Getting Around: Directions, Transport, and Navigation - Survival Travel Phrases in Spanish, French, and Mandarin

Q: You want to ask in Spanish: “Where is the metro station?” Which option is correct?

¿Dónde está la estación de metro?. Option 1 is correct because it is in Spanish and uses the pattern “¿Dónde está + place?” with “la estación de metro” (the metro station). Option 2 is French, option 3 is Mandarin, and option 4 is a Spanish sentence about wanting a metro ticket, not asking where the station is.

New Words and Phrases (in English)

In this step you will learn essential transport and direction words so you can ask where things are, understand simple answers, and buy tickets in Spanish, French, and Mandarin.

Word	Pronunciation	Translation	Example
Spanish: el autobús / French: le bus / Mandarin: 公共汽车 (gōng gòng qì chē)	Spanish: el ow-toh-BOOS / French: luh BOOSS / Mandarin: gong-gong CHEE-chuh	the bus	Spanish: ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús? / French: Où est l’arrêt de bus ? / Mandarin: 公共汽车站在哪儿？(gōng gòng qì chē zhàn zài nǎr?)(Where is the bus stop?)
Spanish: el tren / French: le train / Mandarin: 火车 (huǒ chē)	Spanish: el TREN (like English 'train' without i) / French: luh TRA(n), nasal n / Mandarin: hwor-CHUH	the train	Spanish: Necesito tomar el tren al aeropuerto. / French: Je dois prendre le train pour l’aéroport. / Mandarin: 我需要坐火车去机场。(wǒ xū yào zuò huǒ chē qù jī chǎng.)(I need to take the train to the airport.)
Spanish: el metro / French: le métro / Mandarin: 地铁 (dì tiě)	Spanish: el MEH-troh / French: luh MAY-troh / Mandarin: DEE-tyeh	the subway / metro	Spanish: ¿Hay una estación de metro cerca? / French: Il y a une station de métro près d’ici ? / Mandarin: 这附近有地铁站吗？(zhè fù jìn yǒu dì tiě zhàn ma?)(Is there a metro station nearby?)
Spanish: el taxi / French: le taxi / Mandarin: 出租车 (chū zū chē)	Spanish: el TAK-see / French: luh TAK-see / Mandarin: choo-zoo CHUH	the taxi	Spanish: ¿Cuánto cuesta el taxi al centro? / French: Ça coûte combien, le taxi pour le centre-ville ? / Mandarin: 打车到市中心要多少钱？(dǎ chē dào shì zhōng xīn yào duō shǎo qián?)(How much is the taxi to the city center?)
Spanish: el aeropuerto / French: l’aéroport / Mandarin: 机场 (jī chǎng)	Spanish: el ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh / French: la-eh-roh-PORT / Mandarin: JEE-chahng	the airport	Spanish: Disculpe, ¿cómo llego al aeropuerto? / French: Excusez-moi, comment aller à l’aéroport ? / Mandarin: 请问，去机场怎么走？(qǐng wèn, qù jī chǎng zěn me zǒu?)(Excuse me, how do I get to the airport?)
Spanish: la estación / French: la gare / Mandarin: 车站 (chē zhàn)	Spanish: la es-tah-SYON / French: la GAR, hard g / Mandarin: chuh-JAHN	the station (train/bus station)	Spanish: La estación está cerca de aquí. / French: La gare est près d’ici. / Mandarin: 车站离这儿很近。(chē zhàn lí zhèr hěn jìn.)(The station is close to here.)
Spanish: a la izquierda / a la derecha / todo recto / cerca / lejos / French: à gauche / à droite / tout droit / près / loin / Mandarin: 左边 (zuǒ biān) / 右边 (yòu biān) / 一直走 (yì zhí zǒu) / 近 (jìn) / 远 (yuǎn)	Spanish: ah lah ees-KYER-dah / ah lah deh-REH-chah / TOH-doh REK-toh / SER-kah / LEH-hos; French: ah GOSHH / ah DRWAHT / too DRWAH / PREH / LWA(n); Mandarin: dzwor-BYEN / yo-BYEN / EE-jir ZOH / JEEN / yoo-EN	to the left / to the right / straight ahead / near / far	Spanish: Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda; está cerca. / French: Allez tout droit puis tournez à gauche; c’est près. / Mandarin: 一直走，然后左边拐，就在附近。(yì zhí zǒu, rán hòu zuǒ biān guǎi, jiù zài fù jìn.)(Go straight, then turn left; it’s nearby.)
Spanish: un billete / un boleto / French: un billet / Mandarin: 票 (piào)	Spanish: oon bee-YEH-teh / oon boh-LEH-toh / French: uhn bee-YEH / Mandarin: PEE-ow	a ticket	Spanish: Quisiera un billete de ida y vuelta, por favor. / French: Je voudrais un billet aller-retour, s’il vous plaît. / Mandarin: 请给我一张往返票。(qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhāng wǎng fǎn piào.)(I would like a round-trip ticket, please.)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Asking “Where is…?” in each language

