🧭 Directions - Indicaciones
Beginner Spanish · Finding your way
Directions in Spanish
Asking for directions becomes much easier when you can combine a few location questions with simple words such as left, right, straight ahead, near, and next to.
Your next small win: ask where a place is, understand a simple route, and give basic directions in Spanish.
Start with the right question
Asking Where to Go
Two questions cover many everyday situations. Use one to ask where a place is and the other to ask how to get there.
Where is...?
How do I get to...?
Where is the train station?
Where is the bus stop?
How do I get downtown?
How do I get to the museum from here?
Quick distinction: use ¿Dónde está...? when you mainly want the location. Use ¿Cómo llego a...? when you want the route or directions.
Ask for a route
Ask how to get to the museum from here.
¿Cómo llego al museo desde aquí?
Understand the route
Left, Right, and Straight Ahead
to the left
to the right
straight ahead
to turn
to continue, to keep going
to stop
Directions you may hear
Turn left. Informal.
Turn right. Polite.
Keep going straight. Informal.
Keep going straight. Polite.
Informal and polite forms: you may hear gira and sigue with someone addressed as tú. Gire and siga are common polite forms with usted.
Give two directions
Tell someone politely to continue straight and then turn right.
Siga todo recto.
Gire a la derecha.
Listen for landmarks
Street and Navigation Words
street
corner
city block
traffic light
intersection, crossing
map
Turn right at the traffic light.
Continue for two blocks.
It is on the next corner.
Regional note: cuadra is common for a city block in many parts of Latin America. Vocabulary for city blocks can vary by region.
Cardinal directions
north
south
east
west
Describe where something is
Location Words
near
far from
next to
between
across from, opposite
here
The pharmacy is next to the bank.
The museum is between the library and the hotel.
The station is across from the park.
Describe a location
Say that the pharmacy is next to the bank.
La farmacia está al lado del banco.
Put it together
Asking a Stranger for Directions
Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?
Continue straight for two blocks.
Then, turn right at the traffic light.
Is it far?
No, it is nearby.
Ask and answer
Ask where the bus stop is, then say it is across from the park.
¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?
Está enfrente del parque.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Directions
Choose the Spanish that best fits each location or navigation situation.
Practice complete
You can ask for and follow basic directions in Spanish.
A few direction words to revisit
One last step: give a short route without choices.
Write four lines telling someone how to get from a hotel to a museum. Include straight ahead, a turn, one street landmark, and one location phrase.
Siga todo recto por dos cuadras.
Gire a la derecha en el semáforo.
Siga hasta la próxima esquina.
El museo está al lado del banco.
Someone tells you to turn left. Which phrase matches?
- Gire a la izquierda.
- Gire a la derecha.
- Siga todo recto.
- Pare en la esquina.
A la izquierda means “to the left.”
Gire a la izquierda.
You want directions for how to get to the museum. Which question fits?
- ¿Cómo llego al museo?
- ¿Dónde está el museo?
- ¿Está lejos el museo?
- ¿Hay un museo cerca de aquí?
¿Cómo llego al museo? asks for the route to the museum.
¿Cómo llego al museo?
You only want to know the location of the train station. Which question fits?
- ¿Dónde está la estación de tren?
- ¿Cómo llego a la estación de tren?
- ¿Está lejos la estación de tren?
- ¿Hay una parada de autobús cerca?
¿Dónde está...? asks where a specific place is located.
¿Dónde está la estación de tren?
Which polite direction means “Continue straight and turn right at the traffic light”?
- Siga todo recto y gire a la derecha en el semáforo.
- Siga todo recto y gire a la izquierda en la esquina.
- Gire a la derecha y siga hasta el parque.
- Siga por dos cuadras y pare frente al hotel.
Siga todo recto means continue straight, and gire a la derecha means turn right.
Siga todo recto y gire a la derecha en el semáforo.
The pharmacy is next to the bank. Which sentence matches?
- La farmacia está al lado del banco.
- La farmacia está enfrente del banco.
- La farmacia está lejos del banco.
- La farmacia está entre el banco y el hotel.
Al lado de means “next to.”
al lado de = next to
The station is across from the park. Which sentence matches?
- La estación está enfrente del parque.
- La estación está al lado del parque.
- La estación está entre el parque y el hotel.
- La estación está lejos del parque.
Enfrente de means “across from” or “opposite.”
enfrente de = across from
The museum is between the library and the hotel. Which sentence matches?
- El museo está entre la biblioteca y el hotel.
- El museo está al lado de la biblioteca, cerca del hotel.
- El museo está enfrente de la biblioteca, al lado del hotel.
- El museo está lejos de la biblioteca, cerca del hotel.
Entre means “between.”
entre = between
Which Spanish word means “traffic light”?
- semáforo
- esquina
- cuadra
- calle
Semáforo means “traffic light.”
semáforo = traffic light