This video is about basic phrases in English.

So if your English is like this, very basic, watch this video up to the very end, write down phrases because they would be very useful when you will first interact in English.

There are several phrases that would help you navigate and get directions.

[Asking for directions]

"Could you please tell me how to get to ___?"

And maybe you have a name of your hotel, Hilton Hotel in Brooklyn.

This is when you ask for transportation.

When you're on the platform waiting for a train, say, "Is this the right platform for Brooklyn or Manhattan?"

Or in New York, if you arrive on a platform and the train arrives, it could go to different directions, so you need to make sure you're on the right train.

And you ask, "Is this the train for Manhattan?" "Is this the train for Brooklyn?"

Or if you're in a bus stop and you're confused by how many buses they have, you can ask, "Could you please tell me if this bus goes to downtown Berlin?"

Now, the next situation, if you decide to get a taxi, make sure you know how much it costs.

"How much does it cost to go to downtown Berlin?"

If you need help with bags, you can say, "Could you please help me with my bags"

If you want to tip the taxi driver, which is very common in countries like the US, let's imagine a situation:

The ride was $17, and you have a $20 bill. You give them a $20 bill and you can say, "Please keep the change."

This means you don't need your $3 back.

You're tipping them, giving them extra money as a thank you.

Another way to go to your location from the airport is to rent a car, so you can ask airport stuff "Where can I rent a car?"

Now, here is a special section for immigrants.

[Essential services] If you arrive in a foreign country and you need some kind of help (social services, documents, etc.),

in the US, for example, for all essential community services, which means housing, clothes, food, you call 211, and you say:

"Hi, my name is Marina. I'm an immigrant or I'm a refugee (if you had to flee from your country) from ___ country. I am looking for housing. Can you please help me?"

Or "I am looking for health insurance. Can you please help me?"

By the way, if you don't speak English, if you won't be able to have a conversation in English, you can say,

"Hi, I'm Marina. I'm a refugee or I'm an immigrant. I don't speak English. Can I please speak to someone in [insert language]?" And you choose a language, (such as) Russian, German, Polish, Ukrainian, etc.

If you need to get a new phone, the phrase is "I need a SIM card."

And also very important in the US, you ask for a "pay as you go SIM card" because in the US, they would normally have plans and they need your social security number.

And I imagine you won't have it if you come here, so you're looking for a "pay as you go SIM card."

If you have an emergency, you can say, "Call the ambulance" or "Call the police," and the phone number is 911. Again, if you are in the US.

If you have a health issue, you go to a hospital and you say, "I need a doctor. My ___ (and then part of the body), (such as) my head hurts or my heart hurts or my leg hurts. "Hurts" means you're having problems.

Now talking to people.

Most people are not used to talking to foreigners and even if they notice that your English is very basic, they will keep speaking really fast.

Here are some phrases to help you.

"Can you please speak a little slower," asking people to slow down.

Or "Excuse me, my English is very basic. Can you please repeat?"

Now the next step is accommodation. Where you're gonna stay?

If you booked a hotel, you can say, "I have a reservation for Hilton Hotel."

Or if you don't have anything, you see a hotel, you walk in, you ask, "Do you have vacancies?" or "Do you have free rooms?"

Or you can ask, "I would like to book a room for a week," and then you ask how much it costs and then they check you in and when you leave the hotel, they check you out.

So the phrase would be, "I would like to check out," when you're leaving the hotel.

Now, if you're staying longer, you would probably need to rent an apartment.

In the US, and I guess in many other countries, the situation is (that) you can have furnished apartments, but most apartments, at least for the long term, are unfurnished."

So if you want to stay for like six months, you need to ask, "I would like to rent a furnished apartment."

And you would need to find a real estate agent to help you with that or you can go to websites like Zillow, but this is only for US.

Now, if you're using some kind of website and you saw an apartment that you like, don't transfer money online. See the apartment first.

When you call them, you say, "Hi, I saw your apartment. Is it possible for me to see it?"

And then you see it, and if you like it, look at the documents and only then you make a payment.

Now let's move to the food. When you need food, you either look for a grocery store or a supermarket.

And when you're in the store, you can ask a shop assistant to help you.

For example, you go there and you say, "Where can I find milk?" or "Where can I find bread?" or "Where can I find kids clothes?"

Also remember that in the US, you can return things.

So you can say, "Can I please return this?" or "I would like a refund," which means "I want my money back."

Next, money.

If you have a credit card, but you need cash, you need an ATM, which is the machine where you get your cash.

So you would ask people around you, "Where is the nearest ATM?"

If you have your own currency, but you need dollars or euros, you need to exchange money.

So you would ask, "Where can I exchange my money?" And don't forget to ask them, "What is your exchange rate?"

Now, if you're staying in the country longer and you need an account, the phrase would be, "I would like to open an account." And don't forget to ask them for a debit card.

Ask them, "Can I get a debit card?" so you could withdraw money from your account easily.

Guys, we have also created a Notion template for everyone who's learning English. The link will be down in the description below.

Thank you so much for watching this video up to the very end.

Please subscribe to this channel and I'll see you very soon. Bye.