Asking for Directions
Spanish Basic Conversation 1
Chapter 10 · Asking for Directions
🧭 Asking for Directions — Cómo llegar
This chapter covers asking where a place is, understanding the answer (straight on, left, right, at the corner, at the traffic lights), and saying whether a place is near or far. It also introduces estar, the verb for location. The tables give the respelling, and a Hard words box helps with the trickiest words.
① Where Is the Station? (formal) — ¿Dónde está la estación?
A:
Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación?
Excuse me, where is the station?
B:
Siga todo recto y gire a la derecha.
Keep going straight on and turn right.
A:
¿Está lejos?
Is it far?
B:
No, está cerca. Diez minutos a pie.
No, it's close. Ten minutes on foot.
② The Pharmacy (informal) — La farmacia
A:
Hola, ¿sabes dónde hay una farmacia?
Hello, do you know where there's a pharmacy?
B:
Sí, hay una en la esquina.
Yes, there's one on the corner.
A:
¿A la izquierda o a la derecha?
To the left or to the right?
B:
A la izquierda, al lado del banco.
To the left, next to the bank.
③ The Traffic Lights — En el semáforo
A:
Buenos días. ¿Cómo llego al museo?
Good morning. How do I get to the museum?
B:
Siga hasta el semáforo.
Carry on to the traffic lights.
A:
¿Y después?
And then?
B:
Gire a la izquierda. El museo está enfrente de la plaza.
Turn left. The museum is opposite the square.
④ The Hotel (formal) — Cerca de aquí
A:
Perdone, ¿hay un hotel cerca de aquí?
Excuse me, is there a hotel near here?
B:
Sí, el Hotel Sol está en la calle Mayor.
Yes, the Hotel Sol is on Calle Mayor.
A:
¿Está lejos de aquí?
Is it far from here?
B:
No, está a cinco minutos.
No, it's five minutes away.
⑤ Lost (informal) — Estoy perdido
A:
Perdona, estoy perdida. ¿Dónde está la plaza Mayor?
Sorry, I'm lost. Where is the Plaza Mayor?
B:
Está muy cerca. Sigue por esta calle.
It's very close. Carry on along this street.
A:
¿Y luego?
And then?
B:
Al final de la calle, a la derecha.
At the end of the street, on the right.
⑥ Which Street? — ¿Es esta la calle…?
A:
¿Es esta la calle Mayor?
Is this Calle Mayor?
B:
No, esta es la calle Real. La calle Mayor está allí, a la izquierda.
No, this is Calle Real. Calle Mayor is over there, on the left.
A:
Muchas gracias.
Thank you very much.
B:
De nada. Que tenga un buen día.
You're welcome. Have a good day.
🗣️ Key Phrases — Frases clave
| English | Formal (usted) | Informal (tú) |
|---|---|---|
| Where is…? | ¿Dónde está…? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH | |
| Is there… near here? | ¿Hay… cerca de aquí? AY… THEHR-kah deh ah-KEE | |
| Straight on | Siga todo recto. SEE-gah TOH-doh REHK-toh | Sigue todo recto. SEE-geh TOH-doh REHK-toh |
| Turn right / left | Gire a la derecha / izquierda. KHEE-reh ah lah deh-REH-chah / eeth-KYEHR-dah | Gira a la derecha / izquierda. KHEE-rah ah lah deh-REH-chah / eeth-KYEHR-dah |
| Is it far? | ¿Está lejos? — No, está cerca. ehs-TAH LEH-khohs — noh ehs-TAH THEHR-kah | |
Directions Use Commands: Siga / Sigue, Gire / Gira
People give directions with commands, and the formal and informal forms differ by one vowel: siga / sigue, gire / gira. For now, recognise them when you hear them and use the formal form (Perdone, ¿dónde está…?) to ask. Spanish Grammar 3 11 explains how commands are formed.
📍 Location Words — Dónde está
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| a la derecha | ah lah deh-REH-chah | to the right |
| a la izquierda | ah lah eeth-KYEHR-dah | to the left |
| todo recto | TOH-doh REHK-toh | straight on |
| en la esquina | ehn lah ehs-KEE-nah | on the corner |
| al final de la calle | ahl fee-NAHL deh lah KAH-yeh | at the end of the street |
| al lado de | ahl LAH-doh deh | next to |
| enfrente de | ehn-FREHN-teh deh | opposite |
| cerca (de) / lejos (de) | THEHR-kah / LEH-khohs | near (to) / far (from) |
A + el = al
The preposition a joins the article el into one word: a + el = al (al lado, al final, al museo). It does not combine with la: a la derecha. In the same way de + el = del (el final del parque), while de la stays separate.