You can reuse a simple pattern to ask for many places (bus stop, station, airport, etc.).

Spanish pattern

Structure: ¿Dónde está + place?
Example with “station”:
Spanish: ¿Dónde está la estación?
Pronunciation: DON-deh es-TAH lah es-tah-SYON
Meaning: Where is the station?

You can swap the place word:

Spanish: ¿Dónde está el aeropuerto? (Where is the airport?)

French pattern

Structure: Où est / Où est-ce que c’est + place ?
Example with “bus stop”:
French: Où est l’arrêt de bus ?
Pronunciation: OO eh lar-RAY duh BOOSS
Meaning: Where is the bus stop?

Swap the place word:

French: Où est la gare ? (Where is the station?)

Mandarin pattern

Structure: … 在哪儿？(… zài nǎr?) or … 在哪里？(… zài nǎ lǐ?)
Example with “metro station”:
Mandarin: 地铁站在哪儿？(dì tiě zhàn zài nǎr?)
Pronunciation: DEE-tyeh JAHN dzai nar
Meaning: Where is the metro station?

Swap the place word:

Mandarin: 机场在哪儿？(jī chǎng zài nǎr?) – Where is the airport?

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2. Saying “Go straight / turn left / turn right”

These are very common in responses to direction questions.

Spanish

Go straight: Siga todo recto. (SEE-gah TOH-doh REK-toh) – Go straight ahead.
Turn left: Gire a la izquierda. (HEE-reh ah lah ees-KYER-dah) – Turn left.
Turn right: Gire a la derecha. (HEE-reh ah lah deh-REH-chah) – Turn right.

French

Go straight: Allez tout droit. (ah-LEH too DRWAH) – Go straight ahead.
Turn left: Tournez à gauche. (toor-NAY ah GOSHH) – Turn left.
Turn right: Tournez à droite. (toor-NAY ah DRWAHT) – Turn right.

Mandarin

Go straight: 一直走。 (yì zhí zǒu) – Go straight.
Turn left: 左边拐。 (zuǒ biān guǎi) – Turn left.
Turn right: 右边拐。 (yòu biān guǎi) – Turn right.

Notice that in all three languages you can combine these with near / far:

Spanish: Está cerca/lejos. (It is near/far.)
French: C’est près/loin. (It is near/far.)
Mandarin: 很近/很远。(hěn jìn / hěn yuǎn) – It’s very near / very far.

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3. Buying a ticket: “I would like a ticket to…”

Use a polite “I would like” + “ticket” + destination.

Spanish

Pattern: Quisiera / Me gustaría + un billete/un boleto + a + place.
Example:
Spanish: Quisiera un billete a la estación central, por favor.
Pronunciation: kee-SYER-ah oon bee-YEH-teh ah lah es-tah-SYON sen-TRAL por fah-VOR
Meaning: I would like a ticket to the central station, please.

French

Pattern: Je voudrais + un billet + pour + place.
Example:
French: Je voudrais un billet pour l’aéroport, s’il vous plaît.
Pronunciation: zhuh voo-DRAY uhn bee-YEH poor la-eh-roh-PORT seel voo PLEH
Meaning: I would like a ticket to the airport, please.

Mandarin

Pattern: 我要 / 我想要 + 一张票 + 去 + place.
Example:
Mandarin: 我要一张票去车站。(wǒ yào yì zhāng piào qù chē zhàn.)
Pronunciation: woh YOW ee jung PEE-ow chyoo chuh-JAHN
Meaning: I want a ticket to the station.

