Giving taxi directions | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Podría dejarnos cerca de la entrada de la clínica, por favor?

   Could you drop us near the clinic entrance, please?

   ¿Podría

   Could you…?

   dejarnos

   drop us off

   cerca de

   near

   entrada

   entrance

   clínica

   clinic

   por favor

   please

   More detail

   ¿Podría is the conditional form of poder (“can/could”). In this sentence it makes a polite request addressed to one person using usted: “Could you…?” The same form can also agree with a third-person singular subject in other contexts, so the form alone does not always identify the addressee. Example: ¿Podría ayudarme? — “Could you help me?” dejarnos combines the infinitive dejar (“to leave; to let”) with the attached object pronoun nos (“us”). Here, dejar means leaving or dropping people at a place, and nos is the people being dropped off. The infinitive remains unchanged after conditional podría; the pronoun is attached to it. Example: ¿Puede dejarnos aquí? — “Can you drop us off here?” cerca de is a reusable location pattern meaning “near” or “close to.” The preposition de introduces the place used as the reference point: cerca de la estación — “near the station.” entrada is a feminine noun meaning “entrance” in this context. Its plural is entradas. The feminine singular article in la entrada agrees with this noun. Example: La entrada está abierta. — “The entrance is open.” clínica is a feminine noun meaning “clinic.” In la clínica, the article la agrees with it. The sequence la entrada de la clínica means “the entrance of the clinic” or, more naturally in English, “the clinic entrance.” por favor is the standard polite expression “please.” It softens the request but does not change who performs the action or what action is requested. Together, the request asks one person politely to drop the speakers off near the entrance of the clinic: “Could you drop us near the clinic entrance, please?”

2. ¿Está justo después de la intersección principal?

   Is that just past the main intersection?

   Está

   is

   justo

   just

   después de

   after

   intersección

   intersection

   principal

   main

   More detail

   Está is the present-tense form of estar for a third-person singular subject. Here it means “is located,” with the subject left unstated in Spanish; the fixed translation identifies that subject as “that.” Estar is commonly used for location: La farmacia está aquí. — “The pharmacy is here.” The question order ¿Está ...? turns this into a yes/no question. justo means “just” or “right” here and strengthens the location: “right after,” not merely “after.” Example: Está justo aquí. — “It is right here.” después de is a reusable prepositional pattern meaning “after” or “past,” followed by a noun or noun phrase. Example: El hotel está después del puente. — “The hotel is past the bridge.” In después del, de combines with el to form del. intersección means “intersection.” It is a feminine noun, as shown by la; its plural is intersecciones. Example: La intersección está cerca. — “The intersection is nearby.” principal means “main” here. It is a singular adjective modifying intersección; principal has the same form with masculine and feminine singular nouns, while the plural is principales. Example: la calle principal — “the main street.” Together, ¿Está asks whether the intended place or object is located somewhere, justo después de specifies “right past,” and la intersección principal identifies the landmark as “the main intersection.” The complete utterance means: “Is that just past the main intersection?”

3. Gire a la izquierda después del banco.

   Turn left after the bank.

   Gire

   turn

   a la izquierda

   to the left

   después

   after

   banco

   bank

   More detail

   Gire is the formal singular affirmative command of girar, “to turn.” It addresses one person as usted; it is not the tú form. Compare gira (tú) and giren (ustedes). Example: Gire a la derecha. — “Turn right.” a la izquierda means “to the left” and gives the direction of the turn. The pattern a la izquierda is commonly used for leftward direction; its opposite is a la derecha (“to the right”). Example: Tome la primera calle a la izquierda. — “Take the first street on the left.” después means “after” here, introducing the point that should be passed before the turn. In this sentence it combines with de to form después de (“after”). Example: Después de la estación, gire. — “After the station, turn.” banco means “bank” here. Its base form is the masculine noun banco, so the phrase uses el banco; after después de, de el contracts to del: después del banco. Spanish banco can have other meanings in other contexts, but the fixed translation identifies the financial institution here. Example: El banco está cerca. — “The bank is nearby.” Together, Gire gives the instruction, a la izquierda specifies the direction, and después del banco identifies when to do it: “Turn left after the bank.”

