English Places in Town Vocabulary

Level: A2. Knowing the names of places in a town lets you ask for directions, run errands and talk about your day. This page gives you the core words for the buildings and spaces around a town, grouped by what you do there, each with a plain definition and a short example you can copy.

By the end of this page you can…

…name the main places in a town, say what you do at each one, and use ‘go to the’ and ‘go to’ correctly (go to the bank, but go to school).

How this list was chosen

Every word here comes from the English frequency list (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), which ranks words by how often they appear in a large collection of everyday subtitles. We kept the town and place words an A2 learner actually needs and grouped them by use rather than by rank, so you learn shop, store, market together instead of in scattered order. The Rank column is the word’s real position in the frequency list — lower means more common.

Places to buy things

Public buildings and services

Places to eat and relax

Getting around town

Example sentences

Play each line, then say it aloud. These use the place words in natural, everyday patterns.

1. I went to the bank to pay a bill this morning.
   'Go to the bank' with 'the'.
2. My daughter goes to school by bus.
   'Go to school' drops 'the'.
3. We bought fresh fruit at the market.
   'Market' for stalls of goods.
4. The shop on the corner sells newspapers.
   'Shop' (BrE) that sells things.
5. She works in a busy office in the town centre.
   'Office' as a workplace.
6. He is in hospital after the accident.
   'In hospital' as a patient (BrE).
7. You can borrow five books from the library.
   'Library' to borrow books.
8. The museum is free on Sundays.
   'Museum' for history or art.
9. Let us meet at the cafe for a coffee.
   'Cafe' for coffee and snacks.
10. We had a lovely dinner at a small restaurant.
    'Restaurant' to eat out.
11. The children are playing in the park.
    'Park' as a green space.
12. Post the parcel at the post office before five.
    'Post office' to send mail.
13. Our hotel was right next to the station.
    'Hotel' and 'station' together.
14. Wait for me at the bus stop on Green Street.
    'Bus stop' and 'street'.
15. The market is held in the main square every Saturday.
    'Square' in the town centre.
16. Walk over the bridge and the church is on your right.
    'Bridge' and 'church' directions.
17. The store opens at nine and closes at six.
    'Store' (AmE) opening hours.
18. We met some friends at a quiet bar near the square.
    'Bar' that serves drinks.

Recap cheat-sheet

A quick map of the town before the quiz.

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Practice

Town places practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Match each place to what you do there.

• library Match for library — choose — borrow booksbuy fruitpay a billsee a doctor
• bank Match for bank — choose — borrow booksbuy fruitpay a billsee a doctor
• market Match for market — choose — borrow booksbuy fruitpay a billsee a doctor
• hospital Match for hospital — choose — borrow booksbuy fruitpay a billsee a doctor

Check

Show answer

• library → borrow books
• bank → pay a bill
• market → buy fruit
• hospital → see a doctor

Linking a place to its action helps you recall it faster.

2 Complete: My son goes to ____ every weekday. (the usual activity)

Check

Hint: drop 'the' for the activity

Show answer

school — For the usual activity we say 'go to school' with no 'the'.

3 Complete: Post the parcel at the ____ office.

Check

Hint: where you send letters

Show answer

post — A post office is where you send letters and parcels.

4 Where do you borrow books?

the museum the library the bank the market

Check

Show answer

the library — You borrow books from a library and return them later.

5 Which one is a green space where children play?

park square station office

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park — A park is an open green space; a square is a paved open area.

6 Put the words in order.

thetoIwentbank

CheckReset

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I went to the bank — I went to the bank — most places take 'the' after 'go to'.

Quiz

Check yourself

Town places quiz

10 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/10 0 answered

1. 1Where do you keep and borrow money?

   A the library B the bank C the museum D the park
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   the bank — A bank keeps your money and can lend it to you.

2. 2Choose the correct sentence about the usual activity.

   A He goes to the school every day as a pupil. B He goes to school every day. C He goes at school every day. D He goes in school every day.
   Show answer

   He goes to school every day. — For the activity we drop 'the': go to school.

3. 3Where do you buy fresh fruit from many stalls?

   A the market B the office C the station D the hotel
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   the market — A market has many stalls selling goods like fruit.

4. 4A place that shows history or art is a ___.

   A library B museum C bank D bar
   Show answer

   museum — A museum displays history or art; a library lends books.

5. 5Which word is British English for a place that sells things?

   A store B shop C mall D market
   Show answer

   shop — British English usually says 'shop'; American English says 'store'.

6. 6Where do travellers sleep in a town?

   A a hotel B a hospital C an office D a park
   Show answer

   a hotel — A hotel is where travellers stay the night.

7. 7You send letters and parcels at the ___.

   A bank B post office C library D station
   Show answer

   post office — A post office handles letters and parcels.

8. 8Which group are all places you buy things?

   A school, hospital, library B shop, store, market C park, cafe, bar D station, bridge, square
   Show answer

   shop, store, market — Shop, store and market are all places to buy things.

9. 9Complete: Wait for the bus at the bus ___.

   A station B stop C square D street
   Show answer

   stop — A bus stop is the small place where a bus halts to pick you up.

10. 10Where do you go to see a doctor when you are very ill?

    A the hospital B the cafe C the museum D the market
    Show answer

    the hospital — A hospital treats sick and injured people.

Next

• Previous set: English Transport & Travel Vocabulary
• More words: English Kitchen & Tableware Vocabulary, 100 Essential English Verbs
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