4.4 Arriving
Source: eslfast.com
Ground Transportation
| A: I just arrived and need help getting transportation to my hotel. | OR: – I need help figuring out how to get to my friend’s house in the city. – I need information about my options for ground transportation. |
| B: There are shuttles, taxis, and buses that go all over the city. | OR: – This city has many taxis, shuttles, or buses to transport you to your destination. – You may take a shuttle, a taxi, or a bus to get wherever you need to go. |
| A: Which one is the best form of transportation? | OR: – Which form of transportation is preferable? – Is one form of transportation better than another? |
| B: It depends on where you want to go. If you are going to a well-known hotel, they have their own shuttles that drop you right off at the door. | OR: – It depends on where you are traveling. If your destination is close by, you might want to just grab a taxicab. – It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking to travel inexpensively, a bus might be your best bet. |
| A: Where can I catch a cab? | OR: – Where do the buses pick you up? – Where are the shuttle pick-up points? |
| B: All ground transportation leaves from the island as you walk out the arrivals gate. | OR: – When you pick up your luggage, walk out of the door and you will see the transportation kiosk. – The ground transportation center is right outside the exit leading to the street. |
| A: Where can I rent a car? | OR: – Is there a car rental place around here? – Where are the car rental agencies? |
| B: The car rental agencies are against the wall as you exit. | OR: – You will see the car rental agencies as you walk down the hallway as you exit. – You can find a car rental agency just outside of baggage claim. |
| A: Are there any subways in this town? | OR: – Is there a subway in this city? – I heard that you have a very good light rail system in this city. |
| B: We have a subway system, but you need to take a shuttle to get to the station. | OR: – We have a subway station in the airport. The in-airport moving sidewalk system will take you to it. – Our subway station is a mile outside of the airport. I would suggest you take the designated shuttle to get there. |
Sightseeing
| A: Where should we go sightseeing today? | OR: – It’s so hard to choose where to go first on our sightseeing trip! – There are so many places to go on our sightseeing trip that I am having trouble narrowing it down. |
| B: I think that some things might be best done in the morning and others in the afternoon. | OR: – Let’s figure out what to do before lunch and later figure out what to do in the afternoon. – We could think of what would make a good morning activity versus an evening activity. |
| A: I think that I would like to go to the beach this morning. | OR: – I really wanted to make sure that I got a chance to go to the local beach. – I heard that the local beach is a place that can’t be missed. |
| B: That would be a good place to start our sightseeing. We could have breakfast there. | OR: – That would be a relaxing way to begin our morning. It would be good to get out in the sun. – I think that that would be a fun beginning to our day. We could walk around there. |
| A: I hear that there is a very nice natural history museum there. | OR: – I heard that the Natural History Museum is pretty close to the beach. – The Natural History Museum is close by, isn’t it? |
| B: Yes, it would be nice to check that out since we are so close by. | OR: – That museum is supposed to be fantastic! – I heard the same thing. We might as well go there since we are just down the street. |
| A: Where should we go in the afternoon? | OR: – What would be a good place to go to in the afternoon? – Do you have any suggestions as to where we could go in the afternoon? |
| B: I think that I would like to go to the amusement park. It’s supposed to be quite good. | OR: – We could check out the local amusement park. – The local amusement park is supposed to be wonderful. |
| A: At the end of the day, I would love to take in the sunset at the restaurant by the park. | OR: – We could eat dinner and watch the sun go down at that restaurant by the park. – The restaurant on the edge of the park would be a great place to watch the sun go down. |
| B: That sounds like a great idea! Let’s go get a map. | OR: – That sounds like a perfect sightseeing day to me. – That could really end up being a great day! |
Being cautious in a big city
| A: Is there anything special I need to think about as I tour this city? | OR: – This city is much larger than the one I live in, and I wonder if there is anything special that I need to keep in mind. – Do I need to take any special safety precautions in this city? |
| B: You need to keep in mind that this is a very poor country. Things are a little more desperate here than you are used to. | OR: – This is a very large city with a lot of crowds to work your way through. Keep in mind that poverty makes people a little more desperate. – Crime can happen anywhere, but it is a little worse here because of the poverty. |
| A: What do I need to look for? | OR: – Should I be vigilant about anything in particular? – What should I watch out for? |
| B: Be particularly vigilant anytime you are in a crowded place with other tourists. Pickpockets know that tourists aren’t paying all that much attention. | OR: – You have to pay special attention at train stations, airports, and tourist sites. They are known for having a lot of pickpockets. – The train stations, airports, and tourist sites are favorite spots for pickpockets. |
| A: I have seen many children on the street begging, so what do I do about them? | OR: – When I see children on the street begging, what amount should I give them? – There are so many children begging on the street that I don’t know which ones to give money to. |
| B: It is best not to give money to children or other beggars on the street, as they can swarm you. You can give money to a local charity. | OR: – It is a natural instinct to want to give money to those children, but it is better to give money to one of the local charities or schools. – I wouldn’t suggest giving money to them. Most of them are put out there by adults who then take their money. |
| A: Should I be concerned about what I eat or drink? | OR: – Can I eat or drink anything I want to? – Are the local food and drink safe? |
| B: Do not drink any water that isn’t bottled. Avoid street vendor food. | OR: – Avoid eating food prepared by street vendors. Use only bottled water. – Do not use tap water at all, not even to brush your teeth. Only eat fruit that has been peeled. |
| A: How about being out on the street at night? | OR: – Can I walk around and see the sights at night? – How safe is it to be out at night? |
