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To express location in Spanish there are three ways: "está/están", "queda/quedan" and "hay". Está/están comes from the verb Estar ( to be) expressing location. The Spanish speakers use queda/quedan to locate places (e.g. ¿Dónde QUEDA el parque central? / where is located the central park?). 

 

Questions we usually ask when we arrive at a place.

 

• ¿Dónde está…? / Where is…?,
• ¿Dónde queda…? / Where is located…?
• ¿Dónde *hay…? / Where is (there)…?

 

*HAY means There is or There are in English. It comes from the verb Haber in Spanish, which is used as an auxiliary verb to form the compound tenses (yo he comido = I have eaten). When we use HAY in Spanish we are saying that something exists, but we included it in this lesson because is often confused with SER o ESTAR. It is used only in the third singular person (the form of él in Spanish) in any tense.

 

Hay > there is, there are (Present tense)

Hubo > there was, there were (Definite past tense)

Había > there used to be (Descriptive past tense)

Habrá > there will be (Future tense)

And so on.

 

HOW "HAY" WORKS

 

VOCABULARIO

 

         Lugares / Places

• (el) lugar / (the) place
• (la) calle / (the) Street
• (la) avenida / (the) avenue
• (la) escuela / (the) school
• (la) iglesia / (the) church
• (el) mercado / (the) market
• (el) supermercado / (the) supermarket                   
• (el) banco / (the) bank
• (el) parque / (the) park
• (el) restaurante / (the) restaurant
• (el) café / (the) coffee shop
• (el) bar / (the) bar
• (el) museo / (the) museum
• (el) correo / (the) post office
• (el) hospital / (the) hospital
• (el) hotel / (the) hotel
• (el) estadio / (the) stadium
• (la) embajada / (the) embassy
• (la) biblioteca / (the) library
• (el) parqueo / (the) parking lot
• (la) galeria de arte / (the) art gallery
• (el) cine / (the) movie theater
• (la) panadería / (the) Bakery
• (la) librería / (the) Bookstore
• (la) farmacia / (the) pharmacy
• (la) tienda / (the) store
• (el) centro comercial / (the) Shopping center
• (la) policía / (the) Police station
• (el) cajero automatic / (the) ATM
• (la) estación de buses / (the) bus station

 

        Direcciones / addresses

• aquí / here
• allí / there
• allá / over there
• cerca (de) / near (to)
• lejos (de) / far (from)
• enfrente (de) / infront (of)
• atrás (de) / behind
• al lado (de) / next (to)
• encima (de) / on top (of)
• arriba (de) / up, above
• abajo / down
• debajo (de) / under
• afuera (de) / outside
• adentro (de) / inside
• en la esquina (de) / on the corner
• a __#__ cuadra(s) / to __#__ block(s)
• a la derecha / to the right
• a la izquierda / to the left
• al final (de) / at the end (of)
• al fondo / at the end of the hall
• en / in, on, at
• a / to
• de / of, from
• entre / between
• (el) norte / (the) north
• (el) sur / (the) south
• (el) este / (the) east
• (el) oeste / (the) west

 

          e.g.

• ¿Dónde hay un hotel barato? (Where is a cheap hotel?)
• Hay un hotel barato en la equina. (There is a cheap hotel on the corner.)
• ¿Dónde está el hotel "Cifuentes"? (Where is the "Cifuentes" hotel?)
• El hotel "Cifuentes" está en la calle principal. (The hotel "Cifuentes" is on the main street.)
• ¿Dónde queda la estación de policía? (Where is the police station?)
• La estación de policía queda en la entrada del pueblo. (The police station is at the entrance of the town.)