“Excuse me, is there a smoking area, or is the whole campus smoke-free?”
B1 · Intermediate9 minPhrases
When you need this
Rules about where people can smoke vary a lot around the world, and in the US they vary by state, by city and even by building. So both smokers and nonsmokers end up asking the same kind of question: where is it allowed? Smokers ask so they don't break a rule. Nonsmokers ask so they know where to avoid, or where to request a smoke-free room.
In most of the US, you can't smoke inside restaurants, bars, offices or campus buildings, and many buildings ask people to stay a certain distance from the doors. Hotels list rooms as smoking or nonsmoking, and many are nonsmoking only. When someone breaks a rule, Americans usually point it out indirectly first: "I think this is a nonsmoking area" sounds helpful rather than angry, and it nearly always works.
Phrases
asking where smoking is allowed
telling someone smoking isn't allowed here
no smoking anywhere in that place
a common sign at building doors
the one place set aside for it
vaping has its own rules in some places
a hotel room where nobody may smoke
breaking the rule can cost you money
asking a smoker politely to go farther away
the normal reply when you've broken a rule
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say it politely. 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.