Spanish exercises online

Lesson: greetings, introductions and small talk

Short theory first: how to say hello and goodbye, what to answer to “how are you?”, how to introduce yourself and a friend. Then a quiz and words for your first days in Spain.

How to say hello

The first thing you will say in Spain is a greeting. You choose it by the time of day.

• Hola — Hi, hello (works any time and with anyone)
• Buenos días — Good morning (from the morning until around lunchtime)
• Buenas tardes — Good afternoon (after lunch, while it is still light outside)
• Buenas noches — Good evening (once it is dark; the same phrase also means “good night”)

💡 Greetings are often combined: “Hola, buenos días”.

How to say goodbye

The conversation is over and it is time to go. Choose the goodbye that fits the situation.

• Hasta luego — See you later (said everywhere — to a shop assistant, at the bank, in a café — even if you will never meet again)
• Adiós — Goodbye (sounds more final, almost like “farewell”)
• Chao — Bye (a light, modern goodbye that you hear all the time)
• Nos vemos — See you (when you really will meet again)
• Hasta mañana — See you tomorrow (for colleagues and neighbours you will see in the morning)

How are you?

Spaniards love to talk, but “how are you?” is usually just part of the greeting. Nobody expects a detailed story about your life — a short answer is enough.

Asking

• ¿Qué tal? — How are things? (the most common option)
• ¿Cómo estás? — How are you? (sounds a little more personal)

Answering

• Muy bien, gracias — Very well, thank you
• Estoy bien, ¿y tú? — I’m fine, and you?
• Más o menos — So-so
• Regular — Not bad, the usual

Introductions

In Spain people switch to the informal tú straight away, even with strangers. It is normal and does not sound rude.

Asking a name and giving yours

• ¿Cómo te llamas? — What’s your name?
• Me llamo María — My name is María

Introducing a friend

• Este es mi amigo Pablo — This is my friend Pablo (este and amigo — about a man)
• Esta es mi amiga Ana — This is my friend Ana (esta and amiga — about a woman)

Replying when you are introduced

• Mucho gusto — Nice to meet you (works for everyone)
• Encantado — Pleased to meet you (said by a man)
• Encantada — Pleased to meet you (said by a woman)

Lesson: alphabet and pronunciation

How Spanish letters are read: the familiar ones, the silent h, the sounds that need practice, and the letters c and g, which are read in two ways. Then a quiz and the example words for your dictionary.

Part 1. Familiar letters

Most Spanish letters sound close to what you already know. The main rule: vowels are always pronounced the same way, short and clear, even when unstressed. Spanish never reduces a vowel to “uh”.

• A a · /a/ — a clear “ah”, as in father (agua — water, alto — tall)
• E e · /e/ — “eh”, as in met (mesa — table (“MEH-sah”))
• I i · /i/ — a short “ee”, as in see (isla — island, idea — idea)
• O o · /o/ — always “oh”, even when unstressed (ojo — eye, ocho — eight)
• U u · /u/ — “oo”, as in moon (uva — grape, único — only, unique)
• F f · /f/ — as in English (fruta — fruit, familia — family)
• K k · /k/ — as in English, only in loanwords (kiwi, kilómetro)
• L l · /l/ — a light “l”, as in leaf (leche — milk, limón — lemon)
• M m · /m/ — as in English (mapa — map)
• N n · /n/ — as in English (nombre — name, nuevo — new)
• P p · /p/ — like “p”, but without a puff of air (perro — dog, papel — paper)
• S s · /s/ — always “s”, never “z”, even between vowels (casa — “KAH-sah”, not “KAH-zah”; siete — seven)
• T t · /t/ — like “t”, with the tongue on the teeth and no puff of air (taza — cup, tarde — afternoon)

💡 Read what is written: sopa is “SOH-pah”, not “SOH-puh”; noche is “NOH-cheh”, not “NOH-chee”.

Part 2. The silent H

In Spanish, H is called muda — “silent”. It is written by tradition but never pronounced. When you see h at the start of a word, begin straight from the vowel.

