🧭 Directions

⏱ 13 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful everyday English vocabulary and expressions for asking where places are, understanding directions, and finding your way around a city or neighborhood. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Directions Vocabulary

⬅️ Left
the side opposite of right
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Izquierda
🇫🇷 French: Gauche
🇩🇪 German: Links
🇮🇹 Italian: Sinistra
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Esquerda
➡️ Right
the side opposite of left
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Derecha
🇫🇷 French: Droite
🇩🇪 German: Rechts
🇮🇹 Italian: Destra
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Direita
⬆️ Straight ahead
forward without turning
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Todo recto
🇫🇷 French: Tout droit
🇩🇪 German: Geradeaus
🇮🇹 Italian: Dritto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Em frente / Sempre em frente
↩️ To turn
to change direction
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Girar
🇫🇷 French: Tourner
🇩🇪 German: Abbiegen / Drehen
🇮🇹 Italian: Girare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Virar
🚶 To continue / Keep going
to keep moving in the same direction
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Seguir
🇫🇷 French: Continuer
🇩🇪 German: Weitergehen / Weiterfahren
🇮🇹 Italian: Continuare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Continuar / Seguir
🛑 To stop
to no longer move
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Parar
🇫🇷 French: S'arrêter
🇩🇪 German: Anhalten / Stoppen
🇮🇹 Italian: Fermarsi
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Parar

🟡 Streets & Navigation Vocabulary

🛣️ Street
a road in a town or city
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Calle
🇫🇷 French: Rue
🇩🇪 German: Straße
🇮🇹 Italian: Strada / Via
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Rua
📐 Corner
the place where two streets meet
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Esquina
🇫🇷 French: Coin / Angle
🇩🇪 German: Ecke
🇮🇹 Italian: Angolo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Esquina
🏙️ Block
the space from one street corner to the next
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cuadra
🇫🇷 French: Pâté de maisons / Bloc
🇩🇪 German: Häusererblock
🇮🇹 Italian: Isolato / Blocco
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quarteirão / Quadra
🚦 Traffic light
red, yellow, and green lights that control traffic
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Semáforo
🇫🇷 French: Feu de signalisation
🇩🇪 German: Ampel
🇮🇹 Italian: Semaforo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Semáforo
➕ Intersection / Crossroads
a place where two or more streets cross
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cruce
🇫🇷 French: Carrefour / Intersection
🇩🇪 German: Kreuzung
🇮🇹 Italian: Incrocio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cruzamento
🗺️ Map
a drawing that shows where places are
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mapa
🇫🇷 French: Carte
🇩🇪 German: Karte
🇮🇹 Italian: Mappa
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Mapa

🔵 Describing Where Something Is

📌 Near
close to something
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cerca de
🇫🇷 French: Près de
🇩🇪 German: In der Nähe von
🇮🇹 Italian: Vicino a
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Perto de
🌍 Far from
not close to something
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Lejos de
🇫🇷 French: Loin de
🇩🇪 German: Weit von
🇮🇹 Italian: Lontano da
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Longe de
🏠 Next to
beside something
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Al lado de
🇫🇷 French: À côté de
🇩🇪 German: Neben
🇮🇹 Italian: Accanto a
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ao lado de
↔️ Between
in the middle of two things
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Entre
🇫🇷 French: Entre
🇩🇪 German: Zwischen
🇮🇹 Italian: Tra / Fra
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Entre
👀 Across from / Opposite
on the other side of the street
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Enfrente de
🇫🇷 French: En face de
🇩🇪 German: Gegenüber
🇮🇹 Italian: Di fronte a
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Em frente de / Em frente a
📍 Here
in this place
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Aquí
🇫🇷 French: Ici
🇩🇪 German: Hier
🇮🇹 Italian: Qui
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aqui

