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Dónde Está

Dónde Está

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How to say where things are in Spanish (¿dónde está…? and prepositions of place)

Ask ¿dónde está?, understand the answer, and place anything precisely — out loud.

VOCABULARY PACK · 4 LESSONS · A1

Start with ¿dónde está…? — and always with estar, never ser: it's está aquí, not es aquí. The answers come back in chunks, so learn the prepositions with their de attached: al lado de (next to), enfrente de (across from), detrás de (behind), encima de and debajo de (on top of, under). And listen for what locals actually say: in Mexico, acá and allá beat aquí and allí in daily speech, and Argentines ask ¿dónde queda? for places.

Below: the location words lesson by lesson, the regional habits, the slips that confuse people — and a way to practise the whole exchange out loud, no maps to click, no flashcards.

Say this

The phrases that carry the conversation

Here & There

  • aquíhere
  • allíthere
  • cercanear/close
  • lejosfar

Near & Far

  • al lado denext to
  • enfrente dein front of/across from
  • detrás debehind
  • entrebetween

Asking Where Things Are

  • dentro deinside
  • fuera deoutside
  • encima deon top of
  • debajo deunder/below

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

  1. Forgetting 'de' after prepositions (saying 'al lado la tienda' instead of 'al lado de la tienda')Most Spanish location prepositions need 'de' before the noun — practice them as chunks: al lado de, enfrente de, detrás de
  2. Confusing 'derecha' (right direction) with 'derecho' (straight/law)A la derecha = to the right, todo derecho/recto = straight ahead — listen for the ending
  3. Saying 'es aquí' instead of 'está aquí'Use estar for locations — things and people are always located with estar, not ser

The part no drill site can do

No flashcards. You learn it by using it

Olivia, &Be vocabulary teacher

Olivia

Your vocabulary teacher for this pack

No flashcards and no map exercises — in the Dónde Está lessons you say it, and Olivia plays the moments: a passerby you stop for the nearest metro station (disculpe, ¿dónde está…?), then two steps of directions you have to catch and repeat back; a delivery person who can't find your apartment, so you place it — near the pharmacy, next to the bakery, al final de the street; a friend hunting for their phone while you narrate — encima de the table, detrás de the book. Out loud, until location words come without translating.

Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.

Finish the 4 lessons and Dónde Está is yours — earned, not given.

Download on the App Store First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you

Quick answers

Questions people ask

How do you ask where something is in Spanish?

¿Dónde está…? — politely, Disculpe, ¿dónde está…? In Argentina and Uruguay you'll hear ¿dónde queda? for places, and in Chile the colloquial ¿dónde es?

Is it "es aquí" or "está aquí"?

Está aquí. People and things are always located with estar, never ser — one of the cleanest ser/estar rules there is.

How do you say straight ahead in Spanish?

In Mexico it's simply derecho; Argentines say todo derecho or seguí derecho; todo recto is Spain. Don't confuse it with a la derecha — to the right. The ending changes the direction.

How do you say next to, behind, and in front of in Spanish?

Al lado de, detrás de, enfrente de — and keep the de: it's al lado de la tienda, never al lado la tienda. Learn them as fixed chunks.

How do you say near and far in Spanish?

Cerca and lejos. Locals sharpen them: a la vuelta means just around the corner, aquí mismito (Caribbean, Colombia) means right here, and pegadito a means right up against something.