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You are standing at the corner of Carrera Séptima and Calle 72 in Bogotá. A woman with a rolling suitcase and a look of mild panic approaches you. "Disculpe, ¿usted sabe por dónde queda el Centro Comercial Andino?" (Excuse me, do you know which way the Andino Mall is?) You freeze. You know exactly where it is - you walked past it twenty minutes ago. But your mouth cannot produce the Spanish words for "go straight two blocks and turn left." You point vaguely, she nods politely, and you both walk away dissatisfied. She is still lost. You are still silent.
Esto le pasa a todo el mundo - y tiene solución. (This happens to everyone - and it has a solution.) Giving and receiving directions in Colombian Spanish is not about memorizing a dictionary of spatial terms. It is about learning the small, repeatable system that Colombians actually use when they tell someone how to get from Point A to Point B. That system relies on blocks (cuadras), landmarks (puntos de referencia), and a handful of verbs that you will hear a hundred times a day.
In this lesson, you will learn how Colombians give directions in real life - not textbook directions, but the landmark-heavy, cuadra-counting, gesture-filled way that people actually talk on the streets of Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali. By the end, you will be able to ask for directions (pedir indicaciones), understand the response (entender la respuesta), and give directions yourself (dar indicaciones) - all with confidence.
Forget about "go 300 meters north." Colombians do not give directions in meters or cardinal points. They use two things: cuadras (city blocks) and puntos de referencia (landmarks). Once you understand this, every set of directions you hear will suddenly make sense.
A cuadra is one city block - the distance from one street corner to the next. When someone says "Son tres cuadras" (It is three blocks), they mean you will pass three intersections. This is the fundamental unit of urban distance in Colombia.
| Colombian Direction | English Meaning | When You Hear It |
|---|---|---|
| Siga derecho | Go straight | The most common starting instruction |
| Gire a la derecha | Turn right | At an intersection |
| Gire a la izquierda | Turn left | At an intersection |
| Son dos cuadras | It is two blocks | Distance measurement |
| Suba | Go up (uphill) | Moving toward the mountains |
| Baje | Go down (downhill) | Moving away from the mountains |
| Ahí en la esquina | Right there on the corner | You are very close |
Three words will carry you through 90% of direction-giving situations. But be careful - two of them look dangerously similar.
Derecha = right (the direction). "Gire a la derecha" means turn right.
Izquierda = left (the direction). "Gire a la izquierda" means turn left.
Derecho = straight ahead. "Siga derecho" means go straight. This is NOT the same word as "derecha." Mixing them up is the number one mistake learners make with directions. Derecho (straight) ends in -o. Derecha (right) ends in -a. One letter changes your entire route.
On Carrera Séptima
You stop a man outside a bakery. "Disculpe, señor, ¿por dónde queda la estación de Transmilenio más cercana?" (Excuse me, sir, which way is the nearest TransMilenio station?) He points down the street and says: "Siga derecho por esta calle dos cuadras. En la segunda esquina, gire a la izquierda. La estación queda ahí, a media cuadra." You understood: straight two blocks, left at the second corner, half a block more. You say: "Muchas gracias, señor." He replies: "Con mucho gusto."
Notice the phrase a media cuadra - half a block. Colombians measure short distances this way. You will also hear "a una cuadra" (one block away) and "a dos cuadras" (two blocks away) used to describe how far something is, not just how far to walk.
In Bogotá, the Andes mountains sit to the east of the city. This geographic reality has shaped the entire direction-giving culture. Instead of saying east or west, Bogotanos say:
"Suba dos cuadras y después gire a la derecha" means go two blocks toward the mountains (east), then turn right. In Medellín, subir and bajar work differently because the geography is different - the valley runs north-south, so subir often means going uphill toward the comunas on the mountainsides.
| City | Subir Means | Bajar Means |
|---|---|---|
| Bogotá | Toward the eastern mountains | Toward the western flatlands |
| Medellín | Uphill (varies by neighborhood) | Downhill toward the river |
| Cali | Toward the western Farallones | Toward the Cauca River valley |
Here is the truth about directions in Colombia: Colombians prefer landmarks over street names. Even in Bogotá, where streets are numbered in a logical grid, people will say "Ahí donde está el Éxito" (There where the Éxito supermarket is) rather than "En la Calle 85 con Carrera 15."
