Hello there our Spanish learners! We have prepared a new Spanish lesson for you today! And today we are learning something you will need when traveling around Quito, Cuzco, or Sucre: how to ask for and give directions in Spanish!. Something so simple and yet so tricky and important!

Keep reading and enjoy…our lesson of today will take you everywhere! 😉

Objectives: To ask for and give directions, to identify the main places in the city and practice the present tense and imperative in Spanish.
Grammar content: Courtesy expressions, the imperative form, the present tense, verb estar.
Vocabulary: Places in the city

 

How to ask for directions in Spanish?

 

There are couple courtesy expressions we generally use when approaching anyone on the street. In this case, we will use them as an introduction to our question:

– Formal: Disculpe/perdone (excuse me)
– Informal: Disculpa/perdona (excuse me)

Bear in mind that in Spain it is more common to hear the informal expressions disculpa/perdona, in Latin American countries the use of formal courtesy expressions is preferred.

….¿Dónde está….? (where is the/where can I find the…)
….¿Cómo se va hasta…? (How can I get to the…)
….¿Me puede decir cómo se va hasta…? (Could you tell me how to get to…?)

Examples:

Disculpe, ¿dónde está el ayuntamiento?
Excuse me, where can I find the city hall?

Perdone, ¿cómo se va hasta el aeropuerto?
Excuse me, how can I get to the airport?

Disculpa, ¿dónde está el banco?
Excuse me, where can I find the bank?

Perdona, ¿cómo se va hasta la librería?
Excuse me, how can I get to the bookstore?

 

How to understand and give directions in Spanish?

 

When we are asked about a certain direction we commonly use some introductory sentences and then we give the directions.

 

Example:

Disculpe, ¿dónde está la farmacia? Excuse me, where can I find the pharmacy?
Bueno, está un poco lejos…+ direcciones Well, it’s a bit far… + directions

Perdone, ¿me puede decir cómo se va hasta Machu Picchu? Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Machu Picchu?
Sí, claro, es muy fácil + direcciones Sure, it’s super easy + directions

Disculpe, ¿dónde está el hospital? Excuse me, where is the hospital?
Está muy cerca + direcciones It’s very close + directions

 

There are certain verbs commonly used when asking for and giving directions in Spanish. These verbs are: ir (to go), seguir (to keep, to continue), cruzar (to cross), atravesar (to pass through), tomar (to take), girar (to turn).

When we want to give directions or give someone advice in Spanish we use the imperative form. Check out how to form the verbs in imperative in 2nd person singular and plural both formally and informally. (Remember than in Latin American countries it is preferably to address strangers formally, in Spain, it will depend on the age of the person we are talking to).

 

SPANISH IMPERATIVE FORM 2ND PERSON SINGULAR AND PLURAL

---

 

	Singular		Plural
	Formal	Informal	Formal	Informal
Ir (To go)	Vaya	Ve	Vayan	Id
Cruzar (To cross)	Cruce	Cruza	Crucen	Cruzad
Seguir (To continue)	Siga	Sigue	Sigan	Seguid
Atravesar (To pass through)	Atraviese	Atraviesa	Atraviesen	Atravesad
Girar (To turn)	Gire	Gira	Giren	Girad
Tomar (To take)	Tome	Toma	Tomen	Tomad

 

SPANISH IMPERATIVE FORM 2ND PERSON SINGULAR AND PLURAL

---

 

	Singular
	Formal	Informal
Ir (To go)	Vaya	Ve
Cruzar (To cross)	Cruce	Cruza
Seguir (To continue)	Siga	Sigue
Atravesar (To pass through)	Atraviese	Atraviesa
Girar (To turn)	Gire	Gira
Tomar (To take)	Tome	Toma

 

	Plural
	Formal	Informal
Ir (To go)	Vayan	Id
Cruzar (To cross)	Crucen	Cruzad
Seguir (To continue)	Sigan	Seguid
Atravesar (To pass through)	Atraviesen	Atravesad
Girar (To turn)	Giren	Girad
Tomar (To take)	Tomen	Tomad

 

These verbs are always followed by the instructions on where the person has to go. Check these examples out:

 

+ Perdone, ¿dónde está el teatro? Excuse me, where can I find the city theater?

 

– Está muy cerca. Sigue todo recto hasta It’s very close. Continue straight on until	el parque the park
	el final the end
	el cruce the crossing point
	el semáforo the traffic light
	la plaza the square
	la rotonda the roundabout

 

+ Disculpa, ¿dónde está el bar Phillys? Excuse me, where can I find the bar Phillys?

 

– Está un poco lejos. Gira It’s a bit far. Turn	a la derecha right	y cruza	la calle the street
	a la izquierda left		la plaza the square
			el parque the park

 

+ Perdona, ¿cómo se va hasta la piscina? Excuse me, how can I get to the pool?

 

– Es muy fácil. Toma la It’s very easy. Take the	primera first	calle a la	derecha right
	segunda second		izquierda left
	tercera third
	cuarta fourth

 

To finish this lesson, let’s learn some basic vocabulary about the main places in the city.

 

Vocabulary

 

English	Spanish
Airport	Aeropuerto
Bank	Banco
Bar	Bar
Bookstore	Librería
Bus station	Estación de autobús
Café	Cafetería
Cinema	Cine
Drugstore (US)	Farmacia
Gas station (US)	Estación de servicio
Hospital	Hospital
Hotel	Hotel
Market	Mercado
Museum	Museo
Park	Parque
Police station	Comisaría
Post office	Oficina de correos
Restaurant	Restaurante
School	Escuela
Train station	Estación de tren

 

To know more about how to ask and give directions in Spanish (with more expressions) check out this video!

 

 

Time to practice what we have learned! Let’s do this interactive exercise:

 

We hope you have enjoyed and learned a lot with us in this Spanish lesson! See you soon!❤️