You’ve picked a jacket and want to try it on before paying. The question you need is Where is the fitting room? — and the easiest mistake to make with it is word order.
How to ask for the fitting room
The pattern is where + is + the fitting room. The is there because you mean the fitting room in this shop, not fitting rooms in general. Some ways to ask a shop assistant:
- Excuse me, where is the fitting room?A polite opener when you need the assistant’s attention.
- Where is the fitting room? I’d like to try these on.Asking and giving the reason in one go.
- Where’s the fitting room, please?Where’s is the spoken contraction of where is.
The direct translation of «де примірочна?» is exactly this sentence, but the English word order feels unfamiliar at first. Fitting room is the shop word. Dressing room means a backstage area in a theatre or a changing area in a gym, so avoid it in shops. In British shops you will often hear changing room instead, but fitting room is understood everywhere.
Word order: where is, not where the fitting room is
In a direct question the verb comes before the subject: is goes before the fitting room. In an indirect question, which sounds more polite, the order goes back to normal: subject first, then verb.
- Direct question: Where is the fitting room?
- Indirect question (after Could you tell me or Do you know): where the fitting room is
- Could you tell me where the fitting room is?A polite way to ask; the subject comes before the verb.
- Do you know where the fitting room is?Same structure, a more casual tone.
Other useful phrases
To find out whether there is a fitting room at all, or to ask where you can try things on:
- Is there a fitting room?Uses a, not the, because you are asking whether one exists.
- Where can I try these on?A more general way to ask about trying clothes on.
- It’s over there, on the left.A typical answer from the shop assistant.
- It’s at the back of the shop.Another common answer: the room is at the back.
Once you’ve found the room, the next question is usually Can I try this on?, and if you need another size, you can use Do you have it in a smaller size?
Common mistakes
- Where is fitting room? — the article the is missing. When you mean the room in this shop, say the fitting room.
- Where the fitting room is? — statement word order. In a direct question, put is before the subject.
- Where is the dressing room? — dressing room means a backstage or gym changing area, not a shop fitting room.
Check yourself
Translate into English, then check the answer:
1.Ask where the fitting room is.
Answer
Where is the fitting room?
2.Ask the shop assistant politely where the fitting room is.
Answer
Could you tell me where the fitting room is, please?
3.Ask whether there is a fitting room here.
Answer
Is there a fitting room here?
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