🛍️ Lesson 4.3: Review Project — Shopping & Directions

You've reached the halfway milestone — the end of Module 4! Today you take everything from the first four modules and use it in the real world: buying things, asking about prices, and finding your way around town. Then you put it all together in one big "A Day Out" project. Let's celebrate how far you've come. 🎉

📚 What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Shop and ask about prices with "How much is it?" and polite phrases like "I'd like…"
Ask for and give simple directions — turn left, go straight ahead, it's on your right
Review and use everything from the course in real, everyday situations

⏱️ Estimated Time: ~60 minutes

🎯 Project: A capstone role-play, "A Day Out" — greet someone, introduce yourself, buy something and ask the price, ask for directions, and say goodbye.

In This Lesson

🔤 New Words in This Lesson

Here are some useful words from this lesson. Tap 🔊 to hear a word.

shopping — buying things in a store
price — how much money something costs
cheap — a low price, not much money
expensive — a high price, a lot of money
receipt — the paper that shows what you paid
directions — words that tell you the way
opposite — on the other side of the street
review — to look at something again

A Real Day Out

Imagine a normal day. You leave your home. You say "hello" to a neighbor. You go to a café and buy a coffee. You want to find the station. So you stop someone and ask, "Excuse me, where's the station?" Then you say "thank you" and leave.

That short story uses almost everything you have studied so far — greetings, numbers, to be, food words, can, and more. Today we add two more parts: shopping and directions. Then we put it all together.

🧠 Mindset

Think back for a second. Twelve lessons ago, English was maybe just strange letters on a page. Now you can have a real conversation. That did not happen by magic. It happened because you kept practicing, one small step at a time. That same habit is all you need for the second half of the course. You are not "still a beginner." You are a learner who is halfway to finishing A1. 🌱

Part A — Shopping & Prices

When you buy something, there are only two things you must do: ask the price and be polite. Let's do both.

Asking the price

English uses two small questions. The choice depends on one thing or many things.

You're asking about…	Question	Example answer
one thing (singular)	How much is it?	It's five dollars.
many things (plural)	How much are they?	They're ten dollars.
the whole bill	How much is that altogether?	That's twelve dollars altogether.

💡 Remember is / are from Lesson 2

This is the same to be you already know! One apple → "How much is it?" · Two apples → "How much are they?" The answer uses It's… or They're… and a number. You already know this!

Being polite: the magic words

In stores and cafés, we make our words softer to sound friendly. The most useful phrase is "I'd like…". It means "I would like." It is the polite way to say "I want."

I'd like a coffee, please. Can I have a bag, please? How much is it? How much are they? How much is that altogether? Here you are. Cash or card? Here's your change. Here's your receipt. Thank you!

✅ "I want" vs. "I'd like"

"I want a coffee" is correct grammar, but it can sound a little rude — like a small child. "I'd like a coffee, please" is warm and polite. Use "I'd like…" and "please" every time you buy something. People will smile at you.

Shopping wordlist

store — a place to buy things (UK: shop)
supermarket — a big food store
market — an open-air place to buy food/goods
price — how much money something costs
cheap — not expensive, low price 👍
expensive — a high price 💰
dollar — money ($) in the US
cent — 100 cents = one dollar ($1)
cash — paper money and coins
card — a bank / credit card
receipt — the paper showing what you paid /rɪˈsiːt/
change — the money you get back
bag — you carry your things in it
size — how big (small, medium, large)
on sale — a lower, special price

⚠️ Careful with "receipt": the p is silent! We say "ri-SEET" /rɪˈsiːt/, not "re-KEIPT."

Listen to a shopping conversation

Read both parts out loud. This is how buying a coffee sounds.

Server: Hi! What would you like?
You: Hello. I'd like a coffee, please.
Server: Of course. Anything else?
You: Yes, a cookie too. How much is that altogether?
Server: That's four dollars and fifty cents.
You: Here you are. Can I pay by card?
Server: Sure. Here's your receipt. Have a nice day!
You: Thank you! You too. 👋

Part B — Asking for Directions

Everybody gets lost sometimes. The good news: you only need a few phrases to ask the way. You need a few more to understand the answer.

Asking the way

Always start with "Excuse me,". It is the polite way to get a stranger's attention.

Excuse me, where's the station? Is there a bank near here? How do I get to the park? Is it far? Thank you very much!

Giving directions (the imperative)

To tell someone where to go, we use the plain verb — no "you," just the action. We call this the imperative. It is short and clear.