Common landmarks used in directions:
| Landmark Type | Examples | How It Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Churches | la iglesia | "Ahí al lado de la iglesia" |
| Supermarkets | el Éxito, el Jumbo, el Olímpica | "Pasando el Éxito" |
| Parks | el parque | "Frente al parque" |
| Pharmacies | la droguería | "En la esquina de la droguería" |
| Gas stations | la bomba de gasolina | "Después de la bomba" |
| Banks | el banco, Bancolombia | "Al lado del Bancolombia" |
The Landmark Directions
You ask a shopkeeper: "¿Por dónde queda el hospital?" She responds: "Ay, mire - usted sigue derecho hasta el semáforo. Ahí en el semáforo hay un Éxito grande. Pasa el Éxito, camina una cuadra más, y el hospital queda al frente de la iglesia. No se puede perder." Translation: Go straight to the traffic light. There is a big Éxito supermarket at the light. Pass the Éxito, walk one more block, and the hospital is across from the church. You cannot miss it.
The phrase "No se puede perder" (You cannot miss it / You cannot get lost) is one of the most common things Colombians say at the end of giving directions. It is meant to reassure you - even if you absolutely can still get lost.
There are several ways to ask for directions, ranked from most polite to casual:
Always start with "Disculpe" or "Buenos días/tardes." In Bogotá, jumping straight to a question without a greeting is considered rude. "Disculpe, señor/señora..." opens the conversation properly.
Choose your question form:
After receiving directions: "Muchas gracias" or "Muy amable, gracias." The response will almost always be (With great pleasure) - not This is distinctly Colombian.
When someone gives you directions, you do not need to understand every word. You need to catch the action words and the numbers. Here is what to listen for:
| Listen For | It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| siga / sigue | keep going | "Siga derecho" |
| gire / voltee / doble | turn | "Gire a la izquierda" |
| suba / baje | go up / go down | "Suba dos cuadras" |
| pase / cruce | pass / cross | "Cruce la avenida" |
| hasta | until | "Hasta el semáforo" |
| ahí | right there | "Ahí queda" |
If you get lost in the middle of someone's directions, use this lifeline: "Perdón, ¿me puede repetir más despacio?" (Sorry, can you repeat that more slowly?) Colombians are generally patient and will happily repeat - often with added gestures and landmarks.
Now flip it - someone asks YOU for directions. You know where the place is. Here is a simple template:
Template: "Siga derecho [number] cuadras. [Gire/Voltee] a la [derecha/izquierda]. [Landmark reference]. Ahí queda."
Example: "Siga derecho tres cuadras. En la esquina del Bancolombia, gire a la derecha. Camine una cuadra más y ahí queda, al lado de la droguería."
Practice building directions using these blocks:
A Tourist Asks You
A confused tourist approaches you near Parque de la 93. "Perdón, ¿dónde queda el Centro Comercial Andino?" You know it is nearby. You say: "Claro, siga derecho por esta calle dos cuadras. Ahí va a ver un semáforo grande. Cruce la avenida y el centro comercial queda a mano derecha. No se puede perder." The tourist smiles: "Muchas gracias, muy amable." You respond: "Con mucho gusto." You just gave directions in Colombian Spanish.
Daily Actions for This Week
Monday-Tuesday: Memorize the three core direction words: derecho, derecha, izquierda. Say each five times. Then practice: "Siga derecho dos cuadras y gire a la izquierda."
Wednesday-Thursday: Using Google Maps Street View in Bogotá, pick a starting point and a destination. Write out directions in Spanish using cuadras and landmarks. Say them aloud.
Friday: Practice the full exchange: greeting, asking for directions, thanking. Record yourself saying: "Disculpe, señor, ¿por dónde queda la estación de TransMilenio más cercana?"
Weekend: Watch a YouTube video of someone walking through Bogotá. Narrate their movements in Spanish: "Sigue derecho... gira a la derecha... pasa la iglesia..."