Lesson 17 - La Ciudad (The City)
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Pages in this lesson: City - Prepositions of location - Dialogue - Reading - Quiz
This page: Learn how to give directions in Spanish.
Giving Directions in Spanish
Dialogue Lesson
Vocabulary for giving directions
Click on the word to hear the pronunciation.
| Spanish word or phrase | Translation |
|---|---|
| ► Disculpe. (formal - usted form) | Excuse me. (used to get someone's attention) |
| ► Disculpa. (informal - tú form) | Excuse me. (used to get someone's attention) |
| ► ¿Cómo llego a _____? | How do I get to _____? |
| ► llegar | get to, arrive (regular -ar verb) |
| ► dar vuelta | turn (literally, "give turn")* |
| ► a la derecha | to the right |
| ► a la izquierda | to the left |
| ► derecho | straight |
| ► lado (m) | side |
| ► pasar | pass (regular -ar verb) |
| ► tener que | have to |
| ► cuadra (f) | block |
| ► esquina (f) | street corner |
| ► próximo (próxima) | next |
| ► adelante | ahead |
| ► calle (f) | street |
| ► avenida (f) | avenue |
| ► edificio (m) | building |
| ► autopista (f) | highway |
| ► semáforo (m) | traffic light |
| ► alto (m) | stop sign, stop |
*In some countries they say dar vuelta for "turn," while in others they say girar or doblar.
Note: It can be confusing because a la derecha means "to the right," while derecho means "straight." You need to listen carefully when being given directions. To make it even more confusing, derecho can be a masculine adjective meaning "right." For example, you could refer to the "right side" of something as el lado derecho.
You may also use command forms when giving directions. Command forms will be covered in lesson 35. For now, we will stick with present tense verbs.
Practice
Section 1
Select the correct translation.
Cardinal directions
| Cardinal direction | Translation |
|---|---|
| ► norte | north |
| ► sur | south |
| ► este | east |
| ► oeste | west |
| ► noreste | northeast |
| ► sureste | southeast |
| ► suroeste | southwest |
| ► noroeste | northwest |
Practice
Section 2
Look at the compass above. Identify the cardinal direction labeled with a red letter.
- Example:
- A = norte
Listening
Listen to the dialogues and identify which building is being described (A, B or C).
Dialogue
Now read the dialogues.
Dialogue #1 - Between two people who don't know each other (formal - usted form)
- A - Disculpe. ¿Cómo llego al correo?
- B - Para llegar al correo, tiene que pasar la librería y el hotel y luego dar vuelta a la izquierda en la Avenida Reforma. Sigue derecho una cuadra. El correo está en la esquina de la Avenida Reforma y la Calle Segunda, enfrente de la estación de tren.
- A - Gracias.
Dialogue #2 - Between two friends (informal - tú form)
- A – ¿Cómo llego al supermercado?
- B - Es fácil. Das vuelta a la izquierda en la Avenida Central. Vas una cuadra más y el supermercado está en la esquina de la Avenida Central y la Calle Segunda, al lado de la estación de policía.
- A - Gracias.
Dialogue #3 - Between two college students (informal - tú form)
- A - Disculpa. ¿Cómo llego al restaurante?
- B – Sigues derecho y pasas la librería y el hotel. Luego tienes que dar vuelta a la izquierda en la Avenida Reforma. Es el segundo edificio del lado izquierdo, entre el hotel y el banco.
- A - Gracias.
Dictation
Dictations are great for practicing listening and spelling in Spanish. Click on "Listen" to hear the dictation of a sentence. The sentence will be read once quickly and then repeated slowly with pauses to write the words. Write the sentence in the textbox. Click on "Check" to check your answer. Don't forget to use correct capitalization, accents and punctuation, or the computer will mark it as incorrect.
Writing
Write a short dialogue like the ones that you read above of someone asking for directions and the other person giving them.
If you want to type a special character (like an accented letter) in the comments section, you could do one of the following . . .
- Select and copy the character that you need → á é í ó ú ü ñ ¿ ¡ Á É Í Ó Ú Ü Ñ « »
- Use special codes on your computer if you have numeric keypad (instructions HERE).
- Type your sentences into the text box below and use the special character buttons provided. Then select and copy your text and paste it into the comments section.
If you see an error in someone else's sentence, please respond with the correction. Comments that are not from "Janet Castrejon" (the author of this page) do not represent Simplified Spanish. If someone is writing inappropriate comments on this webpage, please send a message to [email protected] and include the page that you saw the comment on.
Lesson 17 - La Ciudad (The City)
City - Prepositions of location - Dialogue - Reading - Quiz
Important Links
Pronouns - Pronunciation - Verbs