Phrase	What it means
Go straight / straight ahead.	Keep walking forward. ⬆️
Turn left. / Turn right.	Change direction. ⬅️ ➡️
Take the first left. / the second right.	Count the streets, then turn.
Go past the school.	Walk by it and continue.
It's on your left. / on your right.	The place is on that side.
It's next to the bank.	Right beside it.
It's opposite the café.	On the other side of the street.
It's on the corner of Main Street.	Where two streets meet.

💡 next to, opposite, on the corner — hello again!

You already met prepositions of place in Lesson 3 (there is / there are). Directions use the same words: next to, opposite, near, on the corner. Review is powerful. The same small words come back and do big jobs.

Places wordlist

supermarket 🛒
bank 🏦
station 🚉 (train)
bus stop 🚌
pharmacy (drugstore) 💊 — for medicine
restaurant 🍽️
café ☕
hospital 🏥
park 🌳
hotel 🛏️
post office ✉️
school 🏫

🌍 Culture note: In American English, a place to buy medicine is a pharmacy or drugstore. In British English it's a chemist. Both are correct!

Listen to a directions conversation

A tourist stops a local person on the street. Read both parts out loud.

Tourist: Excuse me, where's the train station?
Local: The station? Go straight ahead and take the second left.
Tourist: The second left. Okay.
Local: Then go past the park. The station is on your right, opposite a hotel.
Tourist: Is it far?
Local: No, about five minutes.
Tourist: Thank you very much!
Local: You're welcome. Have a good trip! 👋

Part C — Course Review: Look How Much You Can Do!

Before your big project, let's stop and look at the whole journey. Every row below is a real skill you now have. Read the table slowly. Be a little proud. 🎉

#	You learned…	You can now say…
1	Alphabet & spelling	"My name is Anna. A – double N – A."
2	Greetings & introductions	"Hello! Nice to meet you."
3	Numbers & age	"I'm twenty-five years old."
4	The verb to be	"She is my friend. They are here."
5	this / that + a / an + plurals	"This is an apple. Those are books."
6	Family & possessives	"This is my sister. Her name is Mia."
7	Present simple (I / you / we / they)	"I live in Rome. We work here."
8	Telling the time + he/she -s	"It's nine o'clock. He starts at eight."
9	there is / there are + prepositions	"There's a bank next to the park."
10	can / can't + like + food	"I can cook. I like pizza."
11	Present continuous	"I'm reading right now."
12	Shopping & directions (today!)	"How much is it? Turn left."

✅ That's a whole language starting to work!

Put a few of these together, and you can already meet a person, talk about your day, ask for help, and shop. That is real, useful English. Twelve lessons ago, this was just a goal. Now it is you.

Practice & Capstone Project

🏋️ Exercise 1: One thing or many? (is it / are they)

Objective: Choose the right price question.

Fill each gap with is it or are they.

This apple — How much ?
These shoes — How much ?
That coffee — How much ?
Those bags — How much ?

✅ Answer

1. How much is it? (one apple) · 2. How much are they? (shoes = plural) · 3. How much is it? (one coffee) · 4. How much are they? (bags = plural)

🏋️ Exercise 2: Follow the directions

Objective: Understand a set of directions.

Read the directions and answer: where is the café?

"Go straight ahead. Take the first right. Go past the bank. The café is on your left, opposite the school."

Do you turn left or right first?
What do you go past?
What is opposite the café?

✅ Answer

You take the first right. · You go past the bank. · The school is opposite the café.

🏋️ Exercise 3: Make it polite

Objective: Turn plain words into polite shopping English.

Rewrite each sentence to sound friendly and polite.

"I want a coffee."
"Give me a bag."
"Where is the station?"

✅ Answer

"I'd like a coffee, please." · "Can I have a bag, please?" · "Excuse me, where's the station?"

🎯 Your Capstone Project: "A Day Out"

This is your halfway review project — the biggest one so far, and the most fun. You act out a whole little day. You use skills from many lessons together. Do it alone (talk to your phone, and play both people) or with a partner or class (take turns as the customer and the local).

The scene: You are a visitor in a new town. You meet someone, buy something, and find your way to the station.

(2 min) Greet & introduce. Say hello, your name, and where you are from. "Hi! I'm ___. I'm from ___."
(3 min) Buy something. Order a drink or a snack. Use "I'd like…" Ask the price with "How much is that altogether?" Pay and say thank you.
(3 min) Ask directions. Ask the way to the station (or a bank, park, hotel). "Excuse me, where's the ___?" Then say the directions back to check you understood.
(2 min) Give directions. Now change roles. You give someone directions to a place. Use go straight ahead / turn left / it's on your right.
(1 min) Say goodbye. End warmly: "Thank you! Have a nice day! Goodbye!"
(2 min) Listen & think. If you recorded it, play it one time. What sounded good? What was hard? Write it for your journal.

