Asking the way in Spanish
18 words Spanish words on the topic “asking the way”: ¿dónde está? — where is it?, la derecha — right, la izquierda — left, todo recto — straight ahead. 18 words can be played from recordings.
18 words on the topic
- ¿dónde está?where is it?Literally 'where is it located?': dónde is 'where', está is 'it is'. The verb is never dropped the way English drops it
- la derecharightLa derecha is the right-hand side; el derecho is a right, as in law. Only the gender tells them apart
- la izquierdaleftNot a Latin word but a Basque one — a rarity in Spanish. A left-handed person is zurdo
- todo rectostraight aheadOn the street they say todo recto. Keep the todo: as a standalone noun, el recto is the rectum
- cercanearbyCerca de is 'next to something': cerca de casa. Without the de it's just 'close'
- lejosfarAlways carries the final s, even about a single place. Lejos de is far from something
- aquíhereSpanish splits space into three: aquí is right here with me, ahí is there with you, allí is over there in the distance
- allíthereThe far 'there', out of both speakers' reach. The closer 'over by you' is ahí
- cómo se va ahow do you get toLiterally how does one go to: the impersonal se does the job of a generic you. The preposition a is required
- llegar ato get toAlways with a before the place, and with casa no article: llegar a casa. Making it on time is llegar a tiempo
- al otro ladoon the other sideThe merged al (a + el) is obligatory. Of what exactly — that comes with de: al otro lado de la calle
- a dos pasostwo steps awaySteps counted the way you'd expect, with the preposition a. Where from — added separately: a dos pasos de aquí
- a la vuelta de la esquinaaround the cornerLiterally at the turn of the corner. Said of close deadlines too: el examen está a la vuelta de la esquina
- a la izquierda deto the left ofDrop the de and you get plain on the left. Before a masculine word de el merges: a la izquierda del banco
- a la derecha deto the right ofThe twin of a la izquierda de. La derecha on its own is also the political right
- en medioin the middleIn the middle of what comes with de: en medio de la plaza. As a noun el medio is the middle, the means
- el próximo girothe next turnEl giro is a turn as an action; the bend of the road itself is la curva
- de caminoon the wayMe pilla de camino — it's on my way. On the way to where comes with a: de camino a casa
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- ¿Dónde está el metro?Where is the metro?
- La farmacia queda a la derechaThe pharmacy is on the right
- Gire a la izquierda en el semáforoTurn left at the traffic light
- Siga todo rectoKeep going straight ahead
- El mercado está cerca de casaThe market is close to home
- No está lejos, son diez minutos andandoIt's not far, ten minutes on foot
What is worth knowing about these words
¿dónde está? — where is it?. Literally 'where is it located?': dónde is 'where', está is 'it is'. The verb is never dropped the way English drops it
la derecha — right. La derecha is the right-hand side; el derecho is a right, as in law. Only the gender tells them apart
la izquierda — left. Not a Latin word but a Basque one — a rarity in Spanish. A left-handed person is zurdo
todo recto — straight ahead. On the street they say todo recto. Keep the todo: as a standalone noun, el recto is the rectum
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ¿dónde está? — where is it?.
- What is this word?
It is allí — there.
- What is this word?
It is a la derecha de — to the right of.
- What is this word?
It is todo recto — straight ahead.
- What is this word?
It is al otro lado — on the other side.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “where is it?” in Spanish?
Literally 'where is it located?': dónde is 'where', está is 'it is'. The verb is never dropped the way English drops it
- How do you say “there” in Spanish?
The far 'there', out of both speakers' reach. The closer 'over by you' is ahí
- How do you say “to the right of” in Spanish?
The twin of a la izquierda de. La derecha on its own is also the political right
- How do you say “straight ahead” in Spanish?
On the street they say todo recto. Keep the todo: as a standalone noun, el recto is the rectum
- How do you say “on the other side” in Spanish?
The merged al (a + el) is obligatory. Of what exactly — that comes with de: al otro lado de la calle
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “where is it?” in Spanish?
«¿dónde está?» Literally 'where is it located?': dónde is 'where', está is 'it is'. The verb is never dropped the way English drops it. It is one of 18 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.
How many direction words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 18 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 18 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.