Free guide · Level A2
How to ask for and understand directions in Spanish
Getting lost in a new city is one of the first times you really use Spanish. Asking is easy. Understanding the answer is the hard part, because it comes fast and in the imperative.
How to ask
Perdona, ¿dónde está la estación?Excuse me, where is the station? To someone your age (tú)
Disculpe, ¿cómo llego al ayuntamiento?Excuse me, how do I get to the town hall? To an older person (usted)
¿Hay una farmacia por aquí?Is there a pharmacy around here? When you don't know if one exists
¿Está lejos?Is it far? To know if you can walk
What they'll answer
The answer comes in the imperative: it's a polite order. With «tú» you'll hear sigue, gira, cruza. With «usted», siga, gire, cruce.
Sigue todo recto hasta el semáforo y luego gira a la derecha.Go straight on to the traffic lights, then turn right (tú)
Siga todo recto y gire a la izquierda en la esquina.Go straight on and turn left at the corner (usted)
Cruza la plaza y verás la parada a mano izquierda.Cross the square and you'll see the stop on your left
Coge la línea tres y bájate en la tercera parada.Take line three and get off at the third stop
The words that help most
- →Todo recto, a la derecha, a la izquierda: the three basic directions. Girar and doblar mean the same.
- →La esquina, el semáforo, la rotonda: the landmarks used most (corner, traffic lights, roundabout).
- →Al lado de, enfrente de, entre: where a place is in relation to another (next to, opposite, between).
- →Cruzar, subir and bajar la calle: to cross it, or to go up or down it.
Watch out for thisEnglish speakers often start with «¿Dónde es la estación?», using ser because «where is» feels like one verb. For location you always need estar: ¿Dónde está la estación?
Check what you understood
¿Todo recto y luego a la derecha?Straight on and then right? Repeat the directions to be sure
¿Puedes repetir, por favor?Can you repeat that, please?
Más despacio, por favor.More slowly, please