4. Luego siga por la carretera hacia la farmacia.

   Then follow the road toward the pharmacy.

   Luego

   then

   siga

   follow; continue

   la carretera

   the road

   hacia

   toward

   la farmacia

   the pharmacy

   More detail

   Luego means “then” and places this instruction after an earlier step or event. It commonly links directions in sequence: Gire a la izquierda. Luego siga... = “Turn left. Then continue...”. siga is the form of seguir used here as an affirmative command to one person addressed as usted (singular). The verb seguir can mean “to follow” or “to continue,” and the route context supports “follow/continue.” Compare the informal singular command sigue (tú) with the formal singular siga (usted). Example: Siga recto. = “Continue straight.” la carretera means “the road” or “the highway.” The noun is carretera, a feminine singular noun, so it appears with the feminine singular article la. Example: La carretera está abierta. = “The road is open.” hacia expresses direction toward a destination. It is followed here by la farmacia, so hacia la farmacia means “toward the pharmacy,” without necessarily stating that the destination has been reached. Example: Camina hacia el hotel. = “Walk toward the hotel.” la farmacia means “the pharmacy.” farmacia is a feminine singular noun, which is why it takes la. Example: La farmacia está cerca. = “The pharmacy is nearby.” Together, Luego siga gives the sequence and the formal singular instruction “Then follow/continue.” por la carretera indicates the route taken, “along/on the road,” and hacia la farmacia gives the direction: “toward the pharmacy.” The whole utterance means “Then follow the road toward the pharmacy.”

5. ¿Debo seguir todo recto después de girar?

   Should I keep going straight after the turn?

   Debo

   I should; I must

   seguir

   continue; keep going

   todo recto

   straight ahead

   después de

   after

   girar

   turn

   More detail

   Debo is the first-person singular present form of deber (“I should” or “I must”). Here, followed by an infinitive, it asks whether continuing is the required or appropriate action. Compare debo seguir (“I should/must continue”) with debes seguir (“you should/must continue”); the form changes with the subject. seguir means “to continue” or “to keep going.” Its base form is the infinitive seguir, used after deber: debo seguir. In other contexts it can also mean “to follow,” as in seguir la carretera (“to follow the road”), but the fixed translation supports “keep going” here. todo recto is a direction expression meaning “straight ahead.” Together, these words indicate continuing straight on rather than turning; they do not name a particular object. Example: Siga todo recto. — “Keep going straight ahead.” después de means “after” and introduces what happens later. Before an infinitive, it forms the reusable pattern después de + infinitive: después de girar — “after turning.” The infinitive presents the turning as the event that occurs first in this time relationship. girar is the infinitive “to turn.” It can describe changing direction, as in girar a la derecha (“to turn right”). In the fixed utterance, no direction is specified; only the timing of continuing straight is linked to the turn. Together, debo seguir asks about the speaker’s next action, todo recto specifies the direction, and después de girar sets the point in time. The whole utterance means: “Should I keep going straight after the turn?”

6. Siga todo recto hasta que la farmacia quede a su derecha.

   Keep going until the pharmacy is on your right.

   Siga

   keep going; continue

   todo recto

   straight ahead

   hasta que

   until

   farmacia

   pharmacy

   quede

   is; ends up being

   a su derecha

   on your right

   More detail

   Siga is the affirmative command form of seguir for one person addressed as usted: “Keep going” or “Continue.” Compare sigue for a tú command and sigan for an ustedes command. Example: Siga por esta calle. — “Continue along this street.” todo recto means “straight ahead” or “straight on.” Together with Siga, it gives the direction to continue without turning. hasta que introduces the endpoint “until.” In this temporal clause, Spanish uses the subjunctive because the endpoint is anticipated as a future point relative to the instruction rather than presented as an established fact. la farmacia means “the pharmacy.” Farmacia is a feminine noun, so the definite article is la. quede is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of quedar. Here quedar describes the pharmacy’s location: it will be on the specified side when the instruction reaches that point. It is not the command form of seguir; Siga carries the command. Example: Espere hasta que el semáforo quede en verde. — “Wait until the traffic light turns green.” a su derecha is the Spanish location expression for “on your right.” Su is the possessive form used here for the person addressed as usted, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Derecha means “right-hand side.” The preposition a is part of the expression. The same su form can also serve other third-person or plural referents in different contexts. Together, Siga todo recto means “Keep going straight,” and hasta que la farmacia quede a su derecha marks the point at which the pharmacy is on your right. The complete meaning is “Keep going until the pharmacy is on your right.”

