Name: Easy English Conversation: How to Ask for and Give Instructions
Uploaded: 2025-07-18T19:21:25.000Z
Duration: 11 min 20 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Hi everybody, welcome to www.engvid.com, I'm Adam.

Sentences with adverbs of degree

Today's lesson is a bit of a beginner lesson, so not too difficult, but still good practice for everyone to listen and make sure you review some old materials, maybe learn a few new words or expressions here and there.

Future simple

So, what we're going to learn today is how to ask for and give instructions.

For example, if you want to use something or if you want to do something, but you're not sure how, you can ask someone to basically show you or teach you how to use it, and they're going to give you step-by-step instructions.

So, we're going to start with the general questions.

Again, remember, native English speakers might find many other ways to ask, but these are the basics.

These are the ones that you can use in any situation to ask for help with something.

So, how can I do whatever you need to do?

Do you know how to use this pencil, like an automatic pencil?

Do you know how to basically submit an assignment?

Whatever the action is, just use the verb, the infinitive.

Now, again, in most English-speaking countries like Canada, UK, Australia, people tend to be a little bit more polite in asking a question, so they're not very direct.

So, you can also create an indirect question by starting with can.

Like, you have something in front of you, you don't know how to use it or how to work it, you can ask someone, can you help me with this?

Or if the thing you need help with is somewhere else, can you help me with the copier upstairs?

So, can you help me with whatever you need help with?

Now, can you show me how to use this thing?

Or can you show me how to use the printer upstairs?

Do an action to someone, for someone, or just generally in the office, for example.

Here, don't be confused with work as job.

How to work means how to make this thing work, how to make it operate, how to make it function.

This is very informal, very casual English.

Or can you show me how this works, basically?

I'm just using how this works, because native English speakers will use this verb a lot.

So, you should be very comfortable with it, and it has nothing to do with a job.

And that's where English becomes a little tricky.

In many different contexts, but I digress, I'm getting off topic.

So, now we have the questions, let's see how you might get the answer.

So, now we're going to learn how to give instructions.

Now, if you're giving instructions and it's just a one-step thing, just one thing to do, then that's very straightforward, just do this.

But when you're looking at a process, something that has a few steps, then you need to be a little bit more organized.

So, a process, or something that's step-by-step.

Something that requires a few steps, you want to break it down into the step-by-step process.

You want to show them do this, do this, do this, do that.

But you want to make sure that the person understands the order, because if you just do things randomly, it might not work.

If you do things in the order that they're supposed to be done, you will be much more successful.

So, one of the first things you're going to do is you're going to establish an order.

The easiest way is just to say, okay, first, do this.

Now, normally when we give instructions, we don't generally go into third and fourth.

We leave these because it just generally gets a little bit boring.

You could say first, second, third, fourth, fifth, finished.

They will start with maybe first and second, or they'll say first, then.

Then means next step, or next means the same thing.

So, again, we're just going in the correct order.

After that, so then, next, and after that essentially mean the same thing.

So, first, after that step, do this step, and go on, and so forth.

When you get to the last step, you would say, lastly or finally.

This indicates to the person that you're giving the instructions to that he or she is almost finished, that the process is almost complete, and hopefully they can see that they're going to be successful.

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Easy English Conversation: How to Ask for and Give Instructions

essentially

approach

process

practice