Spanish · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 4 of 12
Getting around
Por la ciudad
Ask where places are in a Spanish town, understand simple directions, and learn the difference between está and hay.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask where a place is
- Ask if there is a pharmacy, bank or café nearby
- Understand left, right and straight on
- Ask yes/no questions and questions with question words
Listen
Elena is visiting Granada and asks a man in the street for directions. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Elena
Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación de autobuses?
Excuse me, where is the bus station?
Man
Está un poco lejos. Todo recto y luego la segunda calle a la derecha.
It's a bit far. Straight on and then the second street on the right.
Elena
¿La segunda a la derecha?
The second on the right?
Man
Sí. Está a veinte minutos, más o menos.
Yes. It's twenty minutes away, more or less.
Elena
Gracias. ¿Y hay una farmacia por aquí?
Thank you. And is there a pharmacy around here?
Man
Sí, hay una muy cerca. Allí, a la izquierda.
Yes, there's one very close. Over there, on the left.
Elena
Ah, sí. Muchas gracias.
Oh, yes. Thank you very much.
Man
De nada. Adiós.
You're welcome. Goodbye.
Understand
¿Dónde está…? or ¿Hay…?
Use ¿Dónde está…? (Where is…?) for one particular place that you know exists: The answer also uses : (It's close).
Use (there is, there are) to ask whether something exists at all. It usually comes with or : (Is there a pharmacy around here?) never changes: , .
- ¿Dónde está el museo?Where is the museum?
- ¿Hay un banco por aquí?Is there a bank around here?
- Sí, hay uno allí.Yes, there's one over there.
- Hay dos cafés por aquí.There are two cafés around here.
Asking the way and understanding directions
Start with (Excuse me) when you stop a stranger. It's the form from chapter 3. With a friend or a young person you can say .
The words for “first”, “second” and “third” are feminine here, because (street) is feminine: , , .
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| straight on | |
| on the right / to the right | |
| on the left / to the left | |
| the first street | |
| the second street | |
| the third street | |
| near, close | |
| far |
Asking questions
For a yes/no question, keep the words of a normal sentence and let your voice go up at the end: (It's far) becomes (Is it far?). You can put the subject before or after the verb: and are both correct. Spanish has no extra word like “do” or “does”.
Questions that ask for information start with a question word. Question words always have a written accent, and the verb usually comes straight after them: In writing, every question starts with ¿.
| Question word | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What? | ||
| How? | ||
| Where? | ||
| Where… from? | ||
| How much? |
More in the grammar: Questions and negation · Ser and estar: two verbs for “to be” · Spanish numbers: from 0 to a million · Tener and hay
New words
- Perdone.Excuse me. · polite (); informal: .
- ¿Dónde está…?Where is…?
- la estación de autobusesbus station · feminine
- lejosfar
- todo rectostraight on
- luegothen, next
- a la derechaon the right, to the right
- más o menosmore or less, about
- haythere is, there are
- la farmaciapharmacy, chemist's · feminine
- por aquíaround here
- allíthere, over there
- a la izquierdaon the left, to the left
- muchas graciasthank you very much
Practise
1.You want to know if there's a bank nearby. What do you ask?
2.Complete the question: “Where is the station?”
Where is the station?
3.Complete the directions: “Straight on and then to the left.”
Straight on and then to the left.
4.Write the question word, with its accent: “How much is the map?”
How much is the map?
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Is there a pharmacy around here?
6.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.