One day, Alex went next door to see her friend Sophie. Sophie was nine and Alex was five. “Come and see my new bike,” said Sophie. “My old one is too small for me now, and the brakes need fixing.” Sophie’s mum came out to see the girls. She looked at Alex, and she looked at the little bike. “Sophie’s little blue bike would be just right for you,”she said. “Your dad is good at fixing things. If he can fix the brakes, you can have the bike.” Alex was so pleased. Sophie helped Alex to push the little bike over to her place. Alex showed it to Mum. “You are lucky, ”said Mum. “But let’s put it in the shed. I don’t want you to ride it if it’s not safe. Dad will have a good look at it as soon as he can.”

The next day, when Alex got home from school, she ran to look in the shed. The bike was in bits all over the floor. “Oh, Dad! ”she cried. “Can’t you fix it?”“I hope I can,” said Dad. “But you will just have to wait and see.” Alex didn’t feel very happy. She wanted a bike that she could ride.        The next morning, Alex went to see if Dad had fixed the bike. But he went to work, and the door of the shed was locked. “I will have to wait all day for Dad to get home,” said Alex. When Dad got home from work, he opened the shed door. Then he came out with the bike. It was red now! “Oh, thanks, Dad! ”said Alex. “It looks just like a new bike.” “I fixed it for you last night, ”said Dad. “Now you can ride it.” “Sophie, Sophie!”called Alex. “Come and see my new bike.”

Are you travelling to an English speaking country? If you are, one of the most important things you are going to need to know is how to ask for directions, so here are some useful phrases.

Remember to be polite when asking for directions, and don’t forget to say “thank you”!

“How do I get to ...” This is a simple way to ask someone for directions. When you use this phrase, the other person will tell you which kind of transport (bus, underground) to take or will explain your route.

“Could you tell me the best way to get to...” This is a very polite way to ask for directions. “Where exactly am I?” Now, If you are travelling to an English speaking country and you ask for directions, you might get lost. And to get new directions, you might need to find out where exactly you are, for example which street you are on. If this is the case, ask this question.

“Where is...” This phrase is also useful when asking for directions. I use this phrase mostly with “Where is the bathroom？” Usually, this phrase is used when you know you are very close to your destination, you just need a little help in finding the place.

Now you are ready to travel to an English speaking country and to ask for directions. Enjoy your travels and have fun!