Knowing how to ask for and give directions in Spanish is very important when traveling abroad to a Spanish speaking country.
Although sometimes it can be an adventure to get lost when traveling abroad, it isn’t always as much fun. Getting completely lost in a city you don’t know, can sometimes be stressful and even dangerous.
Thus, I gathered the vocabulary that you need to ask for and give directions in Spanish in this post, in order to get ready to your next trip. 🙂
Directions in Spanish – Vocabulary
LOCATIONS AND LANDMARKS
When asking for or giving directions, it is important to know some key vocabulary.
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| El apartamento | Apartment |
| El aseo/los aseos El baño/los baños El cuarto de aseo/baño El lavabo El servicio/los servicios | Bathroom Restroom |
| La autopista La autovía | Freeway Highway |
| La avenida | Avenue |
| El barrio | Neighborhood |
| La biblioteca | Library |
| La calle | Street |
| El camino | Unpaved road Way Path |
| La carretera | Road Highway |
| La catedral | Cathedral |
| El centro | Center Downtown |
| El edificio | Building |
| La escuela El colegio | School |
| La estación de autobuses La terminal de autobuses | Bus station |
| La estación de metro | Metro station |
| La estación de tranvía | Tram station Streetcar station |
| La estación de tren | Train station |
| El hostal | Hostal |
| El hotel | Hotel |
| La iglesia | Church |
| El jardín | Garden |
| La lavandería | Laundrymat |
| La manzana | Block |
| El mercado | Market |
| El museo | Museum |
| La oficina de correos | Post office |
| La oficina de turismo | Turism office |
| El palacio | Palace |
| La parada de autobús | Bus stop |
| El parque | Park |
| La playa | Beach |
| La plaza | Square Plaza |
| La plaza de toros | Bullring |
| El puerto | Port Harbor |
| El restaurante | Restaurant |
| El río | River |
| El supermercado | Supermarket Grocery store |
| El teatro | Theater |
| La tienda | Shop |
| El zoológico | Zoo |
PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
Prepositions of place or location express where things are often, relative to other objects or to other people, places and things.
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Alrededor de | Around |
| Al lado de Junto a | Next to |
| Antes de | Before |
| Atrás de | Behind In the back of |
| Cerca de Junto a | Near Close to |
| Debajo de | Under Underneath Beneath Below |
| Delante de | In front of Ahead of |
| Dentro de En | Inside In |
| Después de | After |
| Detrás de | Behind |
| En | In On |
| Encima de Sobre En | Above Over On the top of On |
| Enfrente de Frente a Delante de | Across from Opposite In front of Facing |
| Entre | Between |
| Fuera de | Out of |
| Lejos de | Far from Far away from |
ADVERBS AND ADVERB PHRASES OF PLACE
Adverbs and adverb phrases of place express where the action of the verb is carried out.
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| Abajo | Downstairs Below |
| Ahí | There |
| Al lado | Nearby |
| A la derecha | To the right On the right |
| Al final | At the end |
| Al fondo | At the back At the end |
| A la izquierda | To the left On the left |
| Al otro lado | Across On the other side |
| Allí | Over there |
| Aquí | Here |
| Arriba | Upstairs Above Up |
| Cerca | Nearby Close Near Close by |
| Debajo | Underneath Beneath |
| Delante | In front At front Ahead |
| Dentro | Inside |
| Derecho Recto | Straight Straight ahead |
| Detrás | Behind At the back |
| Encima | Above On On top |
| Enfrente | Across Opposite In front of |
| Fuera | Outside |
| Lejos | Far Far away |
HOW TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS
There are many ways to ask for directions. Above all, keep in mind the main verbs we use are: Estar, encontrar, encontrarse, ir, llegar and quedar.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo llego al centro? | How do I get/arrive to Downtown? |
| ¿Cómo puedo llegar a la estación de tren? | How can I get/arrive to the train station? |
| ¿Cómo se llega al mercado? | How do you get/arrive to the market? |
| ¿Cómo se va al museo? ¿Cómo voy al museo? | How do I go to the museum? |
| ¿Cómo voy desde la plaza hasta el centro? | How do I go from the square to/until downtown? |
| ¿Dónde está el baño? | Where is the bathroom/restroom? |
| ¿Dónde puedo encontrar la biblioteca? | Where can I find the library? |
| ¿Dónde queda la calle Aragón? | Where is Aragón street? |
| ¿Dónde se encuentra la catedral? | Where is the cathedral? |
| ¿En qué parte del barrio se encuentra la oficina de correos? | In what part of the neighborhood is the post office? |
| ¿Qué hay detrás del teatro? | What is behind the theater? |
HOW TO GIVE DIRECTIONS
It is not all about learning how to ask for directions, you also have to understand those directions.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Detrás del teatro hay un restaurante | Behind the theater there is a restaurant |
| El baño está al fondo | The bathroom is at the back |
| Gire/a/as a la derecha | Turn to the right |
| La biblioteca se encuentra en el centro | The library is in downtown |
| La calle Aragón queda cerca de la estación de autobuses | Aragón street is close to the bus station |
| La oficina de correos se encuentra en el centro | The post office is in downtown |
| Siga/sigue/sigues derecho/recto | Keep straight |
| Tome/a/as la avenida San Antonio Coja/coge/es la avenida San Antonio | Take San Antonio avenue |
| Vaya/ve/vas derecho/recto hasta la plaza Cataluña | Go straight until Cataluña Square |
| Vaya/ve/vas hacia la calle Valencia | Go toward Valencia street |
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, I made easier for you to learn and practice how to ask for and give directions in Spanish.
I encourage you to get familiar with this vocabulary and use it in your next adventure! 🙂
Have you ever been lost in a Spanish speaking country? Were you able to find your way?
Leave your answers below, in the comment section.
Before you leave, do Spain and its language interest you? Then, you may find our online Spanish classes helpful. With these classes, you will practice your speaking and listening skills with a native speaker from Spain.
Hola and hi, I am Inés and I am the author of all the posts in the ConvoSpanish blog. My goal is to offer free content for people to practice their Spanish. Creating and maintaining the blog takes a lot of my free time however, due to my love of sharing Spanish with you, I will keep adding and updating the content in the blog. If you like the content of this post and believe that it helps you, please consider donating. I need coffee to keep me going while creating the posts. Aren´t they worth at least a cup of coffee? 😛 Any amount is appreciated. Donations will be used to support the free blog.
