A1 · Unit 7 · 44 words, 2 texts with translation
Ask for directions in the city
Ask the way, understand directions, and name places around town.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Ir: "to go", and a + el = al
Ir (to go) is one of the most important verbs, and one of the most irregular. Just learn its forms by heart.
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | voy | I go |
| tú | vas | you go |
| él / ella / usted | va | he/she goes, you (formal) go |
| nosotros | vamos | we go |
| vosotros | vais | you (plural) go |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | van | they go, you (plural formal) go |
Spanish uses ir for any way of going: on foot, by car or by bus. Where English says "I'm going", Spanish usually just says voy.
After ir, the place comes with a ("to"):
- Voy a la farmacia. — I'm going to the pharmacy.
- Vamos a casa. — We're going home.
- ¿Adónde vas? — Where are you going?
When a comes right before the article el, the two always join into one word: al. Never write ✗ a el.
| What | How we say it |
|---|---|
| a + el banco | al banco |
| a + el parque | al parque |
| a + la plaza | a la plaza (no joining with la) |
| a + los museos | a los museos |
| a + las tiendas | a las tiendas |
- Voy al banco. Vamos al museo. Camino al parque. — I'm going to the bank. We're going to the museum. I walk to the park.
- For a means of transportation, use en: voy al centro en autobús (I'm going downtown by bus).
Where is it? Giving directions
To say where something is, use estar (está, están): El banco está en la esquina. (The bank is on the corner.) La farmacia está en el centro. (The pharmacy is downtown.) To ask the way, start with a polite Disculpe (Excuse me): Disculpe, ¿dónde está el museo? (Excuse me, where's the museum?) ¿Cómo llego a la plaza? (How do I get to the square?)
The answer usually uses commands in the usted form (formal you):
| Infinitive | Command (usted) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| seguir | siga | keep going |
| girar | gire | turn |
| cruzar | cruce | cross |
| tomar | tome | take (a street) |
Typical phrases:
- Siga recto hasta el semáforo. — Go straight to the traffic light.
- Gire a la derecha (turn right), gire a la izquierda (turn left).
- Cruce la plaza. — Cross the square.
- Tome la primera calle a la izquierda. — Take the first street on the left.
- Está ahí, en la esquina. — It's there, on the corner.
A la derecha and a la izquierda work for both movement (turn right) and location (it's on the right).
Ordinal numbers agree with the noun: primero → el primer semáforo, la primera calle; segundo → la segunda calle; tercero → el tercer semáforo, la tercera calle. Before a masculine singular noun, primero and tercero drop the -o: primer, tercer.
Poder, tener que, saber and conocer
You'll use these verbs a lot when you ask for help or for directions.
Poder (can, to be able to) and tener que (to have to) are followed by an infinitive:
| Person | poder (o → ue) | tener que |
|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | tengo que |
| tú | puedes | tienes que |
| él / ella / usted | puede | tiene que |
| nosotros | podemos | tenemos que |
| vosotros | podéis | tenéis que |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pueden | tienen que |
- ¿Puede ayudarme, por favor? — Can you help me, please?
- Tengo que ir al banco. — I have to go to the bank.
- No puedo ir hoy. — I can't go today.
Saber and conocer both mean "to know", but Spanish uses them for different things. English has just one verb here, so watch out:
saber— to know a fact, or to know how to do something: No sé dónde está el banco. (I don't know where the bank is.) Sé cocinar. (I know how to cook.) The yo form sé has a written accent.conocer— to know a person or a place, to be familiar with it: Conozco esta ciudad. (I know this city.) ¿Conoces a Pablo? (Do you know Pablo?) The yo form is conozco.- Before a person, conocer takes a: Conozco a María. (I know María.)
Words in this unit
ir — to go
Voy al centro. — I'm going downtown.
al — to the (a + el)
Voy al banco. — I'm going to the bank.
la ciudad — city
Madrid es una ciudad muy grande. — Madrid is a very big city.
poder — can, to be able to
¿Puedo pasar? — Can I come in?
tener que — to have to
Tengo que ir al banco. — I have to go to the bank.
que — that, than
Tengo que trabajar hoy. — I have to work today.
saber — to know, to know how to
No sé dónde está el banco. — I don't know where the bank is.
conocer — to know (be familiar with), to meet
Conozco bien esta ciudad. — I know this city well.
venir — to come
¿Vienes a cenar? — Are you coming to dinner?
disculpe — excuse me (formal)
Disculpe, ¿dónde está el banco? — Excuse me, where's the bank? (formal)
la derecha — right (side)
El banco está a la derecha. — The bank is on the right.
la izquierda — left (side)
La plaza está a la izquierda. — The square is on the left.
recto — straight (ahead)
Siga todo recto. — Go straight ahead (formal).
seguir — to keep going, to continue, to follow
Siga recto hasta la plaza. — Go straight to the square (formal).
girar — to turn
Gire a la izquierda en la esquina. — Turn left at the corner (formal).
cruzar — to cross
Cruce la plaza y siga recto. — Cross the square and go straight (formal).
por — along, through, for
Siga por esta calle. — Keep going along this street (formal).
hasta — to, as far as, until
Siga hasta el semáforo. — Keep going to the traffic light (formal).
primero — first
Tome la primera calle a la derecha. — Take the first street on the right (formal).
segundo — second
La segunda calle a la izquierda. — The second street on the left.
tercero — third
La tercera calle a la derecha. — The third street on the right.
la esquina — corner (of a street)
El banco está en la esquina. — The bank is on the corner.
el semáforo — traffic light
Siga hasta el semáforo. — Keep going to the traffic light (formal).
la plaza — square
La plaza está en el centro. — The square is downtown.
el centro — downtown, center
Vivo en el centro. — I live downtown.
el banco — bank, bench
El banco está en la esquina. — The bank is on the corner.
la farmacia — pharmacy, drugstore
¿Hay una farmacia por aquí? — Is there a pharmacy around here?
el museo — museum
El museo está en el centro. — The museum is downtown.
el parque — park
El parque está cerca de mi casa. — The park is near my house.
la iglesia — church
La iglesia está en la plaza. — The church is in the square.
ahí — there (near you)
El banco está ahí. — The bank is there.
allá — over there (far away)
El museo está allá, al fondo. — The museum is over there, at the far end.
buscar — to look for
Busco la farmacia. — I'm looking for the pharmacy.
encontrar — to find
No encuentro el banco. — I can't find the bank.
ayudar — to help
¿Puede ayudarme, por favor? — Can you help me, please? (formal)
caminar — to walk
Camino al trabajo. — I walk to work.
el mapa — map
Busco la calle en el mapa. — I'm looking for the street on the map.
el lugar — place
Este lugar es muy bonito. — This place is very beautiful.
la policía — police, police officer
La policía está en la plaza. — The police are in the square.
a la derecha — to the right, on the right
Gire a la derecha en el semáforo. — Turn right at the traffic light (formal).
a la izquierda — to the left, on the left
Gire a la izquierda en la esquina. — Turn left at the corner (formal).
con permiso — excuse me (to get past)
Con permiso, ¿puedo pasar? — Excuse me, can I get through?
si — if, whether
Si llueve, no salgo. — If it rains, I don't go out.
tengo que ir — I have to go
Tengo que ir al banco. — I have to go to the bank.
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