Concept art: a traveler asks for directions at a transit station
Concept art from VocaBound: Worlds

Asking the question

MandarinPinyinEnglish
請問qǐngwènExcuse me / May I ask…Start almost any question to a stranger with this.
……在哪裡？… zài nǎlǐ?Where is …?
捷運站在哪裡？Jiéyùn zhàn zài nǎlǐ?Where is the MRT station?
……怎麼走？… zěnme zǒu?How do I get to …?
遠不遠？Yuǎn bù yuǎn?Is it far?
附近有便利商店嗎？Fùjìn yǒu biànlì shāngdiàn ma?Is there a convenience store nearby?

Understanding the answer

MandarinPinyinEnglish
一直走yìzhí zǒugo straight
往前走wǎng qián zǒuwalk forward / keep going
左轉zuǒ zhuǎnturn left
右轉yòu zhuǎnturn right
在左邊 / 在右邊zài zuǒbiān / zài yòubiānon the left / on the right
過馬路guò mǎlùcross the street
紅綠燈hónglǜdēngtraffic light

When you don't catch it

MandarinPinyinEnglish
不好意思，可以說慢一點嗎？Bù hǎoyìsi, kěyǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn ma?Sorry, could you speak a little slower?
我聽不懂Wǒ tīng bù dǒngI don't understand (what I heard)
謝謝！Xièxie!Thank you!

Try it: at the street corner

  1. You請問，捷運站怎麼走？Qǐngwèn, jiéyùn zhàn zěnme zǒu?Excuse me, how do I get to the MRT station?
  2. Local一直往前走，然後右轉。Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, ránhòu yòu zhuǎn.Go straight ahead, then turn right.
  3. You遠不遠？Yuǎn bù yuǎn?Is it far?
  4. Local不遠，走五分鐘。Bù yuǎn, zǒu wǔ fēnzhōng.Not far — a five-minute walk.
  5. You謝謝！Xièxie!Thanks!

Good to know

It's 捷運 (jiéyùn), not 地鐵 (dìtiě)

In Taiwan the metro is 捷運 (jiéyùn), usually translated MRT. You may know 地鐵 (dìtiě) from other textbooks — people will understand it, but 捷運 (jiéyùn) is what you'll see on signs.

Ask about exits

Big stations have numbered exits. 幾號出口？ (Jǐ hào chūkǒu?) means “Which exit number?”

Pay with an EasyCard

Most people tap a 悠遊卡 (yōuyóukǎ), the EasyCard, for the MRT, buses and even convenience stores.