🔤 Verbs — Estar, seguir, girar
Estar ("to be", for location and state) is irregular in the yo form and has written accents in four forms. Seguir ("to continue, to follow") changes e → i and drops the u in yo: sigo. Girar ("to turn") is a regular -ar verb.
| estar (to be) | seguir (to continue) | girar (to turn) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | estoy ehs-TOY | sigo SEE-goh | giro KHEE-roh |
| tú (you, informal) | estás ehs-TAHS | sigues SEE-gehs | giras KHEE-rahs |
| él, ella, usted | está ehs-TAH | sigue SEE-geh | gira KHEE-rah |
| nosotros (we) | estamos ehs-TAH-mohs | seguimos seh-GEE-mohs | giramos khee-RAH-mohs |
| vosotros (Spain) | estáis ehs-TAHYS | seguís seh-GEES | giráis khee-RAHYS |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | están ehs-TAHN | siguen SEE-gehn | giran KHEE-rahn |
Estar for Where Things Are, Hay for Whether They Exist
Use estar to say where a particular, known place or thing is: La estación está cerca, El hotel Sol está en la calle Mayor. Use hay (Chapter 5) for "there is / there are" something not yet identified: Hay una farmacia en la esquina. A quick test: if you say the or a name, use está; if you say a, use hay. Ser and estar are compared in Spanish Grammar 2 3.
📖 Vocabulary — Vocabulario
20 key words. Read the Spanish first, then check the respelling (CAPITALS = the stressed syllable).
| # | Spanish | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | la calle | lah KAH-yeh | street | noun |
| 2 | la plaza | lah PLAH-thah | square | noun |
| 3 | la esquina | lah ehs-KEE-nah | corner | noun |
| 4 | el semáforo | ehl seh-MAH-foh-roh | traffic lights | noun |
| 5 | la estación | lah ehs-tah-THYOHN | station | noun |
| 6 | la farmacia | lah far-MAH-thyah | pharmacy | noun |
| 7 | el banco | ehl BAHN-koh | bank | noun |
| 8 | el museo | ehl moo-SEH-oh | museum | noun |
| 9 | el hotel | ehl oh-TEHL | hotel | noun |
| 10 | el parque | ehl PAR-keh | park | noun |
| 11 | el minuto | ehl mee-NOO-toh | minute | noun |
| 12 | a pie | ah PYEH | on foot | phrase |
| 13 | aquí / allí | ah-KEE / ah-YEE | here / there | adv |
| 14 | cerca | THEHR-kah | near | adv |
| 15 | lejos | LEH-khohs | far | adv |
| 16 | después / luego | dehs-PWEHS / LWEH-goh | then, afterwards | adv |
| 17 | estar | ehs-TAR | to be (location) | verb |
| 18 | seguir | seh-GEER | to continue | verb |
| 19 | girar | khee-RAR | to turn | verb |
| 20 | perdido / perdida | pehr-DEE-doh / pehr-DEE-dah | lost (m / f) | adj |
Hard Words
izquierda = eeth-KYEHR-dah (z = "th" in Spain; qu = "k") · derecha = deh-REH-chah · semáforo = seh-MAH-foh-roh (stress on MÁ) · estación = ehs-tah-THYOHN · farmacia = far-MAH-thyah · girar = khee-RAR (g before i = throaty "kh") · seguir = seh-GEER (gu before i = hard "g", the u is silent). Phrases for now: ¿Cómo llego al museo? = KOH-moh YEH-goh ahl moo-SEH-oh ("How do I get to the museum?"), ¿Sabes dónde hay…? ("Do you know where there is…?") and Que tenga un buen día ("Have a good day").
Asking Politely
Start with Perdone or Perdona ("excuse me"), then ask the question. Disculpe works too. Use the formal usted to be safely polite with a stranger; the informal tú is also heard in quick street questions, especially between younger people. A short Gracias at the end is expected.
Spanish Street Words
In Spanish towns you will see calle (street), avenida, plaza and paseo. The street name often comes after the type: calle Mayor, plaza Mayor. A plaza Mayor is the main square of many Spanish towns. Directions are often given in minutes on foot (diez minutos a pie) rather than in metres.
Latin America Note
Spain says todo recto for "straight on", while many Latin American countries say derecho or todo derecho. A city block is a manzana in Spain but a cuadra in much of Latin America (so "two blocks" is dos cuadras). In some regions, such as Argentina, the informal commands use vos forms instead of tú. Perdón and Disculpe are common everywhere.
Grammar Pointer
Ser and estar are compared in Spanish Grammar 2 3, the contractions al and del and the other basic prepositions in Spanish Grammar 1 10, and the commands (siga, gire) in Spanish Grammar 3 11. Use them as a reference after this chapter.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Ejercicios
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Politely ask where the station is.
Show answer
Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación?
2. Ask if there is a pharmacy near here.
Show answer
¿Hay una farmacia cerca de aquí?
3. Complete with está or hay: "El banco ___ en la esquina." · "___ un hotel cerca de aquí." · "La plaza ___ enfrente del museo."
Show answer
está · Hay · está. (A known place uses está; "a hotel" not yet identified uses hay.)
4. Say: "Keep going straight on, then turn left at the traffic lights."
Show answer
Siga todo recto, y después gire a la izquierda en el semáforo.
5. Complete: "Yo ___ perdido." (estar) · "Nosotros ___ por esta calle." (seguir) · "Él ___ a la derecha." (girar)
Show answer
estoy · seguimos · gira.
6. Ask "Is it far?", then say the answer "No, it's near, five minutes on foot."
Show answer
¿Está lejos? · No, está cerca, a cinco minutos a pie.
Coming Up in Chapter 11
Booking a hotel: una habitación doble con baño, ¿Tienen wifi?, el desayuno, el hostal, el parador, and showing your passport at check-in.