• hola — hello (pronounced “OH-lah”)
• hijo — son (“EE-ho” (with the rough j, see part 3))
• hora — hour (“OH-rah”)
• hoy — today (“oy”)
• huevo — egg (“WEH-boh”)
• hablar — to speak (“ah-BLAR”)
• hacer — to do, to make (“ah-THEHR” (c here is the “th” sound, see part 3))
• hermano — brother (“ehr-MAH-noh”)
• helado — ice cream (“eh-LAH-doh”)

💡 Exception: the combination ch is a separate sound, as in English “church”: chico — boy, noche — night.

Part 3. Sounds that need practice

These sounds take a little training for the tongue and lips, but with them you sound the way people do in Spain.

Z and C before e, i — /θ/

• zapato, cerveza, gracias — shoe, beer, thank you (tip of the tongue between the teeth — like English th in think. Never like English z)
• In Latin America — and in the south of Spain this sound is a plain “s” (zapato — “sah-PAH-toh”. Both versions are correct)

B and V — one and the same sound

• bota, vino, bebida, vaca — boot, wine, drink, cow (between “b” and “v”: the lips almost close, but not completely. At the start of a phrase and after m / n it is a clear “b”)

D — a soft one

• dedo, nada, Madrid, cansado — finger, nothing, Madrid, tired (between vowels and at the end of a word d weakens almost to English th in this)

J and G before e, i — /x/

• jardín, gente, jirafa, joven — garden, people, giraffe, young (like “h”, but rougher and further back in the throat — like ch in Scottish “loch”)

Part 4. C and G are read in two ways

The next letter tells you how to read c and g.

💡 The u in gue / gui is only there to keep g hard. If the u does have to be pronounced, it gets two dots: pingüino — penguin, vergüenza — shame.

Lesson: who am I? The verb ser

How to say “it is a table”, “I am from Canada”, “I am an engineer” and “my name is…”: the verb ser, its forms, llamarse and 20 useful nouns. Then a quiz and words for your dictionary.

Part 1. What the verb ser does

Ser means “to be”. You use it to say what a thing or a person is and what its permanent features are: type, profession, origin, colour, character. For “he / she / it” the verb takes the form es.

es + un / una + noun — “it is a …”

• Es una silla. — It is a chair.
• Es un bolígrafo. — It is a pen.
• Es una manzana. — It is an apple.

es + adjective — a permanent quality

• El mar es azul. — The sea is blue.
• La casa es pequeña. — The house is small.

People: profession, relationships, family

• Él es médico. — He is a doctor.
• Eres mi vecino. — You are my neighbour.
• Somos amigos. — We are friends.
• Son hermanas. — They are sisters.

💡 No article before a profession: Ella es profesora, not “una profesora” — unlike English “she is a teacher”.

Part 2. Pronouns and the forms of ser

Ser is irregular: you simply have to memorise its forms.

What you can say with ser

• your name — Soy Ana.
• where you are from — Soy de Canadá.
• your profession — Soy ingeniero.
• what you are like — Soy tranquilo / tranquila.

💡 The form soy already says it is “I”, so yo is usually dropped: Yo soy Ana = Soy Ana. The forms in -as (nosotras, vosotras, ellas) are for groups of women only.

Part 3. Talking about yourself with soy

The single form soy is enough to say a lot about yourself.

Name

• Soy Ana. — I am Ana.
• Soy Pablo. — I am Pablo.

Where you are from: soy de + country

• Soy de Inglaterra. — I am from England.
• Soy de Canadá. — I am from Canada.
• Soy de Estados Unidos. — I am from the United States.

Profession: -o for a man, -a for a woman

• Soy profesor. / Soy profesora. — I am a teacher (m. / f.).
• Soy ingeniero. / Soy ingeniera. — I am an engineer (m. / f.).
• Soy médico. / Soy médica. — I am a doctor (m. / f.).
• Soy estudiante. — I am a student. (words in -e are the same for men and women)

Part 4. Llamarse — “my name is”

The second way to introduce yourself is the reflexive verb llamarse, literally “to call oneself”. Soy Elena and Me llamo Elena are both correct.

Asking and answering

• ¿Cómo te llamas? — What’s your name?
• ¿Cómo se llama usted? — What is your name? (formal)
• Me llamo Diego. — My name is Diego.
• ¿Y tú? — And you? (this keeps the conversation going)

Short questions about things

• ¿Qué es esto? — Es un café. — What is this? — It is a coffee.
• ¿Es un libro? — Sí, es un libro. — Is it a book? — Yes, it is a book.

