Pralingo

Spanish · A1 · Communication

Asking for and giving directions

Right, left, straight ahead – you already have the words. Now you are really out in the street: you stop someone, ask the way, understand the answer and say thank you. Or someone asks you, and you explain the way in a few words.

Asking

Stop the person with Perdón and ask one of three questions: Perdón, ¿dónde está la farmacia? ¿Cómo llego al museo? Or, if you just need any bank: ¿Hay un banco cerca? Asking a follow-up question is fine: ¿Está lejos?

Explaining the way

A route is made of short steps: Sigue todo recto. Gira a la derecha. Gira a la izquierda. Cruza la calle. With y or después you link them: Sigue todo recto y después gira a la izquierda.

Saying where the place is

At the end you use está to say where the place is: Está al lado del hotel. Está enfrente de la iglesia. Está muy cerca.

al and del

When a or de meets el, they merge: a + el = al, de + el = del. So ¿Cómo llego al museo? and al lado del banco. Before la nothing changes: ¿Cómo llego a la estación?, enfrente de la plaza.

If you don't know – and at the end

Not from around here yourself? Lo siento, no soy de aquí. And at the end: Muchas gracias. – De nada.

Examples

  • — Perdón, ¿dónde está el banco? — Sigue todo recto y gira a la derecha.
  • — ¿Cómo llego al museo? — Está muy cerca, enfrente del parque.
  • — ¿Hay una farmacia cerca? — Lo siento, no soy de aquí.
  • — Muchas gracias. — De nada.

Exercises

A1CommunicationAsking for and giving directions

Exercise 1 of 6

Question, route or destination?

A conversation about the way has three parts: the question, the route and where the destination is.

Sort each sentence: is the person asking the way, explaining a step of the route, or saying where the destination is?

Sigue todo recto.
Está al lado del banco.
Perdón, ¿dónde está la farmacia?
Gira a la izquierda.
Está muy cerca.
¿Cómo llego al museo?
Está enfrente del parque.
Cruza la calle.
¿Hay un banco cerca?
Gira en la primera calle a la derecha.

Asks the way

Explains the route

Says where the destination is

A1CommunicationAsking for and giving directions

Exercise 2 of 6

Where does the person want to go?

Tourists stop you in the street and ask the way.

Click 🔊 and choose the picture of the place the person is looking for. Careful: she often also mentions a second place as a landmark.

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A1CommunicationAsking for and giving directions

Exercise 3 of 6

What does the passer-by answer?

A tourist asks a woman in the street for directions.

Match each question or remark from the tourist with the right answer.

A1CommunicationAsking for and giving directions

Exercise 4 of 6

al or a la? del or de la?

In questions about the way and in directions, a and de often meet the article.

Choose the correct form. Check whether the place is masculine (el) or feminine (la).
Perdón, ¿cómo llego museo?
¿Y cómo llego estación de tren?
El banco está al lado hotel.
La farmacia está enfrente plaza.
El hotel está cerca parque.
¿El supermercado está lejos centro?
A1CommunicationAsking for and giving directions

Exercise 5 of 6

Straight ahead and then right

Drag the words into the correct order for a set of directions.

A tourist asks you the way. Tell her: first straight ahead, then turn right.

A1CommunicationAsking for and giving directions

Exercise 6 of 6

In the street in Seville

Write what you say in each situation. The punctuation is already there.

You are looking for a pharmacy. Ask where the pharmacy is.
— Perdón, ¿?
Ask how to get to the museum.
— Perdón, ¿?
Ask whether there is a bank nearby.
— Perdón, ¿?
Now someone asks you the way to the hotel. Say: go straight ahead.
— .
Say: turn left.
— .
Say: it's next to the station.
— .
The person says "Muchas gracias." Answer.
— .