Knowing how to give and receive directions in Spanish is probably one of the most valuable things that you can have up your sleeve when traveling around. Imagine getting disoriented in a strange new city and not knowing how to get back to your hotel. That could be pretty disconcerting, but if you can simply ask a local for directions, then a stressful situation is easily averted.
Getting lost in a new city is a great way to find hidden gems, but you also want to be able to find your way home again. By memorizing the directions in Spanish, you will be able to call on them whenever you need to.
Resources for further reading:
Rocket Record lets you perfect your Spanish pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
¿Dónde está…?
Where is…?
¿Dónde está el hotel?
Where is the hotel?
¿Dónde está la iglesia?
Where is the church?
¿Cómo se va a Madrid?
How does one get to Madrid?
Izquierda
Left
Derecha
Right
A la izquierda
To the left
A la derecha
To the right
Derecho
Straight
Al final del/de
At the end of
Al comienzo del/de
At the beginning of
Hacia el oeste
To the west
Hacia al norte
To the north
Hacia al sur
To the south
Hacia el este
To the east
A la vuelta
Around the corner
El puente
The bridge
Al lado del/ de
Next to
Delante del/ de
In front of
If you want to know where something is, you can ask “Excuse me, where is the ____?” by saying, “Disculpa, donde esta el/la _____?” Listen carefully for the reply and you are set to go, some verifying what you heard with hand movements might help too.
Can’t get enough of Spanish? Here are some more free Spanish lessons to boost your Spanish:
Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish
Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!