All together

• ¡Hola! Me llamo Pablo. Soy de Canadá. Soy ingeniero y estudio español. — Hi! My name is Pablo. I am from Canada. I am an engineer and I study Spanish.

Part 5. 20 useful nouns

Each word comes with its article and an example with ser. The article el is masculine, la is feminine.

💡 Traps: el problema and el día are masculine even though they end in -a. El agua is feminine (el is used only for the sound), so el agua fría. La gente is singular in Spanish: la gente es, not son — unlike English “people are”.

Lesson: questions and negation

How to ask a question (¿…?), the question words qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, cuánto, cuál, the difference between qué and cuál, and how to say “no”. Then a quiz and words for your dictionary.

Part 1. How to ask a question

To turn a statement into a question you do not have to change the word order and there is no helper like English “do” — a rising intonation is enough. In writing, a question is framed: an inverted ¿ at the start and a normal ? at the end, so you can see at once how to read the sentence.

• Eres de Valencia. → ¿Eres de Valencia? — You are from Valencia. → Are you from Valencia?
• Es tu hermano. → ¿Es tu hermano? — He is your brother. → Is he your brother?
• Es caro. → ¿Es caro? — It is expensive. → Is it expensive?

💡 In messengers Spaniards often skip the opening ¿, but in documents, letters and books it is required. Exclamations work the same way: ¡Hola!

Part 2. Question words

To ask for details you need question words. All of them are written with an accent mark (tilde). If a preposition is needed, it goes at the very start: ¿De dónde…?, ¿A dónde…?, ¿Con quién…?

💡 Without the accent these are no longer questions but connectors: que — “that” in “Creo que…”, como — “like, as”, porque — “because”. ¿Por qué? — Porque estoy cansado. (Why? — Because I am tired.) For “where is” you use the verb estar (¿Dónde está…?) — it has its own lesson.

Part 3. Questions with ser

Ser asks about what is permanent: who a person is, where they are from, what they do, what a thing is like. The form of ser depends on who the question is about: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son.

Without a question word — ser comes first

• ¿Eres profesora? — Are you a teacher?
• ¿Son hermanos? — Are they brothers?
• ¿Es tu coche? — Is it your car?

With a question word — ser comes right after it

• ¿Quién es tu jefe? — Who is your boss?
• ¿De dónde es Marta? — Where is Marta from?
• ¿Cómo es tu piso? — What is your flat like?

Part 4. Words that change form

Quién, cuánto and cuál agree with the person or thing you are asking about.

Who: quién (one) / quiénes (several)

• ¿Quién es? — Who is it?
• ¿Quiénes son ellos? — Who are they?

Which: cuál / cuáles

• ¿Cuál es tu teléfono? — What is your phone number?
• ¿Cuáles son tus maletas? — Which suitcases are yours?

💡 Without a noun it is simply cuánto: ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much does it cost?)

Part 5. Qué or cuál?

Both words can translate as “what” or “which”, but the choice between them is strict.

Qué

• ¿Qué es el NIE? — What is the NIE? (asking for a definition)
• ¿Qué autobús va al centro? — Which bus goes to the centre? (a noun comes right after qué)

Cuál

• ¿Cuál es tu apellido? — What is your surname? (specific data: name, number, address. Usually followed by ser)
• ¿Cuál es la parada más cercana? — Which stop is the nearest? (choosing one of several)

💡 ¿Cuál es tu nombre? is correct. ¿Qué es tu nombre? is a mistake English speakers often make: it asks “what is the thing called your name?”.

Part 6. Negation

The word no goes directly before the verb — there is no “don’t” or “isn’t”. When answering a question, “no” is often said twice: first as the short answer, then inside the sentence.

• — ¿Eres de Madrid? — No, no soy de Madrid. — — Are you from Madrid? — No, I am not from Madrid.
• Ella no es médica. — She is not a doctor.
• No somos residentes. — We are not residents.
• Él no es autónomo. — He is not self-employed.
• — ¿Es caro? — Sí, es caro. — — Is it expensive? — Yes, it is.

