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English Course · Level 3 (B1) · Week 11 of 12

Travel Troubles

Grammar: Question tags · indirect questions (Could you tell me where…? Do you know if…?)

This week's plan

DayLearnListen / WatchPractise
Day 1Words: At the airport · Sentences 1–2BBC 6 Minute Grammar: “Question tags” (podcast)Exercise 1
Day 2Words: Travel problems · Sentences 3–4BBC 6 Minute Grammar: “Indirect questions” (podcast)Exercise 2
Day 3Words: Hotel problems · Sentences 5–6British Council: “Question tags” (grammar)
+ engVid (Alex): “Speaking English – Tag Questions – How to express assumptions or comment on a situation” (video)		Exercise 3
Day 4Words: Getting around · Sentences 7–8VOA Everyday Grammar: “Do You Know What an Indirect Question Is?” (audio)
+ British Council: “A travel guide” (reading)		Exercise 4
Day 5Words: Polite questions · Sentences 9–10BBC Learning English Grammar: “Asking strangers” (podcast)Write & Speak
Day 6Review all 30 words + 10 sentencesBritish Council: “An email to explain an accommodation problem” (writing)Redo mistakes
Day 7Free day ☺BBC 6 Minute English: “Ecotourism: good or bad?” (podcast)Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · At the airport

  • check inيسجّل الوصول / يعمل تشيك إن
  • boarding passبطاقة صعود الطائرة / البوردينج
  • gateبوابة
  • departuresصالة المغادرة
  • hand luggageحقيبة اليد
  • delayedمتأخّر (عن موعده)

Set 2 · Travel problems

  • cancelيُلغي
  • miss (a flight)تفوته (الطائرة)
  • lost luggageالأمتعة المفقودة
  • overbookedمحجوز بأكثر من طاقته
  • strikeإضراب
  • connecting flightرحلة مواصلة / ترانزيت

Set 3 · Hotel problems

  • reservationحجز
  • receptionالاستقبال / الريسبشن
  • out of orderمعطّل / عطلان
  • noisyمزعج / فيه دوشة
  • upgradeترقية (لغرفة أو مقعد أفضل)
  • check outيغادر الفندق / يعمل تشيك أوت

Set 4 · Getting around

  • platformرصيف (المحطة)
  • single ticketتذكرة ذهاب فقط
  • return ticketتذكرة ذهاب وعودة
  • timetableجدول المواعيد
  • get lostيتوه
  • directionsوصف الطريق

Set 5 · Polite questions

  • Could you tell me…?هل يمكنك أن تخبرني…؟
  • Do you know…?هل تعرف…؟
  • I was wondering if…كنت أتساءل إن كان…
  • Would you mind…?هل تمانع…؟
  • Excuse me, …لو سمحت، …
  • I'm afraid…للأسف… / مع الأسف…

10 sentences to memorise

  1. 1Could you tell me where gate 12 is?هل يمكنك أن تخبرني أين البوابة رقم ١٢؟
  2. 2Do you know what time the next train leaves?هل تعرف متى يغادر القطار التالي؟
  3. 3The flight is delayed, isn't it?الرحلة متأخرة، أليس كذلك؟
  4. 4You booked a room with a sea view, didn't you?لقد حجزت غرفة تطلّ على البحر، أليس كذلك؟
  5. 5I'm afraid the lift is out of order.للأسف المصعد معطّل.
  6. 6We missed our connecting flight in Istanbul.فاتتنا رحلة الترانزيت في إسطنبول.
  7. 7I was wondering if you could give us a quieter room.كنت أتساءل إن كان بإمكانك أن تعطينا غرفة أهدأ.
  8. 8My luggage didn't arrive. Could you tell me who I should speak to?حقيبتي لم تصل. هل يمكنك أن تخبرني مع من يجب أن أتحدث؟
  9. 9It isn't far from here, is it?ليس بعيدًا عن هنا، أليس كذلك؟
  10. 10We got lost in Alexandria, so we asked a policeman for directions.تُهنا في الإسكندرية، فسألنا شرطيًا عن الطريق.

Grammar: Question tags · indirect questions (Could you tell me where…? Do you know if…?)

Question tags: positive sentence → negative tag · negative sentence → positive tag. Use the same helping verb (be, do, have, can…).

Indirect questions are more polite. After Could you tell me… / Do you know… use statement word order (no do / does / did). Use if for yes / no questions.

