Imagine you’re walking through a new city and you need the park, the hospital, the school, or the bank. In this lesson, you’ll learn essential Spanish words for common places and easy phrases to ask where they are. We’ll keep it simple and practical, with lots of mini exercises.

Places you’ll actually use

Here are the core words for our theme today. Remember: el = masculine “the,” la = feminine “the.” I’ll include simple example sentences you can reuse right away.

Other handy place words:

• la farmacia (the pharmacy)
• el supermercado (the supermarket)
• la estación (the station)
• la plaza (the main square)
• el museo (the museum)
• la oficina de correos (the post office)
• el ayuntamiento (the city hall)

Use these with simple patterns like “Estoy en…” (I am at…), “Voy a…” (I go to…), and “¿Dónde está…?” (Where is…?).

Asking where places are

Two super-useful patterns:

• “¿Dónde está + el/la + place?” = “Where is the + place?” (for a specific place)
• “¿Hay + un/una + place + por aquí?” = “Is there a + place around here?” (to ask if one exists nearby)

Examples:

¿Dónde el hospital?

Simple prepositions for location

Use these to describe where places are:

• en = in/at
• cerca de = near
• lejos de = far from
• al lado de = next to / beside
• entre A y B = between A and B

Examples:

Talking about going to places (ir)

The verb “ir” (to go) is very common. Here are the present tense forms you’ll use to talk about going to places.

Voy banco.

Example with our breakdown:

• “el supermercado” = the supermarket.

¿Dónde es el hospital? → ¿Dónde está el hospital? Use “estar” for location. “Ser” is not used to locate things. Voy a el parque. → Voy al parque. a + el = al.

Culture corner: the city in Spanish-speaking places

• la plaza: In many Spanish-speaking cities, the plaza is the social heart—an open square where people meet, often near the church or city hall (el ayuntamiento).
• escuela vs. colegio: In some countries, “colegio” refers to primary/secondary school; “escuela” is also common. Both mean “school,” but usage varies by region.
• banco (bank) hours: Banks may have shorter hours than supermarkets. If in doubt, ask: “¿A qué hora abre el banco?” (What time does the bank open?)
• emergencies: “hospital” is universal. In Spain the emergency number is 112; in many Latin American countries it’s 911.

Keep your phrases simple and polite: “Hola, disculpa…” (Hi, excuse me…) and “Muchas gracias.” (Thank you very much.)

Your turn: say it out loud

• “¿Dónde está el parque?” (Where is the park?)
• “¿Hay una farmacia por aquí?” (Is there a pharmacy around here?)
• “Voy al banco.” (I’m going to the bank.)
• “La escuela está cerca del parque.” (The school is near the park.)

Repeat these a few times. Then swap the place words to practice.

You’ve got this! With these building blocks, you can ask for key places—park, hospital, school, bank—and understand the answers. Next time you’re out, try one question in Spanish. Small steps add up.