In this workshop you practise a short, realistic exchange about finding a police station. You will first learn the key lines with their English meanings, then use them in three speaking tasks: a guided exchange, a reply-comprehension choice, and a recall task where you switch roles. The recordings give you the key native lines to listen to and repeat, so you always know what good output sounds like before you try it yourself.
The key lines and what they mean
Start by listening to each line and matching it to its meaning. «警察局» means "police station". «在哪里？» means "Where is it?" and «警察局在哪里？» means "Where is the police station?". When you greet someone before asking, you can use «请问，警察局在哪里？», which means "Excuse me, where is the police station?". The reply «一直走，然后左转。» means "Go straight, then turn left." If you want to check the distance, «远不远？» means "Is it far?", and the answer «不远，走五分钟就到了。» means "Not far, a five-minute walk and you'll be there." Listen once, then repeat each line aloud, keeping the same rhythm you hear.
Asking and understanding the reply
A simple way to open is to greet the person and ask your question in one line, as in «请问，警察局在哪里？». After you hear the reply, you can check whether the place is close by asking «远不远？». The answer «不远，走五分钟就到了。» tells you it is not far and gives you a rough walking time. Notice that the direction reply «一直走，然后左转。» contains two steps: first go straight, then turn left. When you repeat «一直走，然后左转。», say both steps in the same order you heard them. This keeps your question, the reply, and your follow-up question in a natural sequence.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
警察局
police station
jǐngchájú
在哪里？
Where is it?
zài nǎlǐ?
警察局在哪里？
Where is the police station?
jǐngchájú zài nǎlǐ?
一直走
go straight
yìzhí zǒu
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
请问，警察局在哪里？
Excuse me, where is the police station?一直走，然后左转。
Go straight, then turn left.远不远？
Is it far?不远，走五分钟就到了。
Not far, a five-minute walk and you'll be there.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided exchange: ask and respond
You are a visitor on the street. Your partner plays a local person. Use the recordings as your model before you speak.
Your task: Listen to «请问，警察局在哪里？» and «一直走，然后左转。» once. Then read the visitor part aloud using «请问，警察局在哪里？», and have your partner read the local part aloud using «一直走，然后左转。». After that, read «远不远？» as the visitor, and have your partner answer with «不远，走五分钟就到了。». Repeat the whole exchange once more, then swap roles so you read the local lines and your partner reads the visitor lines.
Reply comprehension: choose the right response
You have just asked where the police station is. Now you hear a short reply and must show that you understood it.
Your task: Listen to «一直走，然后左转。» and «不远，走五分钟就到了。». Then answer these two questions. First, what does the reply «一直走，然后左转。» tell you to do? Choose: (a) go straight, then turn left, or (b) turn left, then go straight. Second, what does «不远，走五分钟就到了。» tell you about the distance? Choose: (a) it is not far, about a five-minute walk, or (b) it is far away. Say your two choices aloud, then say the matching recorded line for each one.
Recall with correct roles
Work with a partner. One of you is the visitor and one is the local person. Keep the same order of lines as in the recordings.
Your task: Without looking at the lines, the visitor says the opening question from «请问，警察局在哪里？». The local person replies with the directions from «一直走，然后左转。». The visitor then asks the distance question from «远不远？», and the local person answers with «不远，走五分钟就到了。». After you finish, swap roles and do it again. The visitor still asks first, and the local person still replies, even after the swap.
Common questions
Can I practise alone without a partner?
Yes. Play each recording, pause, and repeat the line aloud. Then play the next line and respond as the other role. You can do the whole exchange by yourself, but there is no automatic assessment, so check your own speech against the recordings.
What should I focus on when I repeat the lines?
Focus on saying the whole line clearly and in the same order as the recording. For «一直走，然后左转。», make sure you say both steps, go straight and turn left, in that order. For «不远，走五分钟就到了。», keep the meaning that the place is not far and about a five-minute walk.
Sources and further reading
- chinese: ask for a police stationChecked September 2026
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