British and American culture
Entertainment and shopping in London

Next in a series of articles on British and American culture.

What do you fancy doing today?

It doesn't matter whether you like going to the cinema or whether you would prefer a good concert, the cultural variety on offer in a city like London is extensive enough to make you wonder what to do each day.

Time Out is the weekly magazine with information on the whole range of leisure activities available.

If you want to go …

… to the cinema, the area with all the main cinemas par excellence is Leicester Square.

… to the theatre, the best musicals open in the West End. London also has a large range of fringe theatre on offer in smaller venues and pubs.

… to a concert, you will find the largest selection of music in Europe in the ten to fifteen concerts on offer daily in the city.

Useful phrases – entertainment

When deciding what to do:
What do you fancy doing today?
Have you seen the latest James Bond film, Casino Royale?
I've heard about this play. It's supposed to be very good.
I am not in the mood for a concert.

Arranging to meet:
Shall we meet outside the tube?
I'll meet you outside the main entrance.
I'll come and pick you up.
What time is good for you?
How long do you reckon it will take me to get there?

Shopping

The corridor formed by Regent Street and Oxford Street up to Tottenham Court Road is the shopping area par excellence in London. There you can find Hamleys (one of the largest toy shops in the world) or the major department stores (Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, John Lewis and House of Fraser), as well as many other shops. Tottenham Court Road is where you can find all the electronic products you need.

Covent Garden, with its pedestrianized squares full of boutiques, cafés, restaurants and street performers, offers an alternative for fashionable people who prefer a more relaxed environment.

Harrods, in South Kensington, is probably the most famous store in the world and one of London's top three tourist attractions.

Soho is the area to go to if you want to find the huge variety of specialist shops that are typical of London: from body piercing to music of all types or posters to film memorabilia.

But if there's one thing that you mustn't miss when you visit London, is the street markets. There you can buy second-hand clothes as well as antiques, beautiful decorative objects from all corners of the world (don't forget the large Asian community that lives in the city, especially from India, Pakistan, Japan and China), or the latest fashion accessories. The two main markets are Portobello Road and Camden Lock.

Useful phrases – shopping

Excuse me, please.
Have you got size 38?
I think I need a bigger size.
Have you got this shirt in blue?
May I try it on?
I like the ones in the window.
I am not sure. I think I am going to leave it. Thanks/Thank you.
How much is this?
Can I pay with my card?

Next in the series
Next month you can read about the Internet, email and text messages.

A Spanish language version of the text above is available in the 'Guía Cultural' section of Macmillan Diccionario Pocket, a bilingual English-Spanish/Spanish-English dictionary.
Spanish text written by Paz Blanco Castro
Translated into English by Sinda Lopez