You can add time or ask the time:

Spanish: ¿A qué hora sale el tren? – What time does the train leave?
French: Le train part à quelle heure ? – The train leaves at what time?
Mandarin: 火车几点出发？(huǒ chē jǐ diǎn chū fā?) – The train leaves at what time?

Practice Dialogue (in English)

You are at a city station. You need to buy a ticket to the airport and then ask someone how to get to the correct bus stop. Read the short dialogues in Spanish, French, and Mandarin with English translations.

At the station, buying a ticket and asking for directions to the bus stop for the airport.

Traveler

Spanish: Buenas tardes. Quisiera un billete de autobús al aeropuerto, por favor. / French: Bonjour. Je voudrais un billet de bus pour l’aéroport, s’il vous plaît. / Mandarin: 您好，我想买一张去机场的公交车票。(nín hǎo, wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì zhāng qù jī chǎng de gōng jiāo chē piào.)

Good afternoon. I would like a bus ticket to the airport, please.

Ticket Agent

Spanish: Claro, sale a las tres. Son diez euros. / French: Bien sûr, il part à trois heures. Ça fait dix euros. / Mandarin: 好的，三点出发。十欧元。(hǎo de, sān diǎn chū fā. shí ōu yuán.)

Of course, it leaves at three o’clock. It’s ten euros.

Traveler

Spanish: Gracias. ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús? / French: Merci. Où est l’arrêt de bus ? / Mandarin: 谢谢。公交车站在哪儿？(xiè xie. gōng jiāo chē zhàn zài nǎr?)

Thank you. Where is the bus stop?

Ticket Agent

Spanish: Siga todo recto y gire a la derecha. Está cerca de la estación. / French: Allez tout droit et tournez à droite. C’est près de la gare. / Mandarin: 一直走，然后右边拐，在车站附近。(yì zhí zǒu, rán hòu yòu biān guǎi, zài chē zhàn fù jìn.)

Go straight and turn right. It’s near the station.

Traveler

Spanish: ¿Está muy lejos? / French: C’est très loin ? / Mandarin: 离这儿很远吗？(lí zhèr hěn yuǎn ma?)

Is it very far from here?

Ticket Agent

Spanish: No, está muy cerca, a cinco minutos a pie. / French: Non, c’est tout près, à cinq minutes à pied. / Mandarin: 不远，走路五分钟就到。(bù yuǎn, zǒu lù wǔ fēn zhōng jiù dào.)

No, it’s very close, five minutes on foot.

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Answer this question about the vocabulary and directions you just saw.

You want to ask in Spanish: “Where is the metro station?” Which option is correct?

¿Dónde está la estación de metro?
Où est la station de métro ?
地铁站在哪儿？(dì tiě zhàn zài nǎr?)
Quisiera un billete de metro, por favor.

Show Answer

Answer: A) ¿Dónde está la estación de metro?

Option 1 is correct because it is in Spanish and uses the pattern “¿Dónde está + place?” with “la estación de metro” (the metro station). Option 2 is French, option 3 is Mandarin, and option 4 is a Spanish sentence about wanting a metro ticket, not asking where the station is.

Key Terms

el tren, le train, 火车 (huǒ chē): the train – rail transport, often between cities or to airports.
el metro, le métro, 地铁 (dì tiě): the subway/metro – underground or urban rapid transit system.
la estación, la gare, 车站 (chē zhàn): the station – main stop for trains or sometimes buses.
el taxi, le taxi, 出租车 (chū zū chē): the taxi – car transport you pay per ride.
un billete / un boleto, un billet, 票 (piào): a ticket – document (paper or digital) for travel on bus, train, metro, etc.
el aeropuerto, l’aéroport, 机场 (jī chǎng): the airport – place where planes arrive and depart.
el autobús, le bus, 公共汽车 (gōng gòng qì chē): the bus – common city or intercity bus transport.
a la izquierda / a la derecha / todo recto / cerca / lejos; à gauche / à droite / tout droit / près / loin; 左边 (zuǒ biān) / 右边 (yòu biān) / 一直走 (yì zhí zǒu) / 近 (jìn) / 远 (yuǎn): left / right / straight ahead / near / far – core directional and distance words used in giving and understanding directions.