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Asking the way in Spanish

18 words in Spanish 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.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

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 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
  • cerca
    nearby
    Cerca de is 'next to something': cerca de casa. Without the de it's just 'close'
  • lejos
    far
    Always carries the final s, even about a single place. Lejos de is far from something
  • aquí
    here
    Spanish splits space into three: aquí is right here with me, ahí is there with you, allí is over there in the distance
  • allí
    there
    The far 'there', out of both speakers' reach. The closer 'over by you' is ahí
  • cómo se va a
    how do you get to
    Literally how does one go to: the impersonal se does the job of a generic you. The preposition a is required
  • llegar a
    to get to
    Always with a before the place, and with casa no article: llegar a casa. Making it on time is llegar a tiempo
  • al otro lado
    on the other side
    The merged al (a + el) is obligatory. Of what exactly — that comes with de: al otro lado de la calle
  • a dos pasos
    two steps away
    Steps counted the way you'd expect, with the preposition a. Where from — added separately: a dos pasos de aquí
  • a la vuelta de la esquina
    around the corner
    Literally at the turn of the corner. Said of close deadlines too: el examen está a la vuelta de la esquina
  • a la izquierda de
    to the left of
    Drop the de and you get plain on the left. Before a masculine word de el merges: a la izquierda del banco
  • a la derecha de
    to the right of
    The twin of a la izquierda de. La derecha on its own is also the political right
  • en medio
    in the middle
    In the middle of what comes with de: en medio de la plaza. As a noun el medio is the middle, the means
  • el próximo giro
    the next turn
    El giro is a turn as an action; the bend of the road itself is la curva
  • de camino
    on the way
    Me pilla de camino — it's on my way. On the way to where comes with a: de camino a casa

Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet

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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.

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.

  1. What is this word?

  2. What is this word?

  3. What is this word?

  4. What is this word?

  5. What is this word?

Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.

  1. How do you say “where is it?” in Spanish?

  2. How do you say “there” in Spanish?

  3. How do you say “to the right of” in Spanish?

  4. How do you say “straight ahead” in Spanish?

  5. How do you say “on the other side” in Spanish?

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.

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?

The whole set on this page is 18 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.

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.

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