When you need this
Office buildings are designed to look the same on every floor, which is why visitors get lost and new staff end up in the wrong meeting room. You'll give directions to a client waiting in reception, a candidate here for an interview, or a colleague visiting from the Shanghai office. You'll also ask for them, more often than you'd like to admit.
Indoor directions use a small set of words: floor, hall, wing, the far end, past the elevators, on your left. Give landmarks, not only turns, because "past the kitchen" is easier to follow than "second right". And when you can, walk them there. "Let me show you" is the most helpful sentence in any building, and it takes two minutes.
Phrases
which level of the building
farther along the corridor
at the end that's farthest from you
after you walk by the elevators
counts the doors to show where to stop
one side or section of a large building
the desk near the entrance where visitors check in
write your name when you arrive as a visitor
it's very clear to see, said to reassure
you'll walk someone there yourself
asks for a room or person
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.