To talk about where something is located, place words and concrete references are used. Here, there, and over there serve to indicate proximity or distance, and here marks the exact site where the speaker is. Place names such as home, school, bank, store, and hospital also appear, which are part of the basic vocabulary of Places. In an everyday conversation, a person can say I’m here, The pharmacy is there or I’m looking for the station. When you want to reach a place, expressions like to go to, to come to and to be in are also used.

The most useful questions to ask for help are usually direct: Where is...?, How do I get to...? and Is it near?. To confirm a distance, one asks Is it far? or Is it around here?. On a street, someone may say Where is the subway? and receive an answer like It’s near the square. If you don’t know whether a site is in the same area, you use Is it around here? or Is it very far?. These questions often appear together with expressions of Adverbs of Place, because they help locate the destination precisely.

Useful questions to ask for directions

Usage	Explanation
Ask for the place	Used to ask where a place is when you need to locate it quickly.
Confirm proximity	Used to know if something is nearby and avoid walking around like a lost explorer.
Ask about distance	Used to find out how far it is to a specific destination.
Request directions	Used to ask for complete instructions on how to get to a place.
Verify directions	Used to check if you are on the right path before continuing.
Ask for a reference	Used to ask for a known landmark to help you locate yourself in the area.
Ask for repetition	Used to request that they repeat an instruction when you didn't understand it well.
Confirm destination	Used to verify that the place is correct before walking further.

In marks location within a space or at a specific point: in the station, in the corner, in Spain. To indicates destination or arrival point: I’m going home, I arrive at the square. From indicates origin or provenance: I come from the office, I leave the store. From emphasizes the starting point of a journey: from the hotel to the center. Until marks the final limit of movement: walk until the traffic light. Towards shows direction without indicating exact arrival: go toward the north, walk toward the avenue. These forms appear a lot when describing routes and journeys.

Prepositions for locating and moving

Idea
Use in to indicate location inside a specific place.
Use to to mark destination when talking about movement toward a place.
Use from to indicate origin or starting point.
Use from to highlight the start of a journey or temporal reference.
Use until to mark the limit that a journey reaches.
Use toward to indicate general direction without specifying an exact point.

On the street, many indications rely on visible reference points. The corner is the intersection of two streets. The street is usually narrower and the avenue wider. The square is an open space in the center of an urban area. The traffic light helps locate important intersections. Also used are the bridge, the bus stop, the station and the park. In Urban Life these words appear constantly because they are part of daily city life. A typical indication might be It’s at the corner of Main Street and Central Avenue.

manzanasemáfororotondaplazaparadapuentecalleesquinaavenida

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Una cuadra urbana que agrupa edificios entre callesUna intersección circular que organiza el tráfico alrededor de un centroUn espacio abierto en la ciudad donde la gente se reúne o paseaUna estructura que permite pasar sobre un río, una calle o un valleUna vía urbana pequeña o mediana por donde circulan personas y vehículosUn dispositivo con luces que regula el paso de peatones y cochesUn lugar donde se detiene un autobús o un servicio de transporteUna vía amplia y principal de la ciudad, normalmente con mucho movimientoLa parte donde se cruzan dos calles y sirve para dar indicaciones claras

Urban references to locate places

Word	Definition
esquina	The part where two streets meet and helps give clear directions.
calle	A small to medium urban road where people and vehicles move.
avenida	A wide and main road of the city, usually busy.
plaza	An open space in the city where people gather or stroll.
semáforo	A device with lights that regulates pedestrians and cars.
parada	A place where a bus or transportation service stops.
puente	A structure that allows crossing over a river, street, or valley.
rotonda	A circular intersection that organizes traffic around a center.
manzana	An urban block that groups buildings between streets.

Scramble

To indicate exact position, expressions such as in front of, behind, next to, on top of and under are used. The café is in front of the bank indicates that one thing is opposite another. The pharmacy is behind the market places something at the rear. Next to shows immediate proximity: The library is next to the school. For distance, near and far from are the most common forms: The museum is near the park and The airport is far from the center. Across from is also used to indicate a position opposite or directly in front.

lejos dedebajo deentreal lado dedetrás dedelante deencima decerca de

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Indica la proximidad inmediata entre dos elementosIndica la posición superior sobre otra cosaIndica la parte que queda en frente de otra cosaIndica la poca distancia entre dos lugaresIndica la posición inferior bajo otra cosaIndica la gran distancia entre dos sitiosIndica la parte que queda al fondo respecto de otra cosaIndica la posición en medio de dos o más elementos

Expressions for position and proximity

Word	Definition
delante de	Indicates the part that is in front of something else.
detrás de	Indicates the part that is at the back in relation to something else.
al lado de	Indicates the immediate proximity between two elements.
cerca de	Indicates the short distance between two places.
lejos de	Indicates the great distance between two places.
encima de	Indicates the higher position over something else.
debajo de	Indicates the lower position beneath something else.
entre	Indicates the position in the middle of two or more elements.