💡 Ordinary words do not go between no and the verb: “Él no es…”, not “No él es…”. The exception is short pronouns: No me llamo Ana. No lo sé. (My name is not Ana. I don’t know.)

Lesson: filling in forms

The words on any Spanish form: first name and two surnames, date of birth, passport and NIE, marital status, an address with abbreviations and contacts. Plus a sample completed form.

Part 1. Personal details

In your first months in Spain there will be a lot of forms: town hall registration, bank, internet, doctor. The fields are the same everywhere. The main difference: Spaniards have two surnames.

• Nombre — First name
• Apellido(s) — Surname(s)
• Primer apellido — First, main surname (your surname from your passport goes here)
• Segundo apellido — Second surname (for Spaniards it is the mother’s surname. If you have no second surname, leave the field empty — a middle name does not go here)
• Fecha de nacimiento — Date of birth (format DD/MM/YYYY: 03/04/1990 is 3 April, not March 4)
• Sexo: H / M — Sex: H — hombre (man), M — mujer (woman) (careful: M is not “male”. Some forms use V — varón — instead of H)

Part 2. Documents and status

Here you give your passport details and, later, your foreigner’s number, the NIE.

Document

• Pasaporte — Passport
• Nacionalidad — Nationality (for example: británica / británico)
• Fecha de expedición — Date of issue
• Válido hasta / Fecha de caducidad — Valid until / expiry date (do not confuse it with the date of issue)
• NIE — Número de Identidad de Extranjero — Foreigner’s identity number (your main number in Spain, asked for almost everywhere. The DNI is the document Spaniards themselves have)

Estado civil — marital status

• soltero / soltera — single
• casado / casada — married
• divorciado / divorciada — divorced
• viudo / viuda — widower / widow

💡 A man writes the ending -o, a woman -a: he is casado, she is casada.

Part 3. Address

A Spanish address is written in detail and with abbreviations. Domicilio is your home address.

• Calle (C/) — Street
• Número (Nº) — Building number
• Bloque — Block (in large housing complexes)
• Escalera (Esc.) — Staircase, entrance
• Piso — Floor (in an address — the floor; in conversation piso means “flat”. Bajo is the ground floor)
• Puerta — Door: the letter or number of the flat (sometimes izda. / dcha. — the left / right door on the landing)
• Código Postal (CP) — Postcode (always 5 digits)
• Localidad / Municipio — Town, municipality
• Provincia — Province (for example, Alicante or Baleares)

💡 The whole line: C/ Mayor, 12, Esc. 2, 3º B, 03001 Alicante.

Part 4. Contacts and signature

So that people can reach you about paperwork or a parcel.

• Teléfono — Phone (fijo — landline)
• Móvil — Mobile phone
• Correo electrónico (Email) — Email (@ — arroba, dot — punto)
• Firma — Signature
• Lugar y fecha — Place and date (often next to the signature)

A sample completed form

The data is made up — this is what the fields look like on a form.

💡 The most frequent words are apellido, calle and firma. Learn them first.

Lesson: what is it like? Adjectives

How to describe people and things: the linking es / son, adjective agreement in gender and number, the position of the adjective, colours, pairs of opposites and buen / mal.

Part 1. Describing: you need the verb ser

Just as in English, a description needs a linking verb between the thing and the adjective: es for one thing, son for several. The difference is that the adjective also changes to match the noun.

noun + es / son + adjective

• La película es divertida. — The film is fun.
• El café es caro. — The coffee is expensive.
• Las calles son estrechas. — The streets are narrow.

💡 Without the verb you get a phrase, not a sentence: la casa grande — “the big house”, la casa es grande — “the house is big”.

Part 2. Adjectives in -o: four forms

An adjective always matches its noun — in gender (masculine / feminine) and number (one / many). The biggest group is words in -o: they have four forms.

Common words in this group

• alto / alta — tall
• nuevo / nueva — new
• pequeño / pequeña — small
• simpático / simpática — nice, friendly
• bonito / bonita — pretty, beautiful

Part 3. One form for both genders

Some adjectives are the same for masculine and feminine — only the number changes.

