is determined, they always ask one more question.  "Do you need any stamps today?"  That is basically it.  Let's cover some general sentences you might need to know in the post office.  "How much does it cost to send a regular letter to Korea?"  "What is the fastest way to send this mail?"  "What time do you open in the morning?"  "What time do you close?"

Bank - Currency Exchange

If you are a traveler, then you don't need to open a bank account.  For more banking specifics, feel free to ask us.

 "Do you exchange foreign currency?"
 "What is your exchange rate for the Korean Won?"
 "Can I cash my traveler's checks here?"

 "The exchange rate is .0009 cents for one won."

 "I would like to exchange 500,000 won please."

 "500,000 won at the current exchange rate is $450.  Here you go."

Grocery Store

In the grocery store, you don't have to say anything except when you need to find something.  Here are some sentences to find general items.

 "Where is the fruit section?"
 "Do you sell ice cream here?"
 "Where can I find batteries?"
 "Where is the toothpaste?"
 "Can you point me to the medicine area?"
 "Where is the bakery section?"
 "Do you sell fresh seafood?"

 "Do you sell postcards?"
 "Where can I find film?"

 Be careful when you say film.  They will not understand you if you say it improperly.  If you have difficulty pronouncing film, you should say, "Where can I find camera film?"

 "Where are the shopping carts?"
 "Where can I find a shopping basket?"

Department Store I will have more coverage of these topics in the regular English Lesson section, but I want to provide some general things specifically for travelers.  In this lesson, we will cover shopping, bank, and post office terminologies and sentences for travelers.  Department Store  There are only a few things that you need to know how to say.  Here is a small list.  Finding something  "Do you have different sizes for this shirt?"  "Where are your blue jeans?"  "Do you have regular T-Shirts here?"  "Where is the dressing room?"  "Do you have a dressing room?"  Shoes  When you see a shoe that you like, you have to find a worker and have them bring your size out to you.  Here are some ways to say what you want.  "Can I try this shoe on in a seven?"  "Can I get this in nine and a half?"  "Can I get this in a size six?"  If you don't know what your size is, they will take your measurement.  "I don't know what my size is?"  "I don't know what size I am."  "Can you take my measurement?"  When you go to the register, you don't need to say anything.  However, they might ask you a bunch of questions.  "Did you find everything you needed today?"  "Was anyone helping you with this?"  "Would you like to open a credit card?  You can get 10 percent off of everything for today."  These are all yes and no questions so answer appropriately.

Fine Dining The process of fine dining is very similar to the previous example.  I'll list a couple of additions for fine dining that I didn't include above.  If you order wine, they will pour a tiny bit into your glass.  You should immediately take a drink of it and shake your head yes.  After you approve, they will pour your glass and other glasses full of the wine.  Some restaurants need to prepare dessert 20 minutes in advance.  That means they will ask you if you are going to have dessert while you are eating instead of waiting for you to complete.  Finally, these types of restaurants take reservations.  Here is an example of making a reservation through the phone.  "Hello, McCormick's.  How may I help you today?"  "I would like to make a reservation."  "What day did you want to come in?"  "This Friday at 7:00pm."  "We have a table at 7:15.  Will that be acceptable?"  "Yes."  "May I have your name?"  "Rich Yu.  That's Y U."  "I have reserved a table for Mr. Yu on Friday at 7:15.  Is there anything else I can do for you?"  "That will be all."  "Thank you for calling."  "Thank you.  Good Bye."  "Good Bye."  When you come in, you can tell them that you have a reservation.  "Hi, I have a reservation at 7:15 for Rich Yu."  "Oh, yes.  Mr. Yu, your table will be ready in just a moment.  You can wait right over there."

Restaurant/Eating and Requesting Bill

Regular Restaurant Eating and Requesting Bill

Most places will come by once when you are eating and ask how everything is.  This is a chance for you to order something else, complain about something, or get a refill on your drink.  Some of the things they might say are:
 
 "How is everything?"
 "Is everything ok?"
 "How is your dinner?"
 "How is your lunch?"
 "Are you guys doing ok?"
 "Do you need anything else?"
 
 When you are almost done with your meal, they might ask if you want some dessert.
 
 "Would you like dessert today?"
 "Would you like our dessert menu?"
 "Would you like to order any dessert?"
 "Any dessert for you today?"
 "Would you like to hear our dessert special?"
 
 If you are finished and want your bill, you can look for the server, make eye contact, and raise your hand.  When they come by, ask them for the bill.
 
