🏙️ Cities - Ciudades

Aa ⏱ ≈ 16 minutes

Beginner Spanish · City places and neighborhoods

Around the City in Spanish

City vocabulary becomes much more useful when you can name places around town, ask what is nearby, and describe where a particular place is located.

Your next small win: name common city places, use hay to say what is available, use estar to locate a specific place, and talk briefly about a neighborhood.

Start with the city itself

Core City Vocabulary

These words give you a foundation for talking about a neighborhood or city center.

ciudad
City
edificio
Building
calle
Street
barrio
Neighborhood
semáforo
Traffic light
centro de la ciudad
City center / downtown

Name three city words

Say “city, street, and neighborhood” in Spanish.

Learn useful places around town

Places in the City

These are places you may want to find, visit, or talk about while exploring a city.

hotel
Hotel
tienda
Store
museo
Museum
parque
Park
restaurante
Restaurant
biblioteca
Library
farmacia
Pharmacy
banco
Bank

Name four places

Say “hotel, museum, park, and restaurant” in Spanish.

Getting around the city
metro
Subway / metro
estación de autobuses
Bus station
parada de autobús
Bus stop
taxi
Taxi
plaza
Town square / plaza

Ask what is available nearby

Using Hay

Use hay when saying that a place or thing exists somewhere.

Hay un museo cerca del parque.
There is a museum near the park.
Hay muchos restaurantes en este barrio.
There are many restaurants in this neighborhood.
¿Hay una estación de metro cerca de aquí?
Is there a subway station near here?
¿Hay algún restaurante bueno cerca de aquí?
Is there a good restaurant near here?

Key idea: use hay when asking whether something exists or is available. It works for singular and plural: Hay un museo and Hay muchos restaurantes.

Looking for a restaurant

A
¿Hay algún restaurante bueno cerca de aquí?
Is there a good restaurant near here?
B
Sí, hay uno muy popular en la plaza, al lado del museo.
Yes, there is a very popular one in the plaza, next to the museum.

Ask what is nearby

Ask whether there is a subway station and a good restaurant near here.

Locate a specific place

Using Estar

Once you are talking about a particular hotel, pharmacy, museum, or other place, use estar to say where it is.

El hotel está en el centro de la ciudad.
The hotel is in the city center.
La farmacia está al lado del banco.
The pharmacy is next to the bank.
Nuestro hotel está en una calle tranquila.
Our hotel is on a quiet street.
El museo está al lado de la plaza.
The museum is next to the plaza.

Hay versus estar: Hay un museo cerca introduces a museum that exists nearby. El museo está cerca locates a specific museum you are already talking about.

Talk about a neighborhood

A
¿Te gusta vivir en este barrio?
Do you like living in this neighborhood?
B
Sí. Es tranquilo y puedo ir caminando a muchas tiendas y restaurantes.
Yes. It is quiet, and I can walk to many stores and restaurants.
Mi barrio es tranquilo.
My neighborhood is quiet.
Hay muchas tiendas cerca.
There are many stores nearby.
El parque está cerca de mi casa.
The park is near my house.

Describe a neighborhood

Say that your neighborhood is quiet, there are many restaurants, and the park is nearby.

More city phrases
Los domingos muchas familias pasan la tarde en el parque.
On Sundays, many families spend the afternoon in the park.
Voy al trabajo en metro.
I go to work by subway.
La biblioteca del barrio tiene una sala tranquila.
The neighborhood library has a quiet room.
Regresamos al hotel en taxi.
We return to the hotel by taxi.

Your turn · 8 quick questions

Practice: Around the City

Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on common city places, neighborhoods, hay, and estar.

Audio uses your device's Spanish text-to-speech voice. Listen to each city word or phrase, then practice describing what is in a neighborhood and where specific places are located.