🧠 Asking For & Giving Directions

💡 Use Where is...? to ask where a place is.
Where is the train station?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 ¿Dónde está la estación de tren?
🇫🇷 Où est la gare ?
🇩🇪 Wo ist der Bahnhof?
🇮🇹 Dov'è la stazione dei treni?
🇵🇹 Onde fica a estação de comboios?
Where is the bus stop?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?
🇫🇷 Où est l'arrêt de bus ?
🇩🇪 Wo ist die Bushaltestelle?
🇮🇹 Dov'è la fermata dell'autobus?
🇵🇹 Onde fica a paragem de autocarro?
💡 You can also use How do I get to...? when asking how to get somewhere.
How do I get to the city center?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 ¿Cómo llego al centro de la ciudad?
🇫🇷 Comment est-ce que j'arrive au centre-ville ?
🇩🇪 Wie komme ich ins Stadtzentrum?
🇮🇹 Come arrivo al centro della città?
🇵🇹 Como chego ao centro da cidade?
How do I get to the museum from here?
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 ¿Cómo llego al museo desde aquí?
🇫🇷 Comment est-ce que j'arrive au musée d'ici ?
🇩🇪 Wie komme ich von hier zum Museum?
🇮🇹 Come arrivo al museo da qui?
🇵🇹 Como chego ao museu daqui?
💡 When giving directions, English usually uses the same form whether speaking politely or casually. Adding please makes it more polite.
Turn right.
Please turn right.
Continue straight ahead.
Please continue straight ahead.

💬 Useful Directions

⬅️ Turn left when you reach the first traffic light.
go left at the first light
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Gira a la izquierda cuando llegues al primer semáforo.
🇫🇷 French: Tournez à gauche quand vous arrivez au premier feu.
🇩🇪 German: Biegen Sie links ab, wenn Sie die erste Ampel erreichen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Giri a sinistra quando arriva al primo semaforo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vire à esquerda quando chegar ao primeiro semáforo.
⬆️ Continue straight ahead for two blocks and you'll see the station.
go forward two blocks to find the station
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Sigue todo recto durante dos cuadras y verás la estación.
🇫🇷 French: Continuez tout droit pendant deux pâtés de maisons et vous verrez la gare.
🇩🇪 German: Gehen Sie zwei Blocks geradeaus und Sie sehen den Bahnhof.
🇮🇹 Italian: Continui dritto per due isolati e vedrà la stazione.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Continue em frente por dois quarteirões e verá a estação.
🏠 The pharmacy is next to the bank, across from a coffee shop.
the pharmacy is beside the bank and opposite a café
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: La farmacia está al lado del banco, enfrente de una cafetería.
🇫🇷 French: La pharmacie est à côté de la banque, en face d'un café.
🇩🇪 German: Die Apotheke ist neben der Bank, gegenüber einem Café.
🇮🇹 Italian: La farmacia è accanto alla banca, di fronte a un caffè.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A farmácia fica ao lado do banco, em frente a um café.
📌 The museum is quite close; you can walk there from here.
the museum is near enough to walk
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El museo está bastante cerca; puedes llegar caminando desde aquí.
🇫🇷 French: Le musée est assez proche ; vous pouvez y aller à pied d'ici.
🇩🇪 German: Das Museum ist ziemlich nah; Sie können von hier aus zu Fuß hingehen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il museo è piuttosto vicino; puoi arrivarci a piedi da qui.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O museu fica bem perto; pode ir a pé daqui.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Asking for directions
asking how to reach the train station
A: Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?
B: Continue straight ahead and turn right at the second traffic light.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: Disculpe, ¿cómo llego a la estación de tren?
🇪🇸 B: Siga todo recto y gire a la derecha en el segundo semáforo.

🇫🇷 A: Excusez-moi, comment est-ce que j'arrive à la gare ?
🇫🇷 B: Continuez tout droit et tournez à droite au deuxième feu.

🇩🇪 A: Entschuldigung, wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?
🇩🇪 B: Gehen Sie geradeaus und biegen Sie an der zweiten Ampel rechts ab.

🇮🇹 A: Scusi, come arrivo alla stazione dei treni?
🇮🇹 B: Continui dritto e giri a destra al secondo semaforo.

