Describing places and things: Spoken English: Zero to Fluent (Intermediate)

Quick reminder: "there is" for one thing or an uncountable thing (water, traffic), "there are" for many things. To sound more natural, add details with words like "near", "with", "full of" and "right next to".

Pattern	Use	Example
There is / There's	one thing, or uncountable	There's a small temple near my house.
There are	two or more things	There are lots of shops on the main road.
There isn't any / There aren't any	negative	There aren't any malls in my town.
Is there...? / Are there...?	questions	Is there a good hospital nearby?

Place word	Hindi	Example
crowded	भीड़-भाड़ वाला	The market is very crowded on Sundays.
peaceful	शांत	The village is peaceful in the evening.
noisy	शोर वाला	Our street is a bit noisy because of the traffic.
spacious	खुला-खुला, बड़ा	The new flat is bright and spacious.
well-connected	आने-जाने की अच्छी सुविधा वाला	Our area is well-connected by metro and bus.
lively	रौनक़ वाला	The college area is lively in the evenings.
historic	ऐतिहासिक	The old city is full of historic buildings.

My town is small but very peaceful.

Say it: my TOWN iz SMAWL but VE-ree PEES-ful

मेरा शहर छोटा है, पर बहुत शांत है।

There are lots of shops and a big park near my house.

Say it: thair aar LOTS ov SHOPS and a BIG PAARK neer my HOWS

मेरे घर के पास बहुत सारी दुकानें और एक बड़ा पार्क है।

Hindi uses "है" here, but English looks at the first noun: "There are lots of shops and a park."

Our flat is on the third floor. It has two bedrooms and a small balcony.

Say it: OW-er FLAT iz on the THURD FLOR. it HAZ TOO BED-roomz and a SMAWL BAL-ko-nee

हमारा फ़्लैट तीसरी मंज़िल पर है। उसमें दो बेडरूम और एक छोटी बालकनी है।

Describing things

Detail	Useful words	Example
Size	big, small, tiny, huge	It's quite small; it fits in my pocket.
Shape	round, square, long, flat	It's round and flat.
Colour	dark blue, light green, silver	It's dark blue with a white lid.
Material (किस चीज़ से बना)	plastic, steel, wood, glass, cotton, leather	It's made of steel.
Use	It's used for + verb-ing	It's used for cutting vegetables.

It's made of stainless steel, so it doesn't rust.

Say it: its MAYD ov STAYN-les STEEL, soh it DUZ-unt RUST

यह स्टेनलेस स्टील का बना है, इसलिए इसमें ज़ंग नहीं लगता।

It's used for keeping water cold.

Say it: its YOOZD for KEEP-ing WAW-ter KOHLD

इसका इस्तेमाल पानी ठंडा रखने के लिए होता है।

"It's used for" + verb-ing. You can also say: "You use it to keep water cold."

Recommending places

If you visit Pune, you should go to Sinhagad Fort. The view is amazing.

Say it: if yoo VIZ-it POO-nay, yoo shud GOH to sin-ha-GAD FORT. the VYOO iz a-MAY-zing

अगर आप पुणे आएँ, तो सिंहगढ़ किला ज़रूर जाइए। वहाँ का नज़ारा कमाल का है।

Other ways to recommend: "Don't miss...", "It's worth visiting", "I'd really recommend..."

It's worth visiting, but go early to avoid the crowd.

Say it: its WURTH VIZ-it-ing, but goh UR-lee to a-VOYD the KROWD

वहाँ जाना बनता है, पर भीड़ से बचने के लिए जल्दी जाइए।

Think of it like this: Describing a place is like a property dealer showing a flat: first the big picture ("a spacious two-bedroom flat"), then the good points ("well-connected, peaceful"), then the small details ("a balcony facing the park"). Big picture first, details later.

Careful: Common mistakes: "There is many shops" (say "There are many shops"), "In my house there are having two rooms" (say "My house has two rooms"), "It is made by plastic" (say "made of plastic"), "very much peaceful" (say "very peaceful"). Also, "my native place" is common in India; abroad people usually say "my hometown".

Tip: Each day, pick one object near you and describe it in four sentences: its size, colour, material and use.

Describing places and things

Explanation

Describing things

Recommending places

Watch the lesson

In real life: A new colleague asks about the city

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