How to ask for directions in Spanish

To ask for directions in Spanish, you can use common phrases like:

• ¿Dónde está…? (Where is…?)
• ¿Cómo llego a…? (How do I get to…?)
• ¿Puede ayudarme a encontrar…? (Can you help me find…?)
• Estoy buscando… (I am looking for…)
• ¿Está lejos…? (Is it far…?)
• ¿Hay un/una … cerca de aquí? (Is there a … near here?)
• ¿Me podría decir cómo llegar a…? (Could you tell me how to get to…?)

These phrases help you politely and clearly ask for directions in various scenarios. Adding polite phrases such as por favor (please) and greetings like disculpe (excuse me) are also common when asking for directions in Spanish. This makes your request courteous and more likely to get a helpful response.

References

• Spatial prepositions for original (and richer) meanings: the case of Spanish

• How to Start a Request? A Contrastive Study of Alerters in Spanish by Speakers of L1 Spanish and L1 French

• Vuestra atención, por favor ‘your attention, please’. Some remarks on the usage and history of plural vuestro/a in Cusco Spanish (Peru)

• A Spanish E-dictionary of Collocations

• Después de usted: Variation and Change in a Spanish Tripartite Politeness System

• Forms of address in the south-western Sprachbund of the Iberian Peninsula

• Hey You! Let’s Talk. Dialogue-Initiatives Revisited for Wayfinding Instructions