✅ Project Completion Checklist

☐ I greeted someone and introduced myself
☐ I bought something using "I'd like…"
☐ I asked a price with "How much…?"
☐ I asked for directions to a place
☐ I gave directions using left / right / straight ahead
☐ I said a warm goodbye
☐ I completed Modules 1–4 — the first half of A1! 🎓

🗣️ Phrase Bank — Your Day Out toolkit

Hi! I'm Sam. Nice to meet you. I'd like a tea, please. How much is that altogether? Here you are. Excuse me, where's the station? Go straight ahead and turn left. It's on your right, next to the bank. Thank you very much! Have a nice day. Goodbye!

🎯 Quick Quiz

Question 1: You want to know the price of two apples. What do you ask?

Question 2: Someone asks the way to the park. Which is a correct set of directions?

Tips & Common Mistakes

✅ Do's

Add "please" and "thank you" every time you shop. People expect it, and it is easy.
Say directions back to check: "So, second left, past the park?" It is polite, and it helps you remember.
Start every request to a stranger with "Excuse me,"

❌ Common Mistakes

⚠️ Watch Out

"How much" vs "How many": How much asks the price; How many asks the number. For prices, always How much.
is it / are they: Match the verb to one thing (is it) or many things (are they).
"I want" without "please": It can sound rude. Prefer "I'd like…, please."
Silent letters: receipt = "ri-SEET" (no "p" sound).

📓 Learning Journal

Keep your learning journal going. The habit matters more than ever now. After every lesson (or study time), take five minutes to write down:

Key concepts you learned
Things that clicked for you
Questions or confusion points to revisit
Ideas you want to try
Your progress and feelings about learning English

✍️ This lesson's prompt: This is your halfway journal entry — you are halfway through A1! Go back and read your very first entry from Lesson 1.1 — why you started. Now write to that person: What can you do in English today that you couldn't do then? What was the hardest moment, and how did you get through it? What do you want to do next? You earned this moment. 🌱

📝 Lesson Summary

🎓 Key Takeaways

Ask prices with "How much is it?" (one) and "How much are they?" (many); pay with cash or card.
Be polite: "I'd like…, please" and "Can I have…?" are better than a plain "I want."
Ask the way with "Excuse me, where's the…?" and understand go straight ahead, turn left/right, it's on your right.
You can now put every skill in the course together into one real conversation — a whole day out.

🎉 What You've Accomplished — You're Halfway Through A1!

Congratulations — you've completed the first four modules of English Foundations (A1). 🎓🎉

Think about what that means. You can spell your name, greet people, count, talk about your family, tell the time, describe where things are, say what you can do and what you like, talk about right now, and find your way in a new town. That is not a small thing. That is the base of a whole new language, and you built it yourself, one lesson at a time. Now the second half of A1 builds right on top of it. Be really proud of your work so far. 👏

❓ Common Questions at This Stage

I finished Module 4 — what's next?

You move into the second half of A1 (Modules 5–8). It builds on everything here: describing people and things, saying how often you do things, talking about likes and plans, real-world tasks like ordering in a café and shopping, and a visit to the doctor. It starts with Lesson 5.1: Plurals, Colors & Adjectives. You are ready for it.

How do I keep improving from here?

Three easy habits: (1) Review — read a lesson or two again each week. (2) Speak every day — even one minute out loud helps. (3) Use the ESL Hub and other resources to read, listen, and practice a little every day. Small and steady wins.

I still make mistakes. Is that okay?

Yes! Mistakes are not the opposite of learning — they are learning. Even advanced speakers make them. Learning English does not mean "perfect." It means you can use simple, everyday English a little better each week. And you can. Keep going.

🔭 Looking Ahead

Your next lesson is Lesson 5.1: Plurals, Colors & Adjectives. In the second half of A1 you'll learn to describe people and things, say how often you do something, talk about what you like and what you plan to do, handle real situations like a café, a clothing store, and a doctor's office. Everything you learned here is your start. 🚀

✅ Before You Move On

Do a quick review — look again at your favorite two or three earlier lessons.
Write your halfway Learning Journal entry, and read your first one again.
Say the "A Day Out" role-play out loud one more time.
Keep journaling and speaking a little every day. The habit carries you into Module 5.

🌟 Encouragement for the Journey

You started with 26 new letters — and you've reached the halfway point of the whole course. 🎓 That took courage, patience, and real effort, and you gave all three. Whatever brought you here — a job, travel, family, study, or just interest — you are closer to it today than twelve lessons ago. Take a breath, be proud of the first half, and when you're ready, the second half of A1 is waiting. Great work — let's keep going! 👋🎉