b1Vocabulary Pack

City & Urban Life

Streets, transport, services and life in a city.

69 words

English vocabulary

Definitions in

Add to my library

69 words

Definitions in: English

Same-language deck – the back side will show definitions, and example sentences will hide the target word.

1
streetnounneutral
A public road in a town or city, usually with buildings along the sides.
They live on a quiet street just off the main road.
2
buildingnounneutral
A structure with walls and a roof, such as a house, office, or shop.
That old building used to be a factory.
3
skyscrapernounneutral
A very tall modern building, typically in a city centre.
You can see the whole city from the top of that skyscraper.
4
parknounneutral
A public green area in a city used for relaxing, walking, or playing.
Let's take the kids to the park this afternoon.
5
bridgenounneutral
A structure built over a river, road, or railway to allow crossing.
We walked across the bridge to get to the other side of the river.
6
squarenounneutral
An open public space in a town, often surrounded by buildings.
We met for coffee in the main square.
7
sidewalknounneutralAmerican English
The paved path at the side of a street for people to walk on (American English).
Please don't ride your bike on the sidewalk.
8
pavementnounneutralBritish English
The paved path at the side of a street for pedestrians (British English).
An old man was walking slowly along the pavement.
9
trafficnounneutral
The vehicles moving on roads in an area, especially when there are many.
I was late because the traffic was terrible this morning.
10
traffic lightnounneutral
A set of coloured signals controlling traffic at junctions.
Turn left at the next traffic light.
11
traffic jamnounneutral
A long line of vehicles that cannot move or are moving very slowly.
We got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the motorway.
12
rush hournounneutral
The busy times of day when many people travel to or from work.
Try not to drive during rush hour if you can avoid it.
13
parkingnounneutral
The act of leaving a vehicle in a place, or space available for this.
Finding parking in the city centre is a nightmare.
14
car parknounneutralBritish English
An area or building where cars can be parked (British English).
Leave your car in the multi-storey car park behind the mall.
15
parking lotnounneutralAmerican English
An open area where cars can be parked (American English).
I'll meet you in the parking lot outside the supermarket.
16
public transportnounneutral
Buses, trains, and other shared services for the general public.
I gave up my car and now I use public transport every day.
17
bus stopnounneutral
A place where buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers.
There's a bus stop right outside my building.
18
subwaynounneutralAmerican English
An underground railway system in a city (American English).
It's quicker to take the subway than to drive downtown.
19
undergroundnounneutralBritish English
The underground railway system, especially in London (British English).
We took the underground from the airport into the city.
20
neighbourhoodnounneutralBritish English
A particular area of a town or city and the people who live there.
We moved to a friendly neighbourhood on the edge of town.
21
neighbournounneutralBritish English
A person who lives near or next to you (British spelling).
Our new neighbours invited us round for dinner.
22
suburbnounneutral
A mainly residential area on the outskirts of a city.
They live in a quiet suburb about an hour from the centre.
23
city centrenounneutralBritish English
The central part of a city with shops, offices, and main attractions (British English).
The hotel is right in the city centre, close to everything.
24
outskirtsnounneutral
The outer parts of a town or city, away from the centre.
The new shopping centre is on the outskirts of town.
25
police stationnounneutral
The local office of the police force.
You should report the theft at the nearest police station.
26
fire stationnounneutral
The building where firefighters and fire engines are based.
There's a fire station just around the corner from us.
27
fire departmentnounneutral
The public service responsible for putting out fires and rescues.
Someone called the fire department when smoke filled the kitchen.
28
librarynounneutral
A public building where you can borrow or read books.
I borrowed these novels from the local library.
29
post officenounneutral
A place where you can send letters and parcels and buy stamps.
I need to go to the post office to post this parcel.
30
town hallnounneutral
The building used for the local government of a town.
The meeting will be held at the town hall on Thursday.
31
hospitalnounneutral
A place where sick or injured people are treated and cared for.
She was taken to hospital after the accident.
32
townnounneutral
A place with houses, shops, and buildings, larger than a village but smaller than a city.
I grew up in a small town by the sea.
33
citynounneutral
A large and important town with many people and buildings.
Living in a big city can be exciting but exhausting.
34
blocknounneutral
A group of buildings or area of a city surrounded by streets on all sides.
The cafe is just two blocks from here.
35
block of flatsnounneutralBritish English
A large building divided into separate apartments (British English).
They live in a modern block of flats near the river.
36
apartmentnounneutral
A set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor of a building.
We're renting a small apartment in the centre of town.
37
flatnounneutralBritish English
A set of rooms for living in, on one floor of a building (British English).