Scramble

Simple directions follow a clear pattern: continue straight, turn right, turn left, cross the street and take the second street. Continue straight asks you to keep going without changing direction. Turn introduces a change of direction, and the direction is added with to the right or to the left. Cross is used when you need to go to the other side of a street, a bridge or a square. Take appears with a specific path option: take the first street, take the second exit. In urban directions, these forms are combined with place names and reference points to give a complete route.

gire a la izquierdabajecontinúecrucegire a la derechatome la segundasubasiga recto

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Indica que la persona debe tomar la dirección derecha en el próximo puntoIndica que la persona debe pasar al otro lado de una calle o avenidaIndica que la persona debe seguir avanzando sin cambiar de dirección todavíaIndica que la persona debe tomar la dirección izquierda en el próximo puntoIndica que la persona debe elegir la segunda opción en un recorrido o desvíoIndica que la persona debe avanzar en dirección descendente o por una bajadaIndica que la persona debe avanzar sin girar por el camino actualIndica que la persona debe avanzar en dirección ascendente o por una pendiente

Simple instructions for giving directions

Word	Definition
siga recto	Indicates that the person must move forward without turning along the current path.
gire a la izquierda	Indicates that the person must take the left direction at the next point.
gire a la derecha	Indicates that the person must take the right direction at the next point.
cruce	Indicates that the person must go to the other side of a street or avenue.
tome la segunda	Indicates that the person must choose the second option on a route or detour.
suba	Indicates that the person must move in an upward direction or up a slope.
baje	Indicates that the person must move in a downward direction or down a slope.
continúe	Indicates that the person must keep moving forward without changing direction yet.

Scramble

On a map, up and down help read the position of streets, neighborhoods or buildings. To the left and to the right indicate opposite sides of the map. In front indicates the opposite area or the position in front of another point. The verbs go up and go down are also used to describe moves in a city or on a map: go up this street and go down to the square. When a plan is understood, it helps to relate the drawing to real signs such as avenues, stations and plazas. In travel contexts, these verbs appear a lot with destinations and routes, which is why they are useful for Travel and Transport.

Basic map orientation in simple maps

Usage	Explanation
Top of the map	Used to identify the upper area when reading a simple map.
Bottom of the map	Used to identify the lower area on a plan or diagram.
Left side of the map	Used to locate elements on the left of the representation.
Right side of the map	Used to locate elements on the right of the representation.
Visual front	Used to indicate what you see ahead in map or path orientation.
Upward movement	Used to indicate movement toward a higher area in the drawing or street.
Downward movement	Used to indicate movement toward a lower area in the drawing or street.
Switching sides	Used to move to the other side of the represented space.

In different regions you hear different ways of giving directions. In front and opposite can be used to indicate that something is ahead, but opposite is the more widespread form in many areas. To the right and to the left are very common expressions in everyday conversation to indicate the exact side of the turn. Turn right twice and turn left twice indicate a clear turn on a street or corner. In some places you also hear derecho with the sense of straight. These variants appear frequently on the street, in taxis and in directions to move around cities and stations.

dobla a la derechaenfrentea la derechaal frente

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Se usa para señalar el lado derecho en una indicación muy claraSe usa para decir que algo está delante de otra cosa o del hablanteSe usa para pedir un giro hacia la derecha en una rutaSe usa para indicar que algo está delante en relación con otro punto

Regional variants for giving directions

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Mexico	al frente	Used to say that something is in front of something else or the speaker.	La farmacia está al frente de la escuela.The pharmacy is in front of the school.
Spain	enfrente	Used to indicate that something is in front in relation to another point.	El banco está enfrente del parque.The bank is opposite the park.
Argentina	a la derecha	Used to point out the right side in a very clear direction.	Dobla a la derecha en la esquina.Turn to the right at the corner.
Colombia	dobla a la derecha	Used to request a turn to the right on a route.	Dobla a la derecha después del semáforo.Turn right after the traffic light.

Scramble