Have you ever understood every word someone said in Spanish and still had absolutely no idea where you were supposed to go? Directions have a funny way of doing that.
Someone says “todo recto, gira a la derecha y cruza la plaza” (go straight ahead, turn right, and cross the square), and suddenly your brain decides that left and right are advanced grammar.
Directions in Spanish are one of the main topics I work on with my students, especially when they are planning to come to Spain, whether for a vacation or to live here. It is practical Spanish in the truest sense. You may need it five minutes after leaving the airport, after all.
So, let’s learn the words and phrases you actually need, how people give directions in real conversations, and a few cultural details that can save you from wandering around the same square three times.
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How do you say directions in Spanish?
Let’s start with a surprisingly useful question: how do you say directions in Spanish?
The most common word is “indicaciones” (directions or instructions). You may also hear “direcciones”, but there is an important difference.
“Dirección” often means “address” rather than the instructions for getting somewhere.
For example: “¿Cuál es la dirección del hotel?” (What is the address of the hotel?)
But if you want someone to explain how to reach the hotel, you could say: “¿Me puede dar indicaciones para llegar al hotel?” (Can you give me directions to the hotel?)
In everyday conversation, however, Spanish speakers often skip the word “indicaciones” completely.
We usually ask where something is or how to get there:
- “¿Dónde está la estación?” (Where is the station?)
- “¿Cómo llego a la Plaza Mayor?” (How do I get to Plaza Mayor?)
Those two questions will take you very far.
Essential direction words in Spanish
Before we start building full sentences, you need a small group of direction words in Spanish that appear constantly in real conversations.
You do not need to memorize a huge dictionary. It’s better to start with the words you are most likely to hear while standing on a street corner looking slightly confused.
Those are:
- “A la derecha” (To the right). “Gira a la derecha después del banco.” (Turn right after the bank.)
- “A la izquierda” (To the left). “La farmacia está a la izquierda.” (The pharmacy is on the left.)
- “Todo recto” (Straight ahead). This is extremely common in Spain. “Sigue todo recto hasta el semáforo.” (Continue straight ahead until the traffic light.)
- “Delante de” (In front of). “El museo está delante del parque.” (The museum is in front of the park.)
- “Detrás de” (Behind). “El restaurante está detrás de la iglesia.” (The restaurant is behind the church.)
- “Al lado de” (Next to). “Hay un supermercado al lado del hotel.” (There is a supermarket next to the hotel.)
- “Enfrente de” (Opposite/across from). “La parada está enfrente del banco.” (The stop is across from the bank.)
- “Cerca de” (Near). “La estación está cerca del centro.” (The station is near downtown.)
- “Lejos de” (Far from). “¿Está muy lejos de aquí?” (Is it very far from here?)
These expressions form the basic vocabulary for directions in Spanish, and you will hear them again and again.
A small detail that often causes confusion is “derecho” versus “derecha”.
“Derecha” means “right,” as in the direction.
“Todo derecho” or “todo recto” means “straight ahead.”
In Spain, “todo recto” is particularly common.
How to ask for directions in Spanish
Knowing how to ask for directions in Spanish is more useful than memorizing twenty complicated phrases. In a real conversation, simple usually wins.
There are several natural ways to do it, depending on the situation.
Start politely
If you stop someone in the street, begin with “Perdona” or “Perdone” (excuse me, sorry).
“Perdona” is informal. “Perdone” is more formal and can sound a little more polite when speaking to someone you do not know.
For example: “Perdone, ¿sabe dónde está la estación de metro?” (Excuse me, do you know where the subway station is?)
That is a very natural question in Spain.
You can also say: “Disculpe, ¿me puede ayudar?” (Excuse me, can you help me?)
Then explain what you are looking for.
Ask where a place is
The easiest structure is:
“¿Dónde está…?” (Where is…?)
For example:
- “¿Dónde está el baño?” (Where is the bathroom?)
- “¿Dónde está la estación de tren?” (Where is the train station?)
- “¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?” (Where is the bus stop?)
Ask how to get somewhere
If the place is farther away, “¿Cómo llego a…?” (How do I get to…?) is extremely useful.
- “¿Cómo llego al centro?” (How do I get downtown?)
- “¿Cómo llego a la catedral?” (How do I get to the cathedral?)
You can also use:
- “¿Cómo se va a…?” (How do you get to…?)
- “¿Cómo se va a la playa desde aquí?” (How do you get to the beach from here?)
Both sound natural.
