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A115 words5 phrases

Around the city

These are the landmarks you name when you arrange to meet someone, describe where you live or work out where a taxi should drop you.

Quick answer

Quedamos en la plaza a las ocho.

Let’s meet in the square at eight. Quedar is the everyday verb for arranging to meet.

The words

SpanishEnglish
la ciudadthe city
el barriothe neighbourhood
la callethe street
la plazathe square
la avenidathe avenue
el ayuntamientothe town hall
la iglesiathe church
el museothe museum
el parquethe park
el puentethe bridge
la esquinathe corner
el semáforothe traffic light
la acerathe pavement
el casco antiguothe old town
el quioscothe kiosk

The phrases you will actually say

Quedamos en la plaza a las ocho.Let us meet in the square at eight.
Vivo en un barrio muy tranquilo.I live in a very quiet neighbourhood.
El museo está al lado del ayuntamiento.The museum is next to the town hall.
Gire a la derecha en el semáforo.Turn right at the traffic light.
El casco antiguo es peatonal.The old town is pedestrianised.

Worth knowing

Spanish addresses are built the other way round from English ones: the street comes first and the number after, as in Calle Mayor 12, 3º izquierda, where 3º izquierda means third floor, left-hand door. The ground floor is bajo, so what a lift calls 1 is the first floor above the street, and many older buildings squeeze an entresuelo or a principal in between. When giving directions people refer to la esquina, the outside corner of a block, rather than counting streets. And most Spanish towns still organise themselves around the plaza mayor and the ayuntamiento, so "meet me in the square" is rarely ambiguous in a small town, though in a city you must name which one.

Practice

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In a Spanish address, what does "bajo" mean?

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