Out and About: Asking for Directions and Getting Around - Everyday Conversational Arabic: Practical Phrases for Real Life

Q: How do you say "The hotel is near the train station" in Arabic?

الفندق قريب من محطّة القطار.. The correct answer is "الفندق قريب من محطّة القطار." (al-fun-duq qa-reeb min ma-ḥat-tat al-qi-ṭaar). "الفندق" means "the hotel", "قريب" means "near", and "من محطّة القطار" means "from / near the train station". The other options say: "The hotel is far from the train station", "The train station is on the left", and "I go to the hotel by taxi".

New Words and Phrases: Getting Around the City

In this step you will learn useful place words and basic transport vocabulary to help you move around a city and ask for directions in Arabic.

Word	Pronunciation	Translation	Example
شارع	shaa-riʿ	street	أنا في الشارع الرئيسي.(I am on the main street.)
محطّة القطار	ma-ḥat-tat al-qi-ṭaar	train station	أين محطّة القطار؟(Where is the train station?)
مطعم	maṭ-ʿam	restaurant	أريد مطعمًا قريبًا.(I want a nearby restaurant.)
سوق	sooʾq	market	السوق بعيد عن الفندق.(The market is far from the hotel.)
فندق	fun-duq	hotel	الفندق قريب من المترو.(The hotel is near the metro.)
حافلة	ḥaa-fi-la	bus	أذهب بالحافلة.(I go by bus.)
تاكسي	tak-see	taxi	هل يوجد تاكسي هنا؟(Is there a taxi here?)
مترو	mi-tro / met-ro	metro / subway	المترو سريع ورخيص.(The metro is fast and cheap.)
على اليمين	ʿa-la al-ya-meen	on the right	المطعم على اليمين.(The restaurant is on the right.)
على اليسار	ʿa-la al-ya-saar	on the left	السوق على اليسار.(The market is on the left.)
قريب	qa-reeb	near / close	الفندق قريب جدًا.(The hotel is very near.)
بعيد	ba-ʿeed	far	محطّة القطار بعيدة.(The train station is far.)
أذهب مشيًا	a-dh-hab mash-yan	I go on foot / I walk	الفندق قريب، أذهب مشيًا.(The hotel is near, I go on foot.)
إلى أين…؟	i-la ay-na...?	To where…? / Where to…?	إلى أين هذه الحافلة؟(Where does this bus go to?)
من فضلك، كيف أذهب إلى…؟	min faḍ-lik, kay-fa a-dh-hab i-la...?	Please, how do I go to…?	من فضلك، كيف أذهب إلى السوق؟(Please, how do I go to the market?)
من فضلك، هل يمكنك التكرار؟	min faḍ-lik, hal yu-mki-nuk at-tik-raar?	Please, can you repeat?	آسف، من فضلك، هل يمكنك التكرار؟(Sorry, please, can you repeat?)

Language Pattern: Asking for Directions and Talking about Transport

In this step, you learn simple patterns to ask for directions and say how you are traveling.

1. Asking "Where is…?" and "How do I go to…?"

Two very useful patterns:

Where is + place?

Arabic: أين + المكان؟
Phonetic: ay-na + al-ma-kaan?
Example:
Arabic: أين محطّة القطار؟

Phonetic: ay-na ma-ḥat-tat al-qi-ṭaar?

Meaning: "Where is the train station?"

Please, how do I go to + place?

Arabic: من فضلك، كيف أذهب إلى + المكان؟
Phonetic: min faḍ-lik, kay-fa a-dh-hab i-la + al-ma-kaan?
Example:
Arabic: من فضلك، كيف أذهب إلى الفندق؟

Phonetic: min faḍ-lik, kay-fa a-dh-hab i-la al-fun-duq?

Meaning: "Please, how do I go to the hotel?"

You can replace the place word:

السوق (as-sooq) – the market
المطعم (al-maṭ-ʿam) – the restaurant
محطّة القطار (ma-ḥat-tat al-qi-ṭaar) – the train station

2. Using "by bus / by taxi / on foot"

To say how you travel, you can use this pattern:

أذهب بـ + transport = I go by …
بـ (bi) means "by / with".

Examples:

Arabic: أذهب بالحافلة.

Phonetic: a-dh-hab bil-ḥaa-fi-la.

Meaning: "I go by bus."

Arabic: أذهب بالتاكسي.

Phonetic: a-dh-hab bit-tak-see.

Meaning: "I go by taxi."

Arabic: أذهب بالمترو.

Phonetic: a-dh-hab bil-mi-tro.

Meaning: "I go by metro."

Arabic: أذهب مشيًا.