How to understand Spanish directions when someone answers
Asking the question is often the easy part. The real challenge starts when the person answers at full speed.
This happens to many students. You might proudly ask a perfect question, and then someone responds with a thirty-second explanation involving three streets, a roundabout, a bakery, and a building that “you can’t miss.”
The trick is to listen for key verbs and landmarks.
Common verbs you will hear
Spanish directions often use commands:
- “Gira” means “turn.”
- “Sigue” means “continue” or “keep going.”
- “Cruza” means “cross.”
- “Sube” means “go up.”
- “Baja” means “go down.”
- “Coge” can mean “take,” and it is extremely common in Spain.
For example: “Coge la segunda calle a la izquierda.” (Take the second street on the left.)
In many Latin American countries, speakers may prefer verbs such as “toma” instead of “coge”.
Listen for landmarks
People rarely give directions using street names alone.
You may hear:
- “Después del supermercado…” (After the supermarket…)
- “Antes del semáforo…” (Before the traffic light…)
- “Al llegar a la plaza…” (When you reach the square…)
- “Justo enfrente de la iglesia…” (Right across from the church…)
This is particularly common in older Spanish cities, where streets may twist, change names, or suddenly turn into tiny pedestrian lanes.
How to tell directions in Spanish
If someone asks you for help, knowing how to tell directions in Spanish is just as useful.
You do not need sophisticated grammar. Short commands, landmarks, and clear steps work best.
Imagine someone asks: “Perdona, ¿cómo llego al mercado?” (Excuse me, how do I get to the market?)
You could answer: “Sigue todo recto, gira a la izquierda en el semáforo y el mercado está al lado de la farmacia.” (Continue straight ahead, turn left at the traffic light, and the market is next to the pharmacy.)
Simple and clear.
Another example: “Cruza la plaza y coge la primera calle a la derecha.” (Cross the square and take the first street on the right.)
Notice how useful “primera” (first) and “segunda” (second) are when giving Spanish directions.
“Coge la segunda calle a la izquierda.” (Take the second street on the left.)
That sentence is worth remembering almost as one complete chunk.
How to say directions in Spanish using landmarks
When students ask me how to say directions in Spanish naturally, I usually tell them not to obsess over street names.
Spanish speakers often use visible reference points. Some especially useful phrases are:
- “Está al lado de…” (It is next to…)
- “Está enfrente de…” (It is opposite…)
- “Está entre… y…” (It is between… and…)
- “Está justo después de…” (It is just after…)
- “Está haciendo esquina.” (It is on the corner.)
For example:
- “El banco está haciendo esquina, enfrente de la cafetería.” (The bank is on the corner, across from the café.)
- “La farmacia está entre el supermercado y la panadería.” (The pharmacy is between the supermarket and the bakery.)
You can already give surprisingly good directions with just these structures.
Useful vocabulary for directions in Spanish
There is another group of words that becomes especially helpful once someone starts describing streets and intersections.
You may hear “calle” (street), “avenida” (avenue), “esquina” (corner), “cruce” (intersection), “semáforo” (traffic light), “rotonda” (roundabout), “puente” (bridge), and “plaza” (square).
And something worth keeping in mind: in Spain, “rotonda” is especially important if you are driving.
You might hear:
- “En la rotonda, toma la segunda salida.” (At the roundabout, take the second exit.)
- “Pasa el puente y gira a la derecha.” (Cross the bridge and turn right.)
Cities in Spain also have many “plazas”. Do not automatically translate them as “squares” when thinking about directions. Just treat the “plaza” as a major landmark.
For example: “El restaurante está al otro lado de la plaza.” (The restaurant is on the other side of the square.)
Asking for directions in Spain beyond language itself
There are a few cultural habits worth knowing if you plan to use directions in Spanish while traveling or living in Spain.
First, asking strangers for directions is completely normal. Beginning with “Perdona” or “Perdone” makes the interaction feel much more natural than immediately asking “¿Dónde está…?”
You may also receive very enthusiastic directions. Someone might point, use both hands, give you three different landmarks, and finish with: “No tiene pérdida.” (You can’t miss it.)
Sometimes you absolutely can miss it, of course.
Another expression you may hear is: “Está aquí al lado.” (It’s right nearby.)
Be careful with that one. Spanish ideas of “nearby” can occasionally involve more walking than you expected.
In cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, metro stations are common reference points. In smaller towns, people may use a plaza, church, town hall, bar, or supermarket as the landmark instead.
