The 50 essential words and short expressions
| No. | Word or expression | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hello | Greeting |
| 2 | Good morning | Morning greeting |
| 3 | Good evening | Evening greeting |
| 4 | Please | Polite request |
| 5 | Thank you | Expressing thanks |
| 6 | Excuse me | Getting attention politely |
| 7 | Yes | Agreement |
| 8 | No | Negative answer |
| 9 | I don’t understand | Asking for clarification |
| 10 | Please speak slowly | Requesting slower speech |
| No. | Word or expression | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Could you repeat that? | Requesting repetition |
| 12 | Where is…? | Asking for a location |
| 13 | Here | This place |
| 14 | There | That place |
| 15 | Left | Direction to the left |
| 16 | Right | Direction to the right |
| 17 | Entrance | Way in |
| 18 | Exit | Way out |
| 19 | Bathroom | Toilet or washroom |
| 20 | Drinking water | Water intended for drinking |
| No. | Word or expression | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Still water | Non-carbonated water |
| 22 | Sparkling water | Carbonated water |
| 23 | Menu | List of food and drinks |
| 24 | Bill | Amount to pay for a meal or service |
| 25 | How much is it? | Asking the price |
| 26 | Cash | Physical money |
| 27 | Card | Payment card |
| 28 | Change | Money returned after payment; context matters |
| 29 | Reservation | Booking |
| 30 | Room | Accommodation room |
| No. | Word or expression | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Passport | Identity document for international travel |
| 32 | Airport | Place for aircraft arrivals and departures |
| 33 | Bus | Road passenger vehicle |
| 34 | Taxi | Hired passenger car |
| 35 | Terminal | Transport station or passenger building |
| 36 | Fare | Transport price |
| 37 | Return ticket | Ticket for travel there and back |
| 38 | Stop | Stopping place; also a command to halt |
| 39 | Market | Place with stalls or traders |
| 40 | Help | Assistance |
| No. | Word or expression | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | I need help | Requesting assistance |
| 42 | Pharmacy | Place selling medicines |
| 43 | Callaloo soup | Dominican soup associated with young dasheen leaves and coconut milk |
| 44 | Dasheen | Taro; the root or leaves depend on the context |
| 45 | Cassava | Root crop also called manioc |
| 46 | Kanki | Traditional sweetened cassava preparation steamed in a banana leaf |
| 47 | Fig | Green banana in Dominican food usage |
| 48 | Eastern Caribbean dollars | Currency used in Dominica; often written EC$ |
| 49 | Trail | Path used for walking or hiking |
| 50 | Guide | Person who leads or explains a visit |
Choose a conversation to practise today
Begin with one clear request and connect English vocabulary with local menus, journeys and payment conversations.
Openings and listening · Local food · Transport and guided visits · Payment · Daily exchanges and review
Chapter contents
Chapters 1–5
Chapters 6–10
Dominica and the Dominican Republic are different countries. This guide concerns Dominica, the island whose capital is Roseau. Keep the complete destination and accommodation name visible in your booking conversations. A familiar-looking country name should not replace checking the place you actually mean.
Hello and Good morning begin the exchange. Reservation and Room help at accommodation, while Please and Thank you keep the request polite. Practise an arrival conversation with a partner who reads your destination back to you. Confirming a name is a useful travel-language skill before the longer explanation begins.
In Dominican food usage, Fig can mean green banana. It is a local meaning rather than the ordinary English fruit association many learners first recall. Ask what the menu item contains and how it is prepared. Recognising the ingredient helps, but it does not identify the entire dish.
Point to the correct item and ask one question at a time. If you missed a preparation detail, ask about that detail rather than restart the order. A useful rehearsal compares a general dictionary meaning with the local menu meaning. The context tells you which one belongs in the conversation.
Source: Discover Dominica: fig
Dasheen means taro; the sentence determines whether the root or leaves are being discussed. Callaloo soup is associated with young dasheen leaves and coconut milk in Dominica. These names explain part of a food description, not every ingredient in the bowl being served.
Ask what is in the specific version offered, then ask about accompaniments separately. Explain dietary requirements directly and seek a clear answer. Repeat what you understood before choosing. This turns two unfamiliar terms into a practical ingredient conversation rather than an assumption that every recipe is identical.
Source: Discover Dominica: callaloo soup
Cassava is a root crop also called manioc. Kanki names a traditional sweetened cassava preparation steamed in a banana leaf. One word identifies an ingredient, while the other names a food made with it. A menu or seller can explain the particular version available.
Ask how the item is served and whether it is sold individually or as part of a meal. Confirm the portion and total before purchasing. Practise by labelling an ingredient and a finished dish separately. This small distinction helps you read other menus where a crop name and a recipe name appear together.
Trail identifies a walking or hiking path; Guide identifies a person who leads or explains a visit. The words do not tell you the conditions or requirements of a particular outing. Ask the responsible operator what your booked activity involves and explain your own experience clearly.
Confirm the meeting point, what is included and the return arrangement. If an instruction is unclear, ask again before proceeding. A map or written activity name keeps the conversation specific. Practise listening to a changed meeting point and repeating it back; route vocabulary becomes useful when it helps you understand an actual instruction.
Eastern Caribbean dollars is the currency name used in Dominica, often shown as EC$. Ask How much is it? and confirm the unit and total. Check whether the amount applies to one person, one item or the whole order. A number alone can leave that important distinction unclear.
Cash and Card describe payment methods; ask what the business accepts. Change means cash returned after payment here. Practise with a receipt and explain the total before choosing a method. This is a vocabulary exercise about the transaction, not an exchange-rate calculation or a promise about every shop.
Source: Discover Dominica: currency
Bus, Taxi, Terminal and Stop describe different parts of a journey. Begin with your complete destination and ask whether the service goes there. Then ask where to board and get off. A transport hub can contain several services; recognising its name does not settle the route.
Fare identifies the price. Return ticket describes there-and-back travel, while the operator explains the actual conditions. Ask about the return meeting point separately. Rehearse with two destinations and have a partner change the answer. Repeat the location you heard before ending the exchange.
Where is…? becomes clearer with a specific place or meeting-point name. Left and Right describe turns; Here and There may come with gestures. Ask for a landmark if an answer does not identify the destination well enough. A broad area name may need another detail.
Entrance, Exit and Bathroom help inside a venue. Confirm the entrance that serves your activity. Use a small map to practise one instruction at a time, repeating the next step before moving. The goal is to connect the words with locations rather than remember a long speech without knowing where it leads.
Drinking water states your water request. Still water and Sparkling water distinguish carbonation where those options are available. Ask about the actual serving instead of assuming the size from a name. Menu is a list of choices, not a complete ingredient or portion description.
Ask for the Bill after a meal and compare it with what you ordered. Point to an unclear line and request an explanation. Practise ordering one dish and one drink, then matching them to a pretend receipt. This gives vocabulary a complete sequence: choose, ask, listen and check.
I don’t understand requests clarification; Could you repeat that? asks for another hearing. If you understood the destination but missed the time, ask specifically about the time. I need help is ready when you need assistance; add your location and the problem clearly.
Pharmacy helps identify a medicine shop, but explain your actual need when seeking help. At day’s end, recall three expressions with their scenes: perhaps Fig on a menu, Trail in an activity discussion and Eastern Caribbean dollars on a bill. Describe the exchange to a partner so the word stays connected with its purpose.
Connected travel guides
This guide in Simplified Chinese · Saint Lucia travel vocabulary · Trinidad and Tobago travel vocabulary · Grenada travel vocabulary