| B: I would take a cab to your destination at night. Don’t walk down the street alone. | OR: – You should always travel with others at night and stick to well-lit areas. – I would be sure to travel in a group at night. Stay in well-lit areas. |
Making alternate plans
| A: I guess that we won’t be going rollerblading today with all this rain! | OR: – This rain sort of blows our chances of going rollerblading! – I think that rollerblading today is kind of not happening in this rainstorm. |
| B: Yes, rollerblading in six inches of water would not be fun. What would you like to do instead? | OR: – We definitely need to come up with a different plan to amuse ourselves. What do you think would be fun? – No, I don’t think that we will be able to do what we planned to do. What can we do for fun today? |
| A: I think that maybe we could check out the local mall, grab some lunch, and maybe see a movie. | OR: – There is a large indoor mall just down the street with an incredible ice rink we could check out. – There is a large indoor mall hooked onto the Modern Art Museum just down the street. |
| B: Yes, that sounds like a relaxing way to check out the local culture and still stay dry. | OR: – That would allow us to stay dry and still get a feel for the local culture. – We could stay inside and dry, and still get out of this hotel room for a while. |
| A: What else could we do in bad weather? | OR: – I am trying to think of something else that we could do in bad weather. – I wonder what the locals do in bad weather. |
| B: You know, we could take a double-decker bus tour of famous haunted houses and buildings. | OR: – There is a sign for a double-decker tour of haunted houses in the lobby. |
| A: That would be fun, and the rain would only add to the atmosphere. | OR: – Haunted houses would be a perfect outing for a rainy day! |
| B: There is an old English pub next door. Maybe when we finish with the haunted house, we can duck in there for some brew. | OR: – I think we should wrap up our rainy haunted house day with some ale at the English pub down the street. – I think that when we are done with our haunted house touring, we should pop into the English pub next door for a beer. |
| A: What a great idea! | OR: – I could go for that! – I think that rainy days and pubs go together! |
| B: If we are lucky, maybe they’ll have some great food at the pub for supper. | OR: – Usually pubs have some pretty good cold-weather food. Maybe we can have dinner there. – I hope that we can get some nice hot food for dinner at the pub. |
Shopping for souvenirs
| A: I want to look at the souvenirs over at the souvenir stand. | OR: – Let’s stop and look at the souvenirs at the souvenir stand. – We need to stop so I can shop for some souvenirs at the souvenir stand. |
| B: What do you need to buy? | OR: – Do you have anything in particular that you are looking for? – What types of souvenirs were you looking for? |
| A: I usually buy myself some jewelry or some clothing. | OR: – When I travel, I usually like to bring back a special necklace or clothing. – I love to go clothes-shopping when I travel or buy a new piece of jewelry. |
| B: I always buy a lot of things for my family. How about you? | OR: – The kids in my family love getting souvenirs. How about the children in your family? – I end up buying a lot of stuff for the kids in my family. Do you like to do that, too? |
| A: Yes, they practically swarm me when I get home! | OR: – My family loves for me to take trips so they can get the goodies I bring them. – Everyone in my family enjoys getting treats from my travels! |
| B: What are some of their favorite gifts? | OR: – What do they like you to bring home? – What types of things do they like? |
| A: The teenagers like me to bring them tee shirts that you can’t get anywhere else. | OR: – The little kids like little trinkets, like those little shell animals over there. – My nieces love to get little jewelry boxes like those on the top shelf. |
| B: This stuff is pretty expensive, isn’t it? | OR: – Things seem to cost a lot at this stand. – I feel like this stuff is kind of overpriced. |
| A: Souvenirs cost a lot for what they are, but we can shop around for better prices. | OR: – Some souvenir stands charge more than others, so it pays to shop around. – You really need to shop around with souvenirs because they can vary a lot in price. |
| B: Let’s go across the street and see what they have over there. | OR: – We could walk a few more blocks away from the beach and see what the prices are like there. – Why don’t we try checking prices a little farther away from the tourist section? |
Local customs
| A: This is really a fascinating city! | OR: – I have never traveled to a place that was so different from my home. – This city is certainly very different from what I am used to at home. |
| B: Yes, this city is thousands of years old and has quite a history! | OR: – This is an amazing city. It is quite ancient with a diverse past! – Yes, this city has a fascinating and diverse past. It is thousands of years old! |
| A: I really love this temple we are visiting. | OR: – This temple is beautiful! – What an amazing temple! |
| B: As you enter the temple, please remove your shoes as the others are doing. | OR: – See how everyone is removing their shoes before entering? We need to do the same. – Please make sure that you remove your shoes before you enter the temple. |
| A: It is so quiet here. | OR: – It is very quiet in here even though there are a lot of people in this area. – The people in this room are very quiet. |
| B: Yes, they are showing respect to their gods. People come here to pray and meditate. | OR: – Yes, even the children are expected to be respectful and quiet here. People need quiet to meditate. – This is an area of peace and tranquility. It is expected that people keep their voices down out of respect for those who are meditating. |
| A: I noticed that the women all have some sort of head covering. | OR: – The women’s scarves are quite beautiful. – The women all seem to have beautiful scarves or veils on their heads. |
| B: It is a tradition that women cover their heads while in the temple. | OR: – Women in this society would not consider setting foot in a temple without their head being covered. – Women of this faith must have their heads covered to enter the temple. |
| A: I noticed that all of the people were eating with their hands at dinner last night. | OR: – Last night at dinner, I noticed that everyone was using bread to eat with instead of silverware. – I noticed at dinner last night that people in this country like to use their bread to eat with instead of silverware. |
| B: Yes, that is another custom that people practice here. | OR: – Yes, eating your curry or vegetables with your bread is a custom in this country. – Yes, that bread is made of a special texture that works well for that. |