And if you are confused, ask again. There is nothing strange about saying:
- “Perdona, ¿a la derecha o a la izquierda?” (Sorry, to the right or to the left?)
- “¿Está muy lejos andando?” (Is it very far on foot?)
That second question is especially useful in Spain, where walking is often the easiest way to move around city centers.
Something to keep in mind: the directions in Spanish can change across countries
The basic language works across the Spanish-speaking world, but you will notice some regional differences.
In Spain, you will commonly hear “coge” for “take,” as in “coge esta calle” (take this street).
In many parts of Latin America, “toma” is more common.
The word for “bus” also changes:
- In Spain, “autobús” is standard.
- In Mexico, you may hear “camión” in some contexts.
- In Argentina, “colectivo” is very common.
- In parts of the Caribbean, “guagua” can mean bus.
So if someone tells you “toma el colectivo” in Buenos Aires, they are not asking you to join a mysterious organization. They are telling you to take the bus.
The core direction language, however, remains very similar. Words such as “derecha”, “izquierda”, “recto”, “cerca”, and “lejos” will be used almost everywhere.
What to say when you do not understand
This might be the most practical section of the entire guide, since you will not always understand the answer.
That’s because native speakers can speak quickly, and directions contain lots of information in a very short time.
If that happens to you, use these rescue phrases:
- “¿Puede repetirlo, por favor?” (Can you repeat that, please?). Perfect when you understood almost nothing.
- “¿Más despacio, por favor?” (More slowly, please?). Short, polite, and extremely useful.
- “Entonces, ¿giro a la derecha aquí?” (So, do I turn right here?). Repeating the instruction helps you confirm that you understood correctly.
- “¿Está lejos?” (Is it far?). Useful before accidentally committing yourself to a forty-minute walk.
- “¿Cuánto se tarda andando?” (How long does it take on foot?). A very natural phrase in Spain.
You can also show the location on your phone and ask:
- “Quiero ir aquí. ¿Voy bien?” (I want to go here. Am I going the right way?)
- “¿Voy bien para la estación?” (Am I going the right way for the station?)
I like teaching “¿Voy bien?” quite early because it solves a wonderfully specific problem: you have already started walking, but you are no longer confident that your life choices were correct.
Common mistakes with directions in Spanish
A few mistakes appear again and again in class.
One is confusing “derecho” and “derecha”.
If someone says “Sigue derecho.” (Continue straight.), they are not telling you to continue to the right, but straight.
Another common problem is forgetting contractions.
We say “Voy al centro” (I’m going downtown.), not “voy a el centro”. Likewise, “Está al lado del banco” (It is next to the bank.), not “al lado de el banco.”
Students also sometimes translate “turn” using “volver”. But “volver” usually means “to return.”
For directions, use “girar”, as in “Gira a la izquierda” (Turn left.).
That one small correction makes your Spanish immediately clearer.
A real-life conversation using directions in Spanish
Let’s finish with the kind of conversation you could genuinely have in Spain.
- “Perdone, ¿sabe cómo llegar a la estación de tren?” (Excuse me, do you know how to get to the train station?)
- “Sí. Sigue todo recto hasta la plaza y gira a la derecha. Después, coge la segunda calle a la izquierda.” (Yes. Continue straight ahead until the square and turn right. Then take the second street on the left.)
- “¿Está muy lejos?” (Is it very far?)
- “No, unos diez minutos andando. La estación está enfrente de un hotel grande.” (No, about ten minutes on foot. The station is across from a large hotel.)
- “Vale, muchas gracias.” (Okay, thank you very much.)
- “De nada.” (You’re welcome.)
Nothing in that conversation is particularly advanced, and that is exactly the point.
As I mentioned earlier, learning directions in Spanish is less about complicated grammar and more about recognizing a small group of useful words quickly.
Start with “derecha”, “izquierda”, “todo recto”, “al lado de”, and “enfrente de”. Then practice asking “¿Dónde está…?” and “¿Cómo llego a…?”
Once those phrases become automatic, getting around becomes much easier. And the next time someone in Spain tells you to cross a plaza, pass a bakery, turn at a roundabout, and continue until you see a church, you might even know exactly where you are going.
Or well, at least most of the time, right? 😉
Are you learning how to give and understand directions because you’re planning to travel to, move to, or spend time in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country? Would you like to practise in a safe environment with a native teacher?
In my private Spanish lessons, we can work on directions or any other topic you’d like to practise. My classes are fully tailored to your goals, level, and interests.
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