Phonetic: a-dh-hab mash-yan.

Meaning: "I go on foot / I walk."

3. Talking about location: near, far, right, left

Useful short phrases:

قريب (qa-reeb) – near
بعيد (ba-ʿeed) – far
على اليمين (ʿa-la al-ya-meen) – on the right
على اليسار (ʿa-la al-ya-saar) – on the left

Examples:

Arabic: الفندق قريب من السوق.

Phonetic: al-fun-duq qa-reeb min as-sooq.

Meaning: "The hotel is near the market."

Arabic: المطعم على اليمين.

Phonetic: al-maṭ-ʿam ʿa-la al-ya-meen.

Meaning: "The restaurant is on the right."

Arabic: محطّة القطار بعيدة.

Phonetic: ma-ḥat-tat al-qi-ṭaar ba-ʿee-da.

Meaning: "The train station is far."

4. Asking for repetition / clarification

If you do not understand directions, use:

Arabic: من فضلك، هل يمكنك التكرار؟

Phonetic: min faḍ-lik, hal yu-mki-nuk at-tik-raar?

Meaning: "Please, can you repeat?"

You can also add "sorry":

Arabic: آسف، من فضلك، هل يمكنك التكرار؟

Phonetic: aa-sif, min faḍ-lik, hal yu-mki-nuk at-tik-raar?

Meaning: "Sorry, please, can you repeat?"

Practice Dialogue: Asking for Directions in the City

Read this short dialogue between a tourist and a local. Notice how they ask for directions, talk about transport, and ask for repetition.

On a street near the city center, a tourist asks a local for directions to the market and the hotel.

Tourist

السلام عليكم، من فضلك، أين السوق؟

Peace be upon you, please, where is the market?

Local

وعليكم السلام، السوق قريب. امشِ مستقيمًا، ثم المطعم على اليمين، والسوق على اليسار.

And peace be upon you, the market is near. Walk straight, then the restaurant is on the right, and the market is on the left.

Tourist

آسف، من فضلك، هل يمكنك التكرار؟

Sorry, please, can you repeat?

Local

طبعًا. امشِ مستقيمًا، المطعم على اليمين، وبعده السوق على اليسار.

Of course. Walk straight, the restaurant is on the right, and after it the market is on the left.

Tourist

شكرًا. ومن فضلك، كيف أذهب إلى الفندق من السوق؟

Thank you. And please, how do I go to the hotel from the market?

Local

الفندق بعيد قليلًا. من الأفضل أن تذهب بالتاكسي أو بالمترو.

The hotel is a little far. It is better that you go by taxi or by metro.

Tourist

حسنًا، أذهب بالمترو. أين محطّة القطار أو المترو؟

Okay, I will go by metro. Where is the train or metro station?

Local

محطّة القطار هناك، في آخر الشارع.

The train station is there, at the end of the street.

Check Your Understanding: Directions and Transport

Answer this question to review key vocabulary and patterns from the module.

How do you say "The hotel is near the train station" in Arabic?

الفندق قريب من محطّة القطار.
الفندق بعيد عن محطّة القطار.
محطّة القطار على اليسار.
أذهب إلى الفندق بالتاكسي.

Show Answer

Answer: A) الفندق قريب من محطّة القطار.

The correct answer is "الفندق قريب من محطّة القطار." (al-fun-duq qa-reeb min ma-ḥat-tat al-qi-ṭaar). "الفندق" means "the hotel", "قريب" means "near", and "من محطّة القطار" means "from / near the train station". The other options say: "The hotel is far from the train station", "The train station is on the left", and "I go to the hotel by taxi".

Key Terms

سوق: market; often a central place in the city.
بعيد: far; used to describe long distance.
شارع: street; a basic place word for giving directions.
فندق: hotel; important for tourists asking for directions.
قريب: near / close; used to describe short distance.
مترو: metro / subway; fast urban train, also used with bi- (بـ).
مطعم: restaurant; common destination when asking for directions.
تاكسي: taxi; used for private or street taxis, also with bi- (بـ).
حافلة: bus; common public transport, used with the preposition bi- (بـ).
إلى أين…؟: to where…?; used to ask about the destination, e.g., of a bus.
أذهب مشيًا: I go on foot / I walk; literally "I go walking".
على اليسار: on the left; used to indicate direction or location.
على اليمين: on the right; used to indicate direction or location.
محطّة القطار: train station; major transport place, often used with metro too.
من فضلك، كيف أذهب إلى…؟: please, how do I go to…?; polite pattern to ask for directions.
من فضلك، هل يمكنك التكرار؟: please, can you repeat?; used to ask someone to repeat directions.