«أليس كذلك؟» في العربية ثابتة لا تتغير، فيقول المتعلمون isn't it? مع كل جملة: ✗ You live in Cairo, isn't it? لكن في الإنجليزية نكرّر الفعل المساعد نفسه مع الفاعل: ✓ You live in Cairo, don't you? وفي السؤال المهذّب بعد Could you tell me لا نقلب الترتيب: ✗ Could you tell me where is the station? ✓ Could you tell me where the station is?

SentenceTag
It's hot,isn't it?
You're Egyptian,aren't you?
She works here,doesn't she?
They didn't come,did they?
You can swim,can't you?
He has been to Luxor,hasn't he?
I'm late,aren't I?
Direct questionIndirect (polite) question
Where is the station?Could you tell me where the station is?
What time does the bus leave?Do you know what time the bus leaves?
Did the flight land?Do you know if the flight landed?
Is there a cash machine near here?Could you tell me if there's a cash machine near here?

✗ Could you tell me where is the bank? ✓ Could you tell me where the bank is?

✗ She lives in Giza, isn't it? ✓ She lives in Giza, doesn't she?

I'm … → aren't I? · Let's … → shall we?

Your voice goes down on the tag when you expect “yes”, and up when it is a real question.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Add question tags.

  1. 1) You're from Mansoura, ___?
  2. 2) The train leaves at nine, ___?
  3. 3) They didn't lose their passports, ___?
  4. 4) She can drive, ___?
  5. 5) We missed the bus, ___?
  6. 6) It isn't expensive, ___?
  7. 7) You've been to Siwa, ___?
  8. 8) Let's take a taxi, ___?
Show the answers
1) aren't you 2) doesn't it 3) did they 4) can't she 5) didn't we 6) is it 7) haven't you 8) shall we

Exercise 2 · Make the questions polite. Begin with the words in brackets.

  1. 1) Where is the platform? (Could you tell me…)
  2. 2) What time does the museum open? (Do you know…)
  3. 3) Is breakfast included? (Could you tell me if…)
  4. 4) How much does a return ticket cost? (Do you know…)
  5. 5) Where can I find a pharmacy? (Could you tell me…)
  6. 6) Did my luggage arrive? (Do you know if…)
Show the answers
1) Could you tell me where the platform is? 2) Do you know what time the museum opens? 3) Could you tell me if breakfast is included? 4) Do you know how much a return ticket costs? 5) Could you tell me where I can find a pharmacy? 6) Do you know if my luggage arrived? / Do you know if my luggage has arrived?

Exercise 3 · Correct the mistake.

  1. 1) Could you tell me where is the hotel?
  2. 2) You live in Cairo, isn't it?
  3. 3) Do you know what time does the flight land?
  4. 4) He didn't call, didn't he?
  5. 5) Can you tell me is there a bus to Giza?
Show the answers
1) Could you tell me where the hotel is? 2) You live in Cairo, don't you? 3) Do you know what time the flight lands? 4) He didn't call, did he? 5) Can you tell me if / whether there is a bus to Giza?

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

  1. 1) هل يمكنك أن تخبرني أين المحطة؟
  2. 2) أنت مصري، أليس كذلك؟
  3. 3) هل تعرف متى يغادر القطار؟
  4. 4) للأسف التكييف معطّل.
Show the answers
1) Could you tell me where the station is? / Can you tell me where the station is? 2) You're Egyptian, aren't you? 3) Do you know when the train leaves? / Do you know what time the train leaves? 4) I'm afraid the air conditioner is out of order. / Unfortunately, the air conditioning isn't working.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write 120–150 words: an email to a hotel or an airline to complain about a travel problem. Explain what happened and ask at least three polite indirect questions. Then role-play the phone call with a friend and use at least three question tags.

Example: Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about my stay at your hotel in Hurghada from 3rd to 7th August. Unfortunately, there were several problems. When we arrived, our room was not ready, so we waited at reception for two hours. I had booked a room with a sea view, but we were given a noisy room above the kitchen. On the second day, the air conditioner was out of order, and nobody came to fix it until the next evening. The receptionist was polite, but she said that the hotel was full and that she couldn't move us. Could you tell me why my reservation was not checked before we arrived? I would also like to know if I can get a partial refund. Finally, I was wondering if you could offer us a discount on a future stay. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, Omar Hassan