Asking for Information
BasicStart with Excuse me.
- Three steps to ask: Excuse me → question → thank you.
- Polite words: please, could you, thank you.
- Everyday questions: Where is...? / How much is it? / What time does it open?
文體小知識：Useful questions.
§Text Passage
1Emma: Excuse me, could you help me, please?
2Staff: Of course. How can I help you?
3Emma: Where can I buy a ticket to Central? My mum is waiting outside.
4Staff: You can buy one at the ticket counter over there, next to the front entrance.
5Emma: What time does the next train leave?
6Staff: It leaves at three fifteen. Please hurry, or you will miss it!
7Emma: How much is a child ticket?
8Staff: It is eight dollars. Cash only, please.
9Emma: And how old must my little brother be to use a child ticket? He is five years old.
10Staff: Children under twelve can use child tickets, so your brother is fine. Children must travel with an adult.
11Emma: Which platform does the train leave from?
12Staff: Platform six. Follow the yellow signs, and you will find it easily.
13Emma: Thank you very much for your help.
14Staff: You are welcome. It is my job. Do you need a map of the station?
15Emma: Yes, please. That would be very helpful.
16Staff: Here you are. Have a nice and safe trip!
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Emma: Excuse me, could you help me, please?
Emma：不好意思，可以幫幫我嗎？
Staff: Of course. How can I help you?
Staff：當然可以。有什麼可以幫你？
Emma: Where can I buy a ticket to Central?
Emma：在哪裡可以買去中環的車票？
My mum is waiting outside.
我媽媽在外面等著。
Staff: You can buy one at the ticket counter over there, next to the front entrance.
Staff：你可以在那邊的售票處買，就在正門旁邊。
Emma: What time does the next train leave?
Emma：下一班車幾點開？
Staff: It leaves at three fifteen.
Staff：三點十五分開。
Please hurry, or you will miss it!
請快些，否則就趕不及！
Emma: How much is a child ticket?
Emma：小童票多少錢？
Staff: It is eight dollars. Cash only, please.
Staff：八元。只收現金。
Emma: And how old must my little brother be to use a child ticket?
Emma：那麼我弟弟幾歲可以買小童票？
He is five years old.
他五歲。
Staff: Children under twelve can use child tickets, so your brother is fine.
Staff：十二歲以下的小朋友可以用小童票，所以你弟弟沒有問題。
Children must travel with an adult.
小朋友要大人陪同才可以搭車。
Emma: Which platform does the train leave from?
Emma：班車在哪個月台開出？
Staff: Platform six. Follow the yellow signs, and you will find it easily.
Staff：六號月台。跟著黃色指示牌走就很容易找到。
Emma: Thank you very much for your help.
Emma：非常感謝你幫忙。
Staff: You are welcome. It is my job.
Staff：不必客氣，這個是我的工作。
Do you need a map of the station?
你需要車站地圖嗎？
Emma: Yes, please. That would be very helpful.
Emma：好呀，謝謝。那就太有幫助了。
Staff: Here you are.
Staff：給你。
Have a nice and safe trip!
祝你旅途愉快、一路平安！
1Summary 重點摘要
Start with Excuse me.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Get attention.
Where.
Price.
Age.
Time.
Polite ask.
Polite.
Thanks.
3Step by step Steps
- StartBegin any question to a stranger with Excuse me. Example: Excuse me, may I ask you a question? Note that Excuse me is different from sorry: Excuse me comes before you interrupt someone, while sorry comes after you offend them. The opening catches the person's attention first, and you ask the question after they respond, which makes the conversation natural. Smile and keep your voice moderate; a polite manner makes people more willing to help.
- QuestionThe core of asking for information is the question word: where asks about place, how much asks about price, and what time asks about the time. Example: Where is the post office? How much is the ticket? Questions with question words use inverted order, as in What time does it open with does moved forward. Match the question word to the information you need and do not mix them up. Raise your voice at the end of the question so it sounds polite.
- PolitePolite words run through the whole conversation: add please when requesting, and say thank you after receiving help. Example: Could you tell me the way, please? Could sounds more polite than can and is the first choice for asking the way. Thank the person as soon as they answer, as in Thank you very much. When they reply to your thanks, you can respond with You are welcome or Have a nice day. Polite words are short, but they are part of the marks in oral exams.
- ExampleA full example is: Excuse me, where is the toilet? The sentence has three parts: Excuse me catches attention, where asks the question, and the sentence ends with a question mark. Example: Excuse me, where is the nearest MTR station? Note that nearest is the superlative of near and means the closest one. In real use, simply replace the place, such as the library or the car park. Copy this frame first, and then swap in other question words to ask about all kinds of information.
- Everyday question setThree questions cover most situations: Where is...? asks the place; How much is it? asks the price; What time does it open? asks the opening time. Example: Where is the bookshop? How much is this pen? What time does the museum open? The structures differ: after Where is comes the place directly, while How much and What time need does before the base verb. Learn these three sentences well and they will serve you in shopping and asking the way.
- Repeat to confirmAfter hearing the answer, repeat it once to confirm your understanding. Example: So it opens at ten. Thank you very much! Begin the repetition with so and say the answer back in a short form; if you have got it wrong, the other person will correct you at once. This is an important skill for avoiding mistakes. Follow the repetition with thanks so the conversation ends well. If you did not hear clearly, say Pardon? or Could you say it again, please? to ask for a repeat.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we politely ask what time a bookshop opens?
- Step 1: Open politely with Excuse me and make a request with could you — Excuse me, could you help me, please?
- Step 2: Ask the main question with What time does plus the subject plus the base verb — What time does the bookshop open?
- Step 3: Listen carefully to the answer — It opens at ten o'clock.
- Step 4: Repeat the answer to confirm your understanding and thank the person at once — So it opens at ten. Thank you!
- Step 5: Close with a fuller thank-you and a wish — Thank you very much. Have a nice day!
- Answer: Sample dialogue: Emma: Excuse me, could you help me, please? What time does the bookshop open? / Clerk: It opens at ten o'clock. / Emma: So it opens at ten. Thank you very much!
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Get attention?
Q2Ask place?
Q3Ask price?
Q4Ask time?
Q5Polite?
Q6Use of could you?
8Recap Recap
- Three steps to ask: Excuse me → question → thank you.
- Polite words: please, could you, thank you.
- Everyday questions: Where is...? / How much is it? / What time does it open?
- Question order: question word + is/does + subject.
- Repeat the answer to confirm so you never go the wrong way.