I share a flat with two friends from university.
38
residentnounneutral
A person who lives in a particular place.
Local residents complained about the noise from the bar.
39
crossroadsnounneutral
A place where two or more roads cross each other.
Turn right at the crossroads and the shop is on your left.
40
roundaboutnounneutralBritish English
A circular junction where traffic moves around a central island (British English).
Take the second exit at the roundabout.
41
zebra crossingnounneutralBritish English
A place marked with white stripes where pedestrians can cross the road (British English).
Always cross at the zebra crossing, not in the middle of the road.
42
street lightnounneutral
A lamp on a tall post that lights the street at night.
The street lights come on automatically when it gets dark.
43
junctionnounneutral
A point where two or more roads or railway lines meet.
Leave the motorway at junction twelve.
44
fountainnounneutral
A structure that sends water into the air, often in a square or park.
People were throwing coins into the fountain in the square.
45
statuenounneutral
A model of a person or animal, often in stone or metal, displayed in public.
There's a statue of the city's founder in the main square.
46
shopping centrenounneutralBritish English
A large building or area with many shops under one roof (British English).
The new shopping centre has over a hundred stores.
47
marketnounneutral
An area, often outdoors, where people buy and sell goods from stalls.
I buy my fruit and vegetables at the local market.
48
pedestriannounneutral
A person who is walking, especially in an area used by traffic.
Drivers must give way to pedestrians at the crossing.
49
crowdedadjectiveneutral
Full of people, with little space to move.
The streets were too crowded to walk quickly.
50
livelyadjectiveneutral
Full of energy and activity; busy in a pleasant way.
It's a lively neighbourhood with lots of bars and cafes.
51
noisyadjectiveneutral
Making or full of a lot of loud sound.
Our flat is a bit noisy because it's on a main road.
52
commuteverbneutral
To travel regularly between home and work.
I commute into the city by train every day.
53
litternounneutral
Rubbish such as paper or cans left lying in public places.
There was litter all over the park after the concert.
54
pollutionnounneutral
Harmful substances in the air, water, or soil, common in cities.
Air pollution is a serious problem in many big cities.
55
facilitiesnounneutral
Buildings, services, or equipment provided for a particular purpose.
The town has great sports facilities, including a new pool.
56
lamp postnounneutral
A tall post in the street with a light at the top.
He leaned against a lamp post while he waited.
57
alleynounneutral
A narrow passage or street between or behind buildings.
There's a shortcut through the alley behind the shops.
58
high streetnounneutralBritish English
The main street of a town with most of its shops and businesses (British English).
Many shops on the high street have closed down recently.
59
councilnounneutral
The group of people elected to manage a town or local area.
The council has promised to fix the roads next year.
60
crime ratenounneutral
The amount of crime in a particular area, often used to describe neighbourhoods.
The crime rate in this area is actually quite low.
61
downtownadverbneutralAmerican English
The central business and shopping district of a city (American English).
She works downtown and walks to the office every day.
62
get aroundphrasal verbneutral
To travel from place to place, especially within a city.
It's easy to get around the city by bike.
63
neighborhoodnounneutralAmerican English
American English spelling of the word for an area of a city and the people who live there.
We moved to a quiet neighborhood near the park.
We moved to a calm residential area near the park.
64
neighbornounneutralAmerican English
American English spelling of the word for a person who lives near you.
My neighbor watered the plants while I was away.
The person living next to me cared for the plants during my absence.
65
crosswalknounneutralAmerican English
American English word for a marked place where pedestrians can cross the road.
Wait for the light before you use the crosswalk.
Wait for the signal before crossing at the marked crossing.
66
mallnounneutralAmerican English
American English word for a large building containing many shops.
We spent the afternoon shopping at the mall.
We spent the afternoon buying things at the shopping complex.
67
city hallnounneutralAmerican English
American English term for the building that houses the local city government.
You can pay your parking fine at city hall.
You can pay your parking fine at the local government building.
68
main streetnounneutralAmerican English
American English term for the principal shopping street of a town.
Most of the stores are on main street.
Most of the shops are on the town's principal street.
69
apartment buildingnounneutralAmerican English
American English term for a large building divided into separate apartments.
She lives on the fifth floor of that apartment building.
She lives on the fifth floor of that residential block.

Learn anywhere, even offline

Download decks to your phone and practice without internet. Perfect for commutes, flights, or anywhere with spotty connection.

App Store Google Play

Cities are where much of modern life happens, and this pack helps you navigate them in words. Learn the vocabulary for urban features like streets, buildings, parks and squares, plus public services and getting around town. At an intermediate level, it gives you the language to describe where you live, ask about a place, and talk about the rhythm of city life.