Basic directions: Asking for directions

💬 就 here means "and then right away", which makes the arrival sound quick and easy. Put it after any condition: 右轉就到了 "turn right and you're there".

💬 就好 means "that's all it takes". Adding 嗎 turns it into a check: 這樣就好嗎？ "Is that all?".

💬 不用 "no need to" goes before an action: 不用付錢 "no need to pay". Spoken with a rising voice, it becomes a question without needing 嗎.

💬 Literally "red-green light" (紅 red, 綠 green, 燈 light). Directions in Taiwan often count these: 第二個紅綠燈 "the second traffic light".

💬 一 is said (yí) here, because 個 has a falling tone: 一個 (yí ge).

💬 以後 comes after the event, the reverse of English: 下班以後 "after work".

💬 Ending with 呢 asks "and what about...?", picking up from what was just said. Try 然後呢？ "And then?".

💬 Swap 左邊 for 右邊 "right side" to say "on your right".

🇹🇼 Convenience stores like 7-Eleven and FamilyMart are on nearly every corner in Taiwan, so locals constantly use them as landmarks when giving directions.

💬 The landmark comes first and the position word follows: 銀行旁邊 "next to the bank".

💬 要 here means "takes" (time), not "want". Put the way you're traveling in front of it: 坐公車要多久？ "How long by bus?".

💬 Minutes are 分鐘 (fēn zhōng) when you mean a length of time. 五分 on its own means "five past" on a clock.

💬 客氣 means "overly polite" or "standing on ceremony," so 不客氣 literally means "don't be so polite." In this phrase, 不 keeps its normal reading (bù) because the next sound, (kè), is a falling tone... actually it changes: it's said (bú kè qì).

💬 喔 (o) at the end makes it a friendly heads-up rather than a sharp command.

🇹🇼 You'll hear this often in Taiwan, where scooters fill the streets and frequently pass close to pedestrians.