In -e

• grande — big
• interesante — interesting
• inteligente — intelligent
• verde — green

In a consonant

• difícil → difíciles — difficult
• azul → azules — blue
• feliz → felices — happy (z changes to c before e)
• joven → jóvenes — young (an accent mark appears in the plural)

💡 An accent mark can appear or disappear in the plural: joven → jóvenes, examen → exámenes, but lección → lecciones.

Part 4. Where the adjective goes

Descriptive adjectives — colour, size, quality — usually come after the noun, not before it as in English.

• una camisa blanca — a white shirt
• un piso luminoso — a bright flat
• una ciudad tranquila — a quiet city

💡 An adjective before the noun also exists, but it sounds literary or shifts the meaning: un gran hombre — “a great man”, un hombre grande — “a big man”.

Part 5. Colours

Colours are adjectives too and follow the same rules.

💡 Rosa (pink) and naranja (orange) do not change for gender: un coche rosa, una camiseta naranja.

Part 6. Learn them in pairs

Adjectives are easier to remember as pairs of opposites.

• alto / bajo — tall / short
• grande / pequeño — big / small
• nuevo / viejo — new / old
• guapo / feo — good-looking / ugly (guapo is usually said about people)
• fácil / difícil — easy / difficult
• bueno / malo — good / bad

Part 7. Bueno and malo: buen and mal

Bueno and malo often go before the noun. Before a masculine singular noun they are shortened: bueno → buen, malo → mal.

Shortened

• un buen día — a good day
• un mal momento — a bad moment

Not shortened (feminine, plural)

• una buena idea = una idea buena — a good idea
• buenos días / buenas noches — good morning / good night
• una mala noticia — a piece of bad news

💡 After the noun it is always the full form: un día bueno, but un buen día.

Lesson: the verb estar — where and how

How to say where you are and how you feel: the forms of estar, location, health at the doctor’s and the pharmacy, feelings and, most importantly, when to use ser and when estar.

Part 1. The forms of estar

Estar also means “to be” — not “what” someone is, but “where” and “in what state”. Ser describes what is permanent (who you are, where you are from, what a thing is like); estar describes what is true now: where you are and how you feel.

💡 Do not forget the accent mark (tilde) in estás, está, estáis, están. Without it you get a different word: esta / estas — “this / these” (esta casa — this house).

Part 2. Where someone or something is

To say where a person, a thing or a place is, you always need estar.

• ¿Dónde está la farmacia? — Where is the pharmacy?
• Estoy en la estación. — I am at the station.
• El móvil está en la mochila. — The phone is in the backpack.
• El banco está lejos. — The bank is far away.
• El supermercado está cerca. — The supermarket is nearby.
• ¿Está Marta? — Is Marta in? (what you ask on the phone or at the door)

💡 Exception: where an event takes place uses ser — La fiesta es en mi casa. (The party is at my place.)

Part 3. How things are right now

Estar describes the current situation and mood — you cannot do without it in everyday conversation.

• Todo está bien. — Everything is fine.
• Estoy ocupado / ocupada. — I am busy.
• La tienda está cerrada. — The shop is closed.
• Estamos listos. — We are ready.
• Están cansados. — They are tired.

💡 The adjective ending depends on who you are talking about: a man — ocupado, a woman — ocupada, several people — ocupados.

Part 4. Health: at the pharmacy and the doctor’s

These phrases help you explain what is wrong at a pharmacy, a doctor’s surgery or a hospital.

• Estoy enfermo / enferma. — I am ill.
• Estoy mareado / mareada. — I feel dizzy.
• Mi hija está resfriada. — My daughter has a cold.
• El tobillo está hinchado. — The ankle is swollen.
• Está muy pálido. — He is very pale.
• La garganta está roja. — The throat is red.

Part 5. Temporary qualities

Estar describes what a thing or a person has become or looks like now, not what it is always like.

• El café está frío. — The coffee is cold. (it has gone cold — that is how it is now)
• La cocina está sucia. — The kitchen is dirty. (now — it needs cleaning)
• Estás muy guapa hoy. — You look very pretty today. (a compliment about how someone looks right now)

Part 6. Feelings

What you feel at this moment also takes estar.

