Giving directions

[Long Zhiren]

I've never learned to give directions in Mandarin.

For example, if you tell somebody to "go three blocks that way

(pointing), turn left at the light. Follow that road down a mile.

The restaurant will be on the right side behind the big tree."

what common expressions can be used?

It seems like something that really can't be translated too well word for word.

I would guess along the lines of: "往 这 个 方 向 三 節 路 在 紅 綠 灯 左 转.

xxx 一 哩 路. 餐 館 在 右 边 大 树 后 面."

I'm at a loss for vocabulary. I'm not comfortable or confident with such a

translation and feel that something's been lost...and I'll get somebody lost...

Any collections of good expressions or other good examples? Thanks!

[Quest]

"go three blocks that way

(pointing), turn left at the light. Follow that road down a mile.

The restaurant will be on the right side behind the big tree."

There are many ways to say it, one of them would be:

往这个方向走，第三个路口(we tend to specify intersections or streets rather than blocks)的红绿灯那儿转左，转左以后再走大概一里路你会看到路的右边有棵大树，大树后面就是那餐馆。

Or a more contracted way:

这边走第三个红绿灯转左，靠右再走一里路见到一棵大树后面就是。

[agentzi]

Any collections of good expressions or other good examples?

try Integrated Chinese Vol1 Part2 Chapter 14

Giving directions

http://trc.ucdavis.edu/msjacob/chn3/L14_1.htm

Locative expressions

http://trc.ucdavis.edu/msjacob/chn3/L14_2.htm