 "Can I have my check?"
 "Can I have my bill?"
 "I'm ready for my bill."
 "I would like my check please."

Restaurant Ordering When you sit down to eat at a restaurant remember to leave a tip.  The average you should leave is 15 percent.  After you are seated, the first thing they ask is if you want something to drink.  "Can I get you a drink?"  "Can I get a drink for you?"  "Would you like to order a drink now?"  "Can I get a drink started for you?"  "What would you like to drink?"  "I'll take a coke."  "I'll have an orange juice."  "Water will be fine."  "Can I have a glass of water?"  After they bring out your drinks, they will take your order.  The reason they do this is because most people know what they want to drink, but want a few minutes to decide what to eat.  "May I take your order?"  "What would you like to order?"  "Are you ready to order?"  "What would you like today?"  If you need more time, you can simply say, "Can I have a couple more minutes?"  When you are ready to order, just read off what you want.  "I'll take the Salisbury steak with hash browns."  Depending on what you order, they will have side options they will ask you about.  Listen carefully to your choices and choose one.  You should prepare yourself by reading the menu carefully.  It should indicate what your options are.  "Would you like toast, a muffin, or a cornbread?"

Fast Food There are many types of restaurant.  In this lesson, we will cover what you need to say in fast food restaurants, regular sit down restaurants, and luxury fine dining restaurants.  Fast Food  McDonald's is a popular restaurant, so I will use McDonald's as an example.  The only thing you do when you go to a fast food restaurant is to go to the counter and order your food, then pay for it.  That's all.  Let's go through some quick sentences.  "Welcome to McDonald's.  May I take your order?"  "I'll take a Big Mac and a small coke."  "One Big Mac and one small coke.  Will that be all?"  "Yes."  "Will that be for here or to go?"  "For here please."  "The total comes to $3.87."  A common mistake is to answer yes or no when you don't know the answer.  I heard of many stories when the cashier asks, 'for here or to go', and the person says, 'yes'.  It is simple to avoid this mistake by studying and being prepared.  In most fastfood restaurants, it is even easier to order.  They have value meals and you just have to say a number.  "I'll take number 2."  But the difference is that there are sizes.  "Would you like medium, large, or super size?"  "Medium please."

Freeway Explanation America uses a freeway system.  Freeways pass through all major cities and are used very frequently.  If the distance is far, you probably will have to take the freeway.  To give directions referring to the freeway, you use North, South, East, or West.  Other ways you might hear are Northbound, Southbound, Westbound, or Eastbound.  Most freeways also have exit numbers.  In many states, the numbers start at one from the beginning of the state border and increases by one every mile.  If someone says you should take exit 178, you should stay on the road until you see exit 178.  Each exit is clearly marked so you don't have to worry about missing it.  You will know you are going the wrong direction if the numbers are going in the wrong direction.  For example, if you need to take exit 150, and the first exit number is 151, and the next one is 152, and the next one is 153, then you know you should turn around because the numbers are getting larger.

