Where it is and how to get there: prepositions of place, del and al
Giving directions has two halves: saying where the place is, and saying how to walk there. For example: “La parada está enfrente del cine, al lado del semáforo” — The stop is opposite the cinema, next to the traffic light. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Giving directions has two halves: saying where the place is, and saying how to walk there.
Almost every preposition of place is two words ending in de. Enfrente de, detrás de, al lado de, cerca de, lejos de. While a name follows, de is obligatory: detrás de la iglesia. Take the name away and de goes too: el coche está detrás.
Then the glue. De plus el must fuse into del, and a plus el into al: al lado del banco, voy al centro. De el banco is impossible. Other articles are untouched: de la plaza.
And the command. To a stranger you use usted: siga todo recto, gire a la derecha, cruce la calle. A Spaniard gives distance in minutes: está a diez minutos andando.
Table
| in English | in Spanish | the trap |
|---|---|---|
| opposite the pharmacy | enfrente de la farmacia | the 'de' cannot be dropped |
| next to the bank | al lado del banco | de + el = del |
| I'm going downtown | voy al centro | a + el = al |
| the pharmacy is over there | la farmacia está allí | I know it exists |
| is there a pharmacy? | ¿hay una farmacia? | I don't know if it exists |
| go straight on | siga todo recto | a command in usted |
| turn right | gire a la derecha | with tú: gira |
By example
- La parada está enfrente del cine, al lado del semáforoThe stop is opposite the cinema, next to the traffic light
- ¿Hay un cajero por aquí? — Sí, está en la esquinaIs there a cash machine around here? — Yes, it is on the corner
- Siga todo recto hasta el final de la calle y cruce el puenteGo straight on to the end of the street and cross the bridge
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Where it is and how to get there: how does it work in Spanish?
Giving directions has two halves: saying where the place is, and saying how to walk there.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“La parada está enfrente del cine, al lado del semáforo” — The stop is opposite the cinema, next to the traffic light. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.