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Illustration for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”

Spanish dialogue with translation · A1 · 14 lines

Disculpe, busco la farmacia Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy

Comic · 10 panels

Panel 1 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for the pharmacy. Is it close? (formal)” “Yes. Go straight along Calle Mayor to the traffic light (formal).”
  1. Pablo

    Disculpe, señora. Busco la farmacia. ¿Está cerca?

    Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for the pharmacy. Is it close? (formal)

  2. Señora

    Sí. Siga recto por la calle Mayor hasta el semáforo.

    Yes. Go straight along Calle Mayor to the traffic light (formal).

Panel 2 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “And after the traffic light?”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Y después del semáforo?

    And after the traffic light?

Panel 3 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Turn at the street on the right. The pharmacy is there, on the corner, next to the bank (formal).”
  1. Señora

    Gire en la calle de la derecha. La farmacia está ahí, en la esquina, al lado del banco.

    Turn at the street on the right. The pharmacy is there, on the corner, next to the bank (formal).

Panel 4 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Do I have to walk a lot?”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Tengo que caminar mucho?

    Do I have to walk a lot?

Panel 5 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “No, it's very close. If you don't find it, there's a police officer in the square (formal).”
  1. Señora

    No, está muy cerca. Si no la encuentra, hay un policía en la plaza.

    No, it's very close. If you don't find it, there's a police officer in the square (formal).

Panel 6 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Thank you. I'm new in the city. I don't know the downtown area (man speaking).” “Are you looking for anything else? (formal)”
  1. Pablo

    Gracias. Soy nuevo en la ciudad. No conozco el centro.

    Thank you. I'm new in the city. I don't know the downtown area (man speaking).

  2. Señora

    ¿Busca algo más?

    Are you looking for anything else? (formal)

Panel 7 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Yes, the museum. Do you know where it is? (formal)” “Of course. It's over there, in the square, in front of the church.”
  1. Pablo

    Sí, el museo. ¿Sabe dónde está?

    Yes, the museum. Do you know where it is? (formal)

  2. Señora

    Claro. Está allá, en la plaza, delante de la iglesia.

    Of course. It's over there, in the square, in front of the church.

Panel 8 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Is it far?”
  1. Pablo

    ¿Está lejos?

    Is it far?

Panel 9 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “No. Cross the park and keep to the left. It's the third street (formal).”
  1. Señora

    No. Cruce el parque y siga por la izquierda. Es la tercera calle.

    No. Cross the park and keep to the left. It's the third street (formal).

Panel 10 of 10 for “Excuse me, I'm looking for the pharmacy”: “Do you want a map? Here you go (formal).” “Thank you very much. You're helping me a lot! Excuse me (formal).”
  1. Señora

    ¿Quiere un mapa? Aquí tiene.

    Do you want a map? Here you go (formal).

  2. Pablo

    Muchas gracias. ¡Usted me ayuda mucho! Con permiso.

    Thank you very much. You're helping me a lot! Excuse me (formal).

Grammar for this text

Directions: commands in the usted form. Siga recto, Gire en la calle de la derecha, Cruce el parque: "go straight", "turn at the street on the right", "cross the park". The woman speaks to Pablo formally (usted). These commands are built from the yo form: drop the -o and add the "opposite" vowel. For -ar verbs it's -e: girar → gire, cruzar → cruce (before e, z is written as c). For -er and -ir verbs it's -a: seguir (yo sigo) → siga. Disculpe comes from disculpar the same way. You'll study these forms in detail at A2 (unit 15).

Si no la encuentra. "If you don't find it": here la isn't an article. It means "it" (the pharmacy, la farmacia), and it goes before the verb. Just like in English, after si (if) you use the present tense.

Formal you without usted. ¿Busca algo más?, ¿Sabe dónde está?, ¿Quiere un mapa?: the verb has the same form as for "he" or "she", but it's addressed to the listener. It's the polite "are you looking for", "do you know", "do you want". Spanish often leaves out the word usted.

Al lado del banco, delante de la iglesia. A place word + de, and de + el = del: al lado del banco (next to the bank), después del semáforo (after the traffic light). La farmacia está ahí — "the pharmacy is right there" (not far); Está allá — "it's over there" (farther away). To answer "where?", use estar.

Tengo que, sabe, conozco. ¿Tengo que caminar mucho? — "Do I have to walk a lot?": tener que + infinitive means "to have to". ¿Sabe dónde está? — "Do you know where it is?": to know a fact is saber. To know a place or a person, to be familiar with it, is conocer: No conozco el centro. English uses "know" for both.

Words and grammar of the unit: Ask for directions in the city.

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