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If you find yourself a bit lost in a Spanish-speaking country or simply need to know where the closest restaurant, train station, landmark, etc., is located, it's important to know how to ask for directions in Spanish. Today's lesson will teach you some important phrases and vocabulary for doing so.
To approach a stranger, you might say some polite equivalent of "Excuse me," like Permiso, Disculpe or Mande in certain countries, or perhaps some greeting like Hola (Hello) or Buenos días (Good Morning), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon) or Buenas noches (Good evening), depending upon the time of day. We also recommend that, of the many ways to say "you" in Spanish, you choose the more formal one: usted, and/or address the person as señor (sir), señora (ma'am) or señorita (miss). Armed with this information, let's learn some fixed expressions that you could use as openers, all of which essentially mean "Can/could you tell me...?"
¿(Usted) me puede/podría decir...?
¿(Usted) me puede/podría indicar...?
¿(Usted) me puede/podría señalar...?
Now let's hear one of the aforementioned phrases connected to a typical way to ask about the location of something in Spanish:
Eh... ¿Me puede decir dónde está la calle Güemes?
Um... Can you tell me where Güemes Street is?
Caption 33, Español para principiantes Saludos y encuentros
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As we hear, ¿Dónde está(n)...? (Where is/are...?) is one of the most common ways to ask about location in Spanish. Let's learn some more useful phrases to do so:
¿Cómo llego a...? (How do I get to...?)
¿Hay un/a... cerca de aquí? (Is there a... around here?)
¿Sabe si está por aquí...? (Do you know if... is around here?)
¿Cuál es la mejor forma de llegar/ir a...? (What's the best way to get to...?)
Busco/Estoy buscando... (I'm looking for...)
¿Me puede mostrar en el mapa...? (Can you show me on the map...?)
Now, let's hear some of these, on their own or in combination, in action:
Disculpe, ¿hay un aeropuerto por aquí?
Excuse me, is there an airport around here?
Caption 11, Curso de español ¿Disculpe, hay un aeropuerto por aquí?
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Eh... ¿Podría decirme cómo llegar al aeropuerto?
Um... Could you tell me how to get to the airport?
Caption 13, Curso de español ¿Disculpe, hay un aeropuerto por aquí?
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Por cierto, ¿cómo llego a la cascada?
By the way, how do I get to the waterfall?
Caption 69, Aprendiendo con Priscilla Pidiendo direcciones
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¿Usted sabe dónde está el museo del Prado? Usted.
Do you [formal] know where the Prado Museum is? "Usted."
Caption 15, Fundamentos del Español 6 - Tú y Usted
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Next, let's learn some useful vocabulary in anticipation of some answers we might receive upon asking for directions in Spanish.
Let's start with the basic directions, right and left, as well as the cardinal and ordinal directions in Spanish:
la izquierda: left
la derecha: right
el norte: north
el sur: south
el este: east
el oeste: west
el noreste/nordeste: the northeast
el noroeste: the northwest
el sudeste/sureste: the southeast
el sudoeste/suroeste: the southwest
Note that when indicating directions, these words are usually used with the prepositions a (to) or hacia (to/toward). Let's see some examples:
está situado al este de la bahía.
is located to the east of the bay.
Caption 22, Viajando con Fermín Pasajes (Pasaia) - Part 1
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Por ejemplo, si tenemos que ir hacia la derecha, deberemos girar el volante hacia la derecha y si queremos ir hacia la izquierda, deberemos girar el volante hacia la izquierda.
For example, if we have to go right, we will have to turn the steering wheel to the right and if we want to go left, we will have to turn the steering wheel to the left.
Captions 38-41, Raquel y Marisa Aprender a conducir - Part 2
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Interestingly, all of the above-mentioned nouns can also function as adjectives, for example, la punta norte (the northern tip) or el lado izquierdo ("the left side," noting the change from a final "a" to an "o" to agree grammatically with the singular masculine noun). Another example of this is the fact that, like in English, Spanish uses the word mano (hand) to talk about "the right" or "left hand side":
Ve, entrá y la primera oficina que encontrás a mano derecha; ahí es.
Go, go in, and the first office you'll find on the right hand side; it's there.
Caption 74, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 1 - Part 12
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Let's take a look at some additional directional words and phrases.
abajo: down
arriba: up
al lado de: next to
cerca de: close to
enfrente de: in front of/across from
derecho: straight/straight ahead/right
detrás de: behind
recto: straight/straight ahead
todo derecho/recto: straight ahead
As we already learned that the adjective derecho means "right," you may have been surprised to see in the list above that it can also mean "straight" or "straight ahead." Let's see examples of each usage:
¿Sigo derecho y no lo saludo?
Keep going straight and not say hi to him?
Caption 26, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 12
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"Mi guitarra está al lado derecho mío".
"My guitar is on my right side."
Caption 17, Kowy Vocabulario
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Let's take a look at many oft-used verbs for talking about how to get places in Spanish, a few of which we've already seen:
estar: to be located
quedar: to be located
llegar: to get there
seguir: to continue, keep going
doblar: to turn
girar: to turn
tomar: to take
pasar: to pass
cruzar: to cross
Now, let's see a couple of these in clips from the Yabla Spanish video library:
Señora, ¿y usted sabe dónde queda esa whiskería?
Ma'am, and do you know where that whisky bar is?
Caption 82, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 3 - Part 1
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debo girar por la calle de la izquierda.
I should turn down the street on the left.
Caption 50, Raquel Las direcciones
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Finally, we'll look at just a few of the many directions-related nouns that might come up as things to keep your eyes out for on your way to some destination:
el edificio: the building
la señal de pare/alto: the stop sign
el semáforo: the stop light:
el camino: the road
la carretera: the highway
la calle: the street
la esquina: the corner
la intersección: the intersection
Let's conclude today's lesson with a little blurb that includes several of the terms we have learned today:
Cuando salgas, caminas a la derecha, cruzas el semáforo y a tu derecha verás un edificio blanco grande.
When you leave, you walk to the right, you cross the traffic light, and to your right, you'll see a big white building.
Captions 22-24, Cleer y Lida Llegando a una nueva ciudad
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We hope that this vocabulary will help you to feel more confident both asking for directions in Spanish and understanding many potential answers when you do... and don't forget to write us with your questions and suggestions!
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