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How to say left, right, straight and nearby in Russian visualisation

How to say left, right, straight and nearby in Russian

Your Ultimate Guide to Russian Transportation: How to say left, right, straight and nearby in Russian
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Here are the translations for the requested words in Russian:

  • Left: налево (nalevo) when indicating direction, слева (sleva) when meaning “on the left”
  • Right: направо (napravo) when indicating direction, справа (sprava) when meaning “on the right”
  • Straight: прямо (pryamo)
  • Nearby: рядом (ryadom)

These words are used commonly in giving directions or describing location in Russian.

How to use these words in real Russian

A useful thing to know is that Russian often distinguishes between direction and location:

  • налево / направо / прямо are used when telling someone where to go
  • слева / справа / рядом are used when describing where something is

So if you want to say, “Turn left,” you would use налево. But if you want to say, “The store is on the left,” you would usually say слева.

Simple example phrases

Here are some common phrases you may hear or use:

  • Поверните налево. — Turn left.
  • Поверните направо. — Turn right.
  • Идите прямо. — Go straight.
  • Магазин рядом. — The store is nearby.
  • Остановка слева. — The bus stop is on the left.
  • Кафе справа. — The café is on the right.

Useful travel phrases

If you are learning Russian for travel, these expressions are especially helpful:

  • Где метро? — Where is the metro?
  • Идите прямо, потом налево. — Go straight, then left.
  • Он рядом? — Is it nearby?
  • Это далеко? — Is it far?
  • Слева или справа? — On the left or on the right?

These short questions and answers are common in everyday conversation and can help you navigate cities, train stations, and neighborhoods.

Pronunciation tips

Russian pronunciation can be tricky at first, so here is a quick guide:

  • налево = nah-LYE-vah
  • направо = nah-PRAH-vah
  • прямо = PRYAH-muh
  • рядом = RYA-dam
  • слева = SLYE-vah
  • справа = SPRA-vah

A helpful memory trick:

  • налево and направо sound like movement words because they are often used with actions like “turn” or “go”
  • слева and справа are more static, describing position

Common mistake: using the wrong form

Learners often mix up налево and слева, or направо and справа. A simple rule can help:

  • Use налево / направо with movement
  • Use слева / справа with location

Compare:

  • Поверните направо. — Turn right.
  • Аптека справа. — The pharmacy is on the right.

Both are correct, but they are used in different situations.

Mini practice

Try translating these:

  1. Turn left.
  2. Go straight.
  3. The bank is nearby.
  4. The hotel is on the right.

Possible answers:

  1. Поверните налево.
  2. Идите прямо.
  3. Банк рядом.
  4. Отель справа.

Quick memory summary

  • налево = left, as a direction
  • слева = on the left
  • направо = right, as a direction
  • справа = on the right
  • прямо = straight
  • рядом = nearby

If you are building your Russian vocabulary for travel or everyday conversation, these are among the first direction words worth mastering.

References

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