Spanish for Travel
How to Ask for Directions in Spanish
Asking a location question is only the beginning. Practice recognizing the direction words in the answer so you have something useful to listen for after you ask.
Useful Spanish phrases
Read each phrase with its English meaning. Then cover the translation and picture when you would use it.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Dónde está la estación? | Where is the station? |
| Siga todo recto. | Keep going straight. |
| Gire a la derecha. | Turn right. |
| Gire a la izquierda. | Turn left. |
| ¿Está lejos de aquí? | Is it far from here? |
| Está al lado del banco. | It is next to the bank. |
Like learning through everyday situations? See how HeyHola brings them into practice.
Ask for a destination
The station question names a specific place. Read it with the English meaning, then picture yourself asking someone nearby. The distance question is a useful follow-up when you need to know whether the place is far from here. It does not by itself ask for a street-by-street route.
Listen for steps and landmarks
Straight ahead, right, and left are separate instructions in the phrase table. In the illustrative dialogue, Carlos gives two steps. The final phrase instead locates something beside a bank. Practice sorting instructions from location descriptions before trying to remember the whole exchange.
Try a short conversation
An illustrative practice scene using the phrases above. Pauses leave room for replies that may vary in a real conversation.
- Ana
- ¿Dónde está la estación?Where is the station?
- Carlos
- Siga todo recto.Keep going straight.
- Carlos
- Gire a la derecha.Turn right.
A common mistake to avoid
Do not swap right and left while concentrating on the sentence around them. Point in each direction as you practice, then check the translation. The exercise is not navigation to an actual station.
A note for real life
These direction instructions use polite usted forms. A real reply may contain local place names, distances, or landmarks outside this lesson.
PICO’S PRACTICE TIP
Your turn
Ask the station question. Have a partner choose one direction phrase at random while you point to its meaning. Add the slower-speech request from the related lesson if you need another listen.
Phrase source: HeyHola’s authored app lessons.