Directions · Las direcciones
20 Spanish words — each with a picture, audio and an example sentence. Ask where it is, understand the answer, and actually get there.
| Picture | English | Spanish · Español | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | where is…? | ¿dónde está…? | Location of people and things takes estar; dónde carries an accent in questions. |
 | to the right | a la derecha | La derecha is also the political right. |
 | to the left | a la izquierda | Izquierda is one of Spanish's few Basque loanwords (ezkerra). |
 | straight ahead | todo recto | Don't confuse derecho (straight) with derecha (right); in Latin America derecho is the usual word. |
 | keep straight | sigue derecho | 🔗 Word familyFrom seguir (to keep going); stem change e→i: sigue. |
 | turn | gira | 🌎 RegionIn Latin America also: dobla. |
 | up | arriba | Also 'upstairs / on top'; calle arriba — up the street. |
 | down | abajo | Opposite of arriba; calle abajo — down the street. |
 | near | cerca | Before a noun: cerca de. As a noun, la cerca is a fence. |
 | far | lejos | Lejos de — far from; a lo lejos — in the distance. |
 | here | aquí | 🌎 RegionIn Latin America also common: acá. |
 | there | allí | Farther away: allá. |
 | corner | la esquina | A street corner; an inside corner (of a room) is el rincón. |
 | block | la cuadra | 🌎 RegionIn Spain: la manzana — yes, the same word as 'apple'! |
 | traffic light | el semáforo | The everyday word in Spanish, though English 'semaphore' sounds technical. |
 | intersection | el cruce | 🔗 Word familyFrom cruzar (to cross); cf. la cruz. |
 | in front of | enfrente de | Also frente a. Gender pair: el frente (front) vs la frente (forehead). |
 | next to | al lado de | Literally 'at the side of' — el lado (side). |
 | between | entre | Both 'between' and 'among'; note subject pronouns after it: entre tú y yo. |
 | behind | detrás de | Opposite: delante de (in front of). |