• Estoy contento / contenta. — I am pleased.
• Él está nervioso. — He is nervous.
• ¿Por qué estás triste? — Why are you sad?
• Estamos sorprendidos. — We are surprised.

Common states

• enfadado — angry
• aburrido — bored
• preocupado — worried
• asustado — scared
• tranquilo — calm
• enamorado — in love
• feliz — happy (both estoy feliz (now) and soy feliz (in life) are used)

💡 Life and death are states in Spanish too: está vivo (he is alive), está muerto (he is dead).

Part 7. Ser or estar?

Ser — what a person or a thing is, its permanent features. Estar — where it is and what state it is in now. With some adjectives the choice of verb changes the meaning.

Lesson: ser or estar

The two Spanish verbs “to be” side by side: when to use ser, when estar, the trap with the location of an event and the words that change meaning: listo, bueno, malo, rico, aburrido, vivo.

Part 1. The main difference

English “to be” is split between two verbs in Spanish. Ser says what something is by nature; estar says where it is and what state it is in now.

💡 ¿Cómo es Ana? — “What is Ana like (character, looks)?”. ¿Cómo está Ana? — “How is Ana (feeling)?”

Part 2. When you need ser

Forms: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. Ser describes what defines a person or a thing.

Who and where from

• Soy Pedro y soy de Toronto. — I am Pedro and I am from Toronto.

Profession

• Mi madre es enfermera. — My mother is a nurse.

Permanent features: character, looks, colour, shape

• Lucía es simpática. — Lucía is nice (by character).
• El piso es luminoso. — The flat is bright.
• Las paredes son blancas. — The walls are white.

Time, days, dates

• Hoy es martes. — Today is Tuesday.
• Es la una. / Son las cinco. — It is one o’clock. / It is five o’clock. (one o’clock — es, the rest — son)

Material: ser de…

• La silla es de plástico. — The chair is made of plastic.
• El reloj es de plata. — The watch is made of silver.

Part 3. When you need estar

Forms: estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están. Estar says where something is and what it is like now.

Location and position

• Sevilla está en Andalucía. — Seville is in Andalusia.
• Estoy en el gimnasio. — I am at the gym.
• Las gafas están encima de la mesa. — The glasses are on the table.
• Marta está sentada / de pie. — Marta is sitting / standing.

Health and emotions

• Estoy bien. — I am fine.
• Están agotados. — They are exhausted.
• Estoy enfadado. — I am angry. (in Latin America enojado is more common)
• Él está triste. — He is sad.

Temporary qualities

• La puerta está abierta. — The door is open.
• La sopa está caliente. — The soup is hot.
• La leche está fría. — The milk is cold.

Part 4. The trap: where an event takes place

Where a thing or a person is — estar. Where an event takes place (a party, a meeting, a class, a concert) — ser.

💡 Another trap: Madrid es la capital de España (what it is — ser), but Madrid está en el centro de España (where — estar).

Part 5. One word — two meanings

With some adjectives the choice of verb changes the meaning completely: ser — a quality, estar — a state.

💡 Careful with estar bueno: about food it means “tasty”, but about a person it is colloquial for “attractive”. Better not to say it about people you do not know.

Lesson: estar + gerund — what is happening now

How to talk about what you are doing right now without conjugating every verb: the forms of estar, the gerund in -ando / -iendo and the difference from the simple present.

Part 1. Actions happening now: a shortcut to speaking

When you start learning a language you do not need to conjugate every verb to begin speaking. Spanish has a “cheat code” — a construction for actions happening right now: estar + gerund. It works like English “I am doing”.

• Estoy buscando… — I am looking for… (when a shop assistant comes up to you)
• Estoy esperando. — I am waiting. (when someone in a queue asks if you are in line)
• Estoy llegando. — I am almost there. (when you are late for a meeting)

Part 2. The forms of estar

First choose the form of estar that matches who is doing the action.

💡 Pronouns are usually dropped — the form of estar already shows who is acting: people say Estoy viajando, not Yo estoy viajando.

Part 3. How to form the gerund

The gerund is a form of the verb that never changes — the Spanish counterpart of English -ing. Put it after a form of estar and you have a complete sentence.

💡 The gerund does not change: estoy hablando, están hablando — the ending -ando stays the same, only estar changes.

