Asking for directions in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and German
How to ask the way and understand the answer in five European languages, with the key words for left, right, straight on and near.
· 3 min read
Phones have made asking for directions less common, but batteries die, signal drops, and sometimes the map simply doesn't match the street. Knowing how to ask, and especially how to understand the answer, is still one of the most practical things you can learn in a new language.
The question
A polite way to get someone's attention, then the question. Most of the time, "excuse me, where is...?" is all you need.
| Excuse me, where is…? | How do I get to…? | |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Disculpe, ¿dónde está…? | ¿Cómo llego a…? |
| French | Excusez-moi, où est… ? | Comment je vais à… ? |
| Italian | Scusi, dov'è…? | Come arrivo a…? |
| Portuguese | Com licença, onde fica…? | Como chego a…? |
| German | Entschuldigung, wo ist…? | Wie komme ich zu / zum / zur…? |
Two small notes. In German, zu combines with the article: zum Bahnhof (to the station), zur Kirche (to the church). And in Portuguese, onde fica is the natural way to ask where a place is located.
Understanding the answer
The answer is the hard part, because it comes fast. You don't need to catch every word, just the key ones:
| English | Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| left | izquierda | gauche | sinistra | esquerda | links |
| right | derecha | droite | destra | direita | rechts |
| straight on | todo recto / derecho | tout droit | dritto | em frente | geradeaus |
| near | cerca | près | vicino | perto | in der Nähe |
| far | lejos | loin | lontano | longe | weit |
| the corner | la esquina | le coin | l'angolo | a esquina | die Ecke |
| the street | la calle | la rue | la strada / la via | a rua | die Straße |
| the traffic lights | el semáforo | le feu | il semaforo | o semáforo | die Ampel |
Notice how similar the Romance languages are for many of these words. If you know one, you can often guess the others; how similar they really are explores that further.
One trap: in French, tout droit means "straight on", while à droite means "to the right". They sound close, so listen for the à.
Tricks for understanding
- Repeat back what you heard. "Left, then straight?" in the local language confirms the key points and gives the other person a chance to correct you.
- Ask about distance. Is it far? (¿Está lejos? / C'est loin ? / È lontano? / É longe? / Ist es weit?) gives you useful context even if you missed the details.
- Watch the hands. People point. Follow the gestures and you'll get the gist even if the words fly past.
- Ask for one step. Instead of the whole route, ask how to reach the next landmark, then ask again.
Then say thank you
Gracias, merci, grazie, obrigado/obrigada, danke. People are usually happy to help, and a thank-you in their language goes a long way.
For a fuller set of trip phrases, see Spanish phrases for travel or, for train stations in Germany, German train vocabulary.