Finding your way · Getting around
lost my bearings
became disoriented
If you have lost your bearings, you are no longer sure where you are.
This vs that
I lost my bearings.
I lost my way.
Hear it in real life
Why are you going back that way?
I’ve lost my bearings completely.
I lost my bearings in the narrow streets and had to check the map again.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
The idiom is the natural way to describe becoming disoriented.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I lost my bearing in the old town.
Say: I lost my bearings in the old town.
The idiom normally uses the plural 'bearings'.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
lose your bearings
It’s easy to lose your bearings in the old town.
I lost my bearings when my phone battery died.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about finding your way.
turn left at ___
Turn left at the post office.
just around the corner
The café is just around the corner.
Finding your way words
Getting around · Finding your way: the words around “lost my bearings”.
More connectionsMore finding your way words8
More finding your way words
Your turn: say it out loud
I completely lost my bearings.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
lost my bearings
became disoriented
“I lost my bearings in the narrow streets and had to check the map again.”
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