Part 4. Simple present or estar + gerund?

The simple present (presente) is for what happens in general, often or always. Estar + gerund is for what is happening right now or is taking up your time these days.

Simple present

• Yo como. — I eat. (in general: I am not a vegetarian, or I usually have lunch at this time)

Right now

• Estoy comiendo. — I am eating. (right now — the plate is in front of me)

These days

• Estoy buscando piso. — I am looking for a flat. (I have been searching for several days, even if I am resting at this very moment)

💡 Unlike English, Spanish does not use this construction for future plans: “I am leaving tomorrow” is Salgo mañana, not “Estoy saliendo mañana”.

Lesson: how do I get there?

How to stop a passer-by politely, ask the way, ask again if you did not understand, and give directions yourself: verbs of movement, “right / left”, landmarks in the city.

Part 1. How to stop a passer-by

You stop a stranger politely first. In Spain people your own age are usually addressed with the informal tú; with older people it is better to use the formal usted — the forms differ slightly.

💡 Oye (“hey, listen”) is very informal — it is how you address friends or people your own age.

Part 2. How to ask the way

After the polite opening comes the question itself.

• ¿Cómo llego a la playa? — How do I get to the beach?
• ¿Cómo llego al centro? — How do I get to the centre? (a + el = al)
• ¿Me puedes indicar el camino a la catedral? — Can you show me the way to the cathedral?
• ¿Está lejos de aquí el mercado? — Is the market far from here?
• ¿Hay un cajero por aquí cerca? — Is there a cash machine near here?
• ¿Dónde está la parada de metro más cercana? — Where is the nearest metro station?

💡 Hay or está? Hay — “is there one at all” (¿Hay una farmacia por aquí?). Está — “where is a specific place” (¿Dónde está la farmacia Luna?).

Part 3. If you did not understand the answer

Asking again is fine. Spaniards speak fast and will gladly repeat.

• ¿Puedes repetirlo, por favor? — Can you repeat that, please?
• Más despacio, por favor. — More slowly, please.
• No lo entiendo muy bien. — I don’t quite understand.
• ¿Es por aquí? — Is it this way? (you can point with your hand)
• ¿Se puede ir andando? — Can I walk there?
• ¿Está muy lejos? — Is it very far?

Part 4. Verbs of movement

Directions are given with command forms: “go”, “turn”, “cross”. The formal versions sound different — it helps to recognise both by ear.

💡 Tomar also means “to take transport”: Toma el autobús 5. Doblar (dobla la esquina — turn the corner) is heard more in Latin America; in Spain it is girar.

Part 5. Where and which way

The words without which no directions make sense.

Direction

• a la derecha / a la izquierda — to the right / to the left
• todo recto — straight ahead
• hacia — towards
• desde… hasta… — from… to…
• por — along, through (a street, a park) (Ve por el parque. — Go through the park.)

Position

• al lado de — next to
• enfrente de — opposite
• delante de / detrás de — in front of / behind
• entre — between
• en la esquina de — on the corner of
• cerca de / lejos de — near / far from
• encima de / debajo de — on top of, above / under

💡 de + el = del: al lado del banco, enfrente del parque.

Part 6. Landmarks in the city

When giving directions, people name what you can see from the street.

Part 7. How to give directions yourself

If someone asks you, explain step by step and name the landmarks.

Step by step

• Sí, claro. Mira… — Yes, of course. Look…
• Desde aquí… — From here…
• Primero… luego / después… al final… — First… then… at the end…
• unos cien metros — about a hundred metres
• la tercera calle a la izquierda — the third street on the left
• Verás un parque a tu derecha. — You will see a park on your right.
• ¿Lo has entendido? — Did you get that?

The whole dialogue

• — Perdona, ¿hay una farmacia por aquí cerca? — — Excuse me, is there a pharmacy near here?
• — Sí, claro. Mira, sigue todo recto hasta el semáforo, cruza la calle y toma la primera a la derecha. La farmacia está al lado del banco. — — Yes, of course. Look: go straight ahead to the traffic lights, cross the street and take the first on the right. The pharmacy is next to the bank.
• — ¡Muchas gracias! — — Thank you very much!