In this class we’re going to look in detail at how to ask for directions in Spanish. So, if staring at a map and looking helpless isn’t your thing, stay with us!
As well as asking for directions, we’ll also go into detail on giving directions, because, let’s be honest, what’s the point in being able to ask for directions in Spanish if you can’t understand the response?
The class is also a good introduction to describing location and position in Spanish.
This article is from our Travel Spanish section, which we will be busy adding to in winter 2017/2018.
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Where is…
The following questions aren’t the most sophisticated in the world, but they’re nice, simple questions that get the job done. No fuss. No bother. As they use the ‘usted‘ form of the verb they are suitable for both Spain and the Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America.
- ¿Dónde está el museo?
Where is the museum? - ¿Dónde está la oficina de turismo?
Where is the tourist information office? - ¿Dónde están* los servicios?
Where are the toilets?
The toilet/bathroom is plural in Spanish (servicios), so you’ll need the plural form of ‘estar’ here.
What’s the best way to…
Not sure of the best way to get to the airport, or your hotel?
- ¿Cómo podemos llegar a la estación de tren?
How do we get to the train station? - ¿Cómo se llega a la estación de autobuses?
How to we get to the bus station?
Let’s get a bit more sophisticated
If we want to be a little bit fancier, then we’ll use these indirect questions:
- Perdone, ¿Me podría decir dónde está el ayuntamiento?
Excuse me, could you tell me where the townhall is? - Disculpe, ¿Me podría decir cómo llegar al Hotel Misty?
Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Misty Hotel? - Disculpe, ¿Me podría decir cómo llegar al catedral?
Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the cathedral?
Those were the ‘usted‘ forms. If you’re an informal type, you might want to use the ‘tú’ form:
- ¿Perdona, me podrías decir dónde está el ayuntamiento?
- Disculpa, ¿me podrías decir cómo llegar al Hotel Misty?
- Disculpa, ¿me podrías decir cómo llegar al catedral?
However, remember that the ‘tú‘ form isn’t really used at all in Latin America. You’ll always need ‘usted‘ there. We go into more detail on the differences between tu and usted in our class on basic Spanish questions.
How long…
If time is of the essence, these Spanish questions should come in handy.
- ¿Cuánto se tarda en llegar al puerto?
How long does it take to get to the port? - ¿Cuanto tiempo tarda el autobús en llegar al aeropuerto?
How long does the bus take to get to the airport? - ¿Cuál es la manera más rápida para llegar al centro de la ciudad?
What’s the quickest way to get to the city centre?
Near or far
In my experience, ‘near’ and ‘far’ are relative concepts, so use these questions with caution!
- ¿Está lejos?
Is it far? - ¿Está cerca?
Is it close? - ¿Está cerca de aquí?
Is it close to here? - ¿Está lejos de aquí?
Is it far from here?
Talking about location
You’ve learnt how to ask the questions, so wouldn’t it be great to understand the response? Let’s look at some of the most common ways of talking about the location of something in Spanish:
- Está detrás de la iglesia.
It’s behind the church. - Está ubicada dentro del casco antiguo.
It’s in the old quarter. - Está cerca de aquí
It’s close by. - No está lejos
It’s not far. - El bar está en enfrente de la oficina de correos
The bar is in front of the post office.
Some more examples:
- Está en el casco antiguo.
It’s in the old quarter. - Está en el centro del pueblo.
It’s in the centre of the village. - Está al lado del mar.
It’s next to the sea. - Está detrás de la playa.
It’s behind the beach. - Está muy arriba.
It’s very high up.
Giving directions in Spanish
Here are some typical directions which you might receive. Like in English, most native Spanish speakers will use the imperative tense when giving directions:
- Sigue todo recto
Keep going straight ahead - Siga todo recto
Keep going straight ahead - Gira a la derecha
Turn right - Gira a la izquierda
Turn left - Coge la segunda calle a la izquierda
Take the second street on the left
A note about the imperative
Did you notice in the previous examples how ‘keep going’ can be translated as both ‘sigue’ and ‘siga’ . That’s because, unlike English, the imperative form in Spanish has 4 separate forms: for tu, usted, vosotros, ustedes. Let’s look at the forms for the verb ‘girar’ (turn).
Usted form:
- Gire a la derecha
Turn right
Ustedes form:
- Giren a la derecha
Tú form
- Gira a la derecha
Vosotros form
- Girad a la derecha
Oh, and I should mention that there are also four separate forms for the negative imperative…but that’s something we’ll cover in a future lesson!
Now back to business with some more examples.
- Sigue hasta la esquina y después gira a la derecha
Go to the corner and then turn left. - En la rotunda coge la segunda salida.
Take the second exit at the roundabout.
Al fondo, derecha..
You’ll find that 50% of all bathrooms in Spanish restaurants are located:
- Al fondo, (a la) derecha.
To the back, and to the right.
And the remaining 50% are:
- Al fondo, (a la) izquierda.
To the back, and to the left.
Spanish waiters usually skip the ‘a la’ part, but our rather posh voiceover actress decided to keep it in for the second example.
Giving directions on public transport:
If you’re travelling between cities in Latin America you’ll almost certainly go by coach (autocar). In Spain, you’ll most likely take the train (el tren).
- Hay que coge el autobús numero 3.
You have to take the bus number 3. - Hay que hacer trasbordo en Sants.
You have to change trains at Sants. - Coge la línea 4, la verde.
Take line 4, the green one. - Es mejor pedir un taxi.
It’s better to get a taxi. - Hay que bajar del tren en Sant Celoni.
You need to get off the train in Sant Celoni. - El tren sale desde el andén número 3.
The train leaves from platform 3.
Duration:
- Son cinco minutos caminando.
It’s 5-minutes walk. - Son 10 minutes en coche.
It’s 10 minutes by car.
Be prepared to give some more information if asked?
- ¿Va en coche?
Are you going by car? - ¿Cómo van?
How are you going?
Possible negative responses
Of course, it’s always possible that the person you’ve asked has no idea:
- No sé
I don’t know. - No lo sé
I don’t know (it). - Lo siento, no soy de aquí.
I’m sorry, I’m not from here.
Don’t forget to say thanks.
You wouldn’t do that, would you?
- Muchas gracias.
Thank you very much. - Muchas gracias, muy amable.
Thank you very much, that’s very kind. - Gracias por su ayuda.
Thanks for your help.
Where now?
We’ve got a whole section dedicated to Travel Spanish. Or, take a look at our articles on Really Useful Spanish Phrases.