Asking for Directions When you are looking for something, it is sometimes easier to ask for directions.  When you do, you have to be able to listen to the directions given.  In this lesson, we will study listening a little more so you can effectively understand a person giving you directions.  Here are some key words you have to remember.  I suggest you drill these in your head because they are very commonly used when giving directions.  There are many direction terminologies.  I'll cover all the common phrases.  You should be able to effectively give directions and receive directions after this lesson.  Asking for Directions  Most of the time, you should start by saying excuse me.  The pronunciation for excuse me can be shortened.  The shortened form sounds like 'scuse me.'  "Excuse me.  Do you know where the post office is?"  "Excuse me.  Can you point me to the nearest gas station?"  "Excuse me.  Can you give me quick directions to the movie theatre?"  "Excuse me.  Do you know how to get to the Shopping mall from here?"  "Excuse me.  How do I get to the freeway from here?"  "Excuse me.  I'm looking for Bank of America.  I thought it was around here.  Do you know where it is?"  "Excuse me.  I'm looking for the post office.  Do you know how to get there?"  "Excuse me.  What is the best way to get to Seattle?"  When you ask for directions, the person responding will usually give you quick directions.  The next section below is a list of common phrases used when giving directions.  You should study them carefully so when someone gives you directions, you can understand them without having to say 'one more time.' ................................................................................... Left Right and Around the Corner Take a Left/Right  "Take a left at the next light."  "Take a right at the gas station."  "When you get to Robson Street, take a left."  "After you pass 7-11, take a right at the next light."  "Take a left when you come to a stop sign."  Turn Left/Right  "Turn right on 112th."  "Turn left after you pass McDonalds."  "When you see a church on your left hand side, turn right on the next street."  "Turn left at the next street and immediately take another left."  Just/Right around the corner  "It's just right around the corner on the left side."  "It's right around the corner from the Starbucks over there."  "Go down the street, turn left on Williams Street, and it will be right around the corner from the gas station." ................................................................ Across Blocks and Miles Go for five blocks/After three blocks  "After you turn right, go for five blocks and turn left.  It will be right around the corner."  "After three blocks, turn left.  You will see it on your right hand side."  "Go for four blocks and then turn right."  Across the street from/Directly across  "It's across the street from the library."  "It's directly across from Taco Bell."  "Go for three blocks, turn left at the next light.  You'll see it across the street from McDonalds."  "Go down the street.  You'll see it directly across from the gas station."  Go for 2 miles  "It's pretty far from here.  Go on Washington Street for about 2 miles.  You'll see it next to a school."  "Turn right at the stop sign and go straight for a couple of miles.  At 112th turn left.  You'll see it on your right hand side."  "Go straight on this street for about 3 miles.  You'll see it next to Wendy's." ............................................................................. Light and 'Y' On the third light  "Go down this street, after you pass two stop lights, turn right on the third light.  You'll see it right around the corner."  "Head down Madison Street and on the fourth light, turn left.  You should see it immediately."  "Turn right on Jackson.  Keep going straight for three lights.  When you see Burger King, turn left.  It's right there."  The 'Y'  A 'Y' is a street that turns into two.  It's not really a left turn or a right turn, but the street is shaped like the letter 'Y'.  "Keep going down this street.  Stay on the left side when you reach the 'Y'.  At the next light, turn right."  "Take a left on Jackson.  At the 'Y' go to the right.  It will be on your left hand side about a mile down that street."  "Go for about three miles on this street.  At the 'Y' go to the left.  You'll see a blue house on your right.  It's right after that house." ............................................................. Dead end and 'T' The 'T'  A 'T' intersection is a three way intersection.  You can either go left or right.  The street is shaped like the letter 'T' so people call it a 'T'.  Sometimes they don't call it a 'T'.  Other names for a 'T' intersection you might hear are more descriptive.  Here is a list.  'When the road ends...'  'When you can't go anymore...'  'Three way intersection...'  "At the 'T' intersection, turn right.  It is just around the corner."  "When you pass a gas station, you will come up to a 'T'.  Take a left, and then an immediate right."  "Go down this road until it ends.  Turn left at the 'T' and you will see the gas station on your right."  Dead end  This isn't a direction terminology, but dead end is a road that has only one entrance.  That means the only way out is the way you came in.  All dead end streets will have a sign at the entrance with the word 'Dead end'.  If you are going to a location that is in a dead end, someone might use this word.  "Turn right on 117th.  It's a dead end.  We are on the right hand side at the end of the street."  "There are three places to turn right.  The second one is a dead end so make sure you don't go in there."  "I live in a dead end street.  It's nice because there isn't much traffic."

Wake up call/room service/luggage help

General Things

If you need a wake up call, you can call the front desk.
 
 "Can I have a wake up call?"
 
 "What time would you like your wake up call?"
 
 "At 7:30 am please."
 
 Room service is available but they have hours of operation.  The menu in the room should indicate what times they serve hot food, and the menu will show a list of items that are available 24 hours a day.  If you can't find the times, you can ask the front desk.
 
 "What are the hours for room service?"
 
 "They serve hot food from 5:30am to 11:00pm.  They also have a list of items you can select from during off hours."
 
 If you need help with your luggage, the person that does this is called a bellman, a bellhop, or a bellboy.  The most common term is a bellman so I will use that terminology here.
 
 The person that gives advice on city activities, recreation, places to dine, and general questions is called a concierge.
 
 If a person parks the car for you, they are called a valet.
 
 Regular motels and inns might not have these additional services.  Even some hotels do not have them.  But if you are staying at a nice hotel, you can ask for them.

Hotel checking in/out

Checking In and Checking Out Checking in is pretty simple, you just need to go to the counter and say that you are checking in.  "Hi, I am checking in."  "Hi, I have a reservation and I am checking in."  They will ask you for your credit card and a photo ID.  They might confirm your information and you should receive your keys.  Here are some questions to ask during this time.  "Where is the elevator?"  "Do you have concierge service here?"  "Do you have a map of the city?"  "What time should I check out by?"  "What time is check out?"  Checking out is just as simple.  You go to the counter and say, "I am checking out."  At this time, you should return the keys.  They might ask you to sign something or ask you if the credit card on file is ok to charge.  "Should we charge the credit card on file or did you want to use a different card?"  "Your credit card will be charged a total of $256.78.  Can you sign on the bottom?"  "Thank you for staying with us.  We look forward to seeing you again."