7. ¿Dónde quiere que me detenga?

   Where would you like me to stop?

   ¿Dónde

   where

   quiere

   would like

   detenga

   stop

   More detail

   ¿Dónde asks for a place: “where”. It is used to ask where an action happens or where someone or something is located. Example: ¿Dónde está la entrada? — “Where is the entrance?” quiere is the present form of querer for usted or for a third-person singular subject. Here, the fixed translation identifies usted as the person being addressed, and quiere que... politely asks what that person would like someone to do. The useful pattern is ¿Dónde quiere que...? — “Where would you like ...?” detenga comes from detener, “to stop”. In this sentence it is present subjunctive, used after quiere que. The surrounding construction identifies the person who stops as yo: que me detenga means “that I stop”. The me is a reflexive pronoun, so the action is expressed as stopping oneself. The form detenga can also serve other subject combinations in other contexts, so its exact subject here comes from the construction and the fixed meaning, not from this form alone. Example: Quiero que te detengas aquí. — “I want you to stop here.” Together, ¿Dónde asks for the location, quiere que asks what the addressed person would like, and me detenga expresses “I stop”. The whole utterance therefore means: “Where would you like me to stop?”

8. Cualquier lugar cerca de la puerta principal está bien.

   Anywhere near the front door is fine.

   Cualquier

   any

   lugar

   place

   cerca de

   near

   puerta

   door

   principal

   front

   está bien

   is fine

   More detail

   Cualquier means “any” here and introduces an unrestricted choice: any place that meets the following description. Before a singular noun, Spanish uses cualquier; the standalone form is cualquiera. Example: Cualquier día me sirve. — “Any day works for me.” lugar means “place.” It is a masculine singular noun; its plural is lugares. In cualquier lugar, the noun is the thing being selected, while the words after it describe which places are acceptable. cerca de is the reusable pattern for “near” or “close to,” followed by the reference point. Example: El hotel está cerca de la estación. — “The hotel is near the station.” puerta means “door.” It is a feminine singular noun; its plural is puertas. Here it appears in the prepositional phrase cerca de la puerta principal, which identifies the reference point for “near.” principal means “main” or, in this context, “front.” It is an adjective modifying puerta, so it is feminine singular in this phrase. The form is principal for both masculine and feminine singular nouns; the plural is principales: el acceso principal, las puertas principales. está bien uses the third-person singular present form está of estar plus bien (“well”), giving “is fine” or “is okay.” Está has an accent and is different from esta (“this” feminine). Example: La ubicación está bien. — “The location is fine.” Together, cualquier lugar means “any place,” cerca de la puerta principal specifies that the place is near the front door, and está bien says that such a place is acceptable. The whole utterance therefore means: “Anywhere near the front door is fine.”

9. Puedo parar justo después de la entrada.

   I can pull over just beyond the entrance.

   Puedo

   I can

   parar

   pull over

   justo después de

   just beyond

   entrada

   entrance

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to/can”). It expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility. The pattern puedo + infinitive is reusable: Puedo esperar. — “I can wait.” parar is an infinitive meaning “to stop”; in this driving context, Puedo parar means “I can pull over.” The infinitive stays unchanged after puedo, while puedo carries the first-person singular form. In other contexts, parar can simply mean stopping an activity or movement. justo después de means “just after” or “just beyond” when describing a location along a route. después de introduces what comes later, and justo emphasizes the immediate boundary or proximity. Example: El café está justo después del puente. — “The café is just beyond the bridge.” entrada is a feminine noun meaning “entrance.” Its singular form appears with the feminine article in the sentence: la entrada. Related forms include the plural las entradas, “the entrances” or “the tickets,” depending on context; the meaning here is the physical entrance. Together, Puedo parar justo después de la entrada. means “I can pull over just beyond the entrance.” Puedo expresses the speaker’s ability, parar names the action, and justo después de la entrada specifies the stopping location. This fits the preceding context, which identifies a place near the front door as acceptable.