🇵🇹 A: Com licença, como chego à estação de comboios?
🇵🇹 B: Continue em frente e vire à direita no segundo semáforo.
Finding a nearby restaurant
asking if a restaurant is close
A: Is there a restaurant near here?
B: Yes. There's one on the next corner, next to the hotel.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Hay algún restaurante cerca de aquí?
🇪🇸 B: Sí. Hay uno en la próxima esquina, al lado del hotel.

🇫🇷 A: Y a-t-il un restaurant près d'ici ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui. Il y en a un au prochain coin, à côté de l'hôtel.

🇩🇪 A: Gibt es hier in der Nähe ein Restaurant?
🇩🇪 B: Ja. Es gibt eines an der nächsten Ecke, neben dem Hotel.

🇮🇹 A: C'è un ristorante qui vicino?
🇮🇹 B: Sì. Ce n'è uno all'angolo successivo, accanto all'hotel.

🇵🇹 A: Há algum restaurante perto daqui?
🇵🇹 B: Sim. Há um na próxima esquina, ao lado do hotel.

📝 Example Sentences

🗺️ We looked at the map because we didn't know how to get downtown.
we used a map to find the city center
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Miramos el mapa porque no sabíamos cómo llegar al centro.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons regardé la carte parce que nous ne savions pas comment aller au centre-ville.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben auf die Karte geschaut, weil wir nicht wussten, wie man ins Zentrum kommt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo guardato la mappa perché non sapevamo come arrivare in centro.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Olhámos para o mapa porque não sabíamos como chegar ao centro.
🚦 After the traffic light, continue to the end of the street.
go to the end of the street after the light
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Después del semáforo, continúa hasta el final de la calle.
🇫🇷 French: Après le feu, continuez jusqu'à la fin de la rue.
🇩🇪 German: Nach der Ampel gehen Sie bis zum Ende der Straße weiter.
🇮🇹 Italian: Dopo il semaforo, continua fino alla fine della strada.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Depois do semáforo, continue até ao fim da rua.
🏛️ The museum is between the library and an office building.
the museum sits in the middle of those two buildings
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El museo está entre la biblioteca y un edificio de oficinas.
🇫🇷 French: Le musée se trouve entre la bibliothèque et un immeuble de bureaux.
🇩🇪 German: Das Museum liegt zwischen der Bibliothek und einem Bürogebäude.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il museo si trova tra la biblioteca e un edificio per uffici.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O museu fica entre a biblioteca e um edifício de escritórios.
🚶 They told us the hotel was nearby, so we decided to walk.
the hotel was close, so we went on foot
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Nos dijeron que el hotel estaba cerca, así que decidimos ir a pie.
🇫🇷 French: On nous a dit que l'hôtel était proche, donc nous avons décidé d'y aller à pied.
🇩🇪 German: Man hat uns gesagt, das Hotel sei in der Nähe, also haben wir beschlossen zu Fuß zu gehen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Ci hanno detto che l'hotel era vicino, così abbiamo deciso di andare a piedi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Disseram-nos que o hotel ficava perto, por isso decidimos ir a pé.
📐 There is a small bakery right on the corner of this street.
a bakery sits at this street corner
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hay una pequeña panadería justo en la esquina de esta calle.
🇫🇷 French: Il y a une petite boulangerie juste au coin de cette rue.
🇩🇪 German: Es gibt eine kleine Bäckerei genau an der Ecke dieser Straße.
🇮🇹 Italian: C'è una piccola panetteria proprio all'angolo di questa strada.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Há uma pequena padaria mesmo na esquina desta rua.
📍 The bus stop is across from the park, next to the main entrance.
the bus stop faces the park by the entrance
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: La parada de autobús está enfrente del parque, junto a la entrada principal.
🇫🇷 French: L'arrêt de bus se trouve en face du parc, à côté de l'entrée principale.
🇩🇪 German: Die Bushaltestelle ist gegenüber dem Park, neben dem Haupteingang.
🇮🇹 Italian: La fermata dell'autobus è di fronte al parco, accanto all'ingresso principale.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A paragem de autocarro fica em frente ao parque, junto à entrada principal.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the best word or phrase from the lesson.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%