Hotel reservation 3

Making a Reservation III

After they determine how many rooms and how many total people, they will ask you what type of bed you want.
 
 "Would you like a single king size bed, or two double size beds in the room?"
 "Will a single king size bed be ok?"
 "We only have a room with two double size beds.  Will that be ok?"
 
 "Do you want a smoking room or a non smoking room?"
 "Do you prefer a smoking or non smoking room?"
 
 "I would like a smoking room."
 "Can I have a non smoking room?"
 "Either is fine."
 "I don't have a preference."
 
 You will have to provide your credit card number to reserve the room.
 
 "Can I get a credit card number?"
 "Can I have your credit card number?"
 "What is your credit card number?"
 
 Finally, they will repeat all the information back to you.
 
 "Ok, Mr. Lee.  I have one smoking room reserved for July 19th till July 22nd.  The total comes to $256.78 after tax.  If you need to cancel, please call us 24 hours before July 19th.  Can I help you with anything else?"

Hotel reservation 2

Making a Reservation II The next series of questions covers how many people and how many rooms.  Some hotels charge by number of rooms and number of adults, and some hotels charge by number of rooms only.  "How many rooms will you need?"  "Is this for only one room?"  "How many rooms would you like to reserve?"  "How many rooms should I reserve for you?"  "I will only need one room."  "I am going to need two rooms."  "How many adults will be in your party?"  "How many total children will be with you?"  "Just two adults."  "A total of four adults."  "I will be alone."  "A total of 2 adults and 2 children."  "One adult and 2 children."

Hotel reservation 1

Making a Reservation I It is not common to go to a hotel without a reservation so I will only cover the reservation aspect.  Along with reserving a room, I will cover checking in, checking out, room service, and wake up call.  Making a Reservation  When you make a reservation, call them and tell them you want to reserve a room.  Or, you can start by asking them for a price.  "Hi, how much are your rooms?"  "Hi, what are your rates?"  "Hello, how much is a room?"  "Our rooms start at $79 for a basic room."  "Our rooms start at $79 for a standard room and go up to $300 for a suite."  "Ok.  Can I reserve a room?"  "Hi, I would like to reserve a room."  "Hello, can I reserve a couple of rooms?"  The first thing they usually ask is the dates you want the room and the duration.  "What day do you want to check in?"  "Which date did you want to reserve?"  "What date are you looking for?"  "I want a room from June 22nd to June 25th."  "I would like a room for the 19th of July."  "How long will you be staying with us?"  "When will you be checking out?"  "How many days would you like the room for?"  "I am going to stay for 3 days."  "I would like to reserve the room for 4 days."  "I am going to need the room until July 23rd."

Making a Reservation You will be calling the company you are renting from.  When you call, you should verify if the rental car company has a location at the airport you are flying into.  "I need one at Los Angeles Airport."  "I am flying into Los Angeles Airport."  If they have one, they will say they do and start asking you similar questions we already covered.  We will not repeat them here, but I will have a practice session giving an example dialog on making a reservation below.  They might ask you for a credit card number on the phone.  If you don't call and cancel, you might be charged.  So if you need to cancel, remember to call and cancel at least 24 hours before the date.  I am not sure if it is 24 hours.  You should ask and verify.  "If I need to cancel, when should I do that by?"  "As soon as possible, but in order to avoid a charge you should call 24 hours before the date."  When you arrive at the counter, you will tell the person that you have a reservation.  "Hi, I have a reservation under last name Lee."  "Hi, I have a reservation for a midsize car."  After that, they will confirm your information.  They might ask you some duplicate questions, but we should have covered most of it already.

Price and Rules Finally, they will tell you the price and you will have to pay with a credit card.  "The total will be $184.19."  At this time, you can give them your credit card.  After you pay, they will tell you some rules.  "The gas tank is full.  You should fill it up before you return the car.  If you do not, then we charge $3 a gallon."  "You can pick up your car downstairs.  Just show them the invoice and they will have your car ready for you."  "You will need to return it by 4pm on the 16th.  We charge an additional $8 for every four hours that you are late.  Return it to the same place you picked up the car."  "Please keep this form in the car.  Bring it with you when you return the vehicle."  The price of $8 is just an example.  Make sure you find out if you are not sure you will be late or not.  "How much do you charge if I am an hour late?"  After this process, you should have your car and you are ready to drive away.

