Asking for directions in Spanish

Asking for directions is one of the most useful things you can do in a new city. Spanish uses a small set of question forms and location words. Learn them together and you can handle most situations.

Asking the way

Spanish	English
¿Dónde está la estación?	Where is the station?
¿Cómo llego a la plaza mayor?	How do I get to the main square?
Perdone, ¿sabe dónde está el museo?	Excuse me, do you know where the museum is?
¿Está lejos?	Is it far?
¿Puede repetir, por favor?	Could you repeat that, please?

Perdone is the formal way to get someone's attention. Use perdona with a friend or a young person.

Understanding the answer

Spanish	English
Siga todo recto.	Go straight ahead.
Gire a la derecha.	Turn right.
Gire a la izquierda.	Turn left.
Cruce la calle.	Cross the street.
Está a dos calles de aquí.	It is two streets from here.
Está al final de la calle.	It is at the end of the street.

Most people use the formal usted form when giving directions to a stranger, so the commands end in -e (siga, gire, cruce). Friends would say sigue, gira and cruza.

Describing where something is

Spanish	English
Está cerca.	It is near.
Está lejos.	It is far.
Está enfrente del banco.	It is opposite the bank.
Está al lado de la farmacia.	It is next to the pharmacy.
Está detrás de la iglesia.	It is behind the church.
Está en la esquina.	It is on the corner.

Use estar for location (está, están). See Ser vs estar if you want the reason.

Useful words for the map

la calle (street), la avenida (avenue), la plaza (square), el semáforo (traffic light)
la esquina (corner), el puente (bridge), el parque (park), la parada de autobús (bus stop)
a la derecha (on the right), a la izquierda (on the left), recto (straight)

Castilian and Latin American notes

Spain uses el coche for car and el autobús or el bus for bus. Mexico uses el camión for bus and el taxi for taxi.
Mexico often uses cuadras for blocks, where Spain says manzanas. Both are understood across the region.
Spanish speakers often use ahí and allí loosely for "there". When in doubt, a gesture helps.

A short dialogue

Tú: Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación de tren?

Persona: Siga todo recto y gire a la derecha en el semáforo.

Tú: ¿Está lejos?

Persona: No, está a diez minutos a pie.

Tú: Muchas gracias.

Practice

Choose the best reply to each question.

Once you have found your way, you can order your meal.