Insurance and Driver License Before giving you a price, they will then ask if you would like insurance or if you have insurance.  The price varies.  Last time I checked it was approximately $15 a day for insurance.  "Would you like insurance on the car?"  "How much is insurance?"  They will also ask who is going to be the driver.  "Who is going to be the driver?"  "How many people are going to drive?"  "Are all the drivers at least 25 years old?"  You will have to provide a driver's license.  If you are from a different country then you should at least have an international driver's license prepared from your country.  "Can I see your driver's license?"  "May I have your driver's license?"  "I will need to see your driver's license."

Duration and General Questions In order to verify if they can give you the car you requested, they need to know how long you will need the car for.  "How long will you be needing the car?"  "How long will you be renting the car?"  "When do you need the car till?"  "I'll need the car for two weeks."  "I want to rent it for one week."  "I need it for 4 days."  "I need it for just a day."  They might ask you to fill out a form, or they might ask you many questions.  "What is your last name?"  "What is your first name?"  "Are you a United States resident?"  "What country are you from?"  "What is your address?"

Car Availability When you travel, it is common to rent a car.  You will either call and make a reservation, or you will rent one by walking up to the counter.  We will cover both scenarios here.  At the Counter  If you are at the airport, you can ask an airport employee, "where is the rental car booth?" or "where can I rent a car?"  After you arrive at the place, you will ask if you any cars are available.  Here is a common script.  "Hi.  I would like to rent a car."  "Do you have any cars available?"  They might ask, "Did you make a reservation?"  In this scenario, you didn't so you can answer, 'no.'  If they don't have any cars available, they will say, "I'm sorry, we do not have any cars available today."  If that is the case, then go to the next counter.  Most airports have numerous car rental booths so you can keep asking until you find a company that has a car available.  If you are going during peak vacation periods, it might be good to call and reserve one.  But let's continue with this scenario.  If they have a car available, they will ask what type of car or what size.  "What size car would you like?"  "What type of car would you like?"  "What type of car do you need?"  "What sizes do you have?"  "What are my options?"  "We have compact, midsize, full size, luxury, SUV, and a minivan."  "How much is the full size car?"  "How much is the midsize car?"  "How many does the full size car seat?"  "How many can fit in the midsize car?"  "I'll take a midsize car."

Finding the Gate They will usually tell you what gate you should go to, but if you need to ask again, I will provide an example question.  Also, you might need to ask someone where the gate is located.  "Which gate did you say it was?"  "What was the gate number again?"  "Can you point me towards the gate?"  "How do I get to the gate again?"  "How do I get to gate C2?"  "Where is gate C2?"

At the Counter When you first reach the counter, you should give them your ticket and your passport.  The first question they usually ask is how many are traveling with you.  "Is anybody traveling with you today?"  "Is anybody else traveling with you?"  "Are just you two traveling today?"  All airlines have a list of questions they have to ask you.  Let's look at some of these questions.  "Did someone you do not know ask you to take something on the plane with you?"  "Did you have possession of your luggage since you packed?"  "Did you leave your luggage unattended at all in the airport?"  "Are you carrying any weapons or firearms?"  "Are you carrying any flammable material?"  "Do you have any perishable food items?"  If you don't understand, you can't say yes or no to all of them.  The correct answer for some of them is 'no' and some of them is 'yes'.  "How many luggage are you checking in?"  "Do you have a carry on?"  "Can you place your bag up here?"  "How many carry on bags are you taking with you?"  Afterwards, they might ask if you prefer an aisle seat or a window seat.  "Do you prefer window or aisle?"  If they are out of aisle seats, they will ask you if window is ok.  "We do not have any aisle seats remaining.  Is a window seat ok with you or would you prefer a middle seat?"  Some people like to be by the emergency exit.  You can ask for that seat.  "Do you have a seat next to the emergency exit?"  "Can I have a seat closest to the emergency exit?"  If they do, then you will get a seat by the exit, but if they don't, they will try to give you one that is close.  "All the seats next to the exit have been taken.  I have a seat directly in front of it.  Would you like that one?"  Finally, they will tell you the gate number and the boarding time.  "Here are your tickets.  The gate number is on the bottom of the ticket.  They will start boarding 20 minutes before the departure time.  You should report to gate C2 by then.  C2 is around the corner and down the hall.  Thank you."