Location and Directions in Catalan

In Brief

Ask where a known person, place, or thing is with On és...? (“Where is...?”). Answer with és plus a place expression: És aquí (“It is here”), És a prop (“It is nearby”), or És al final del carrer (“It is at the end of the street”). For directions, learn short commands such as Gira a la dreta (“Turn right”) and Segueix tot recte (“Continue straight ahead”).

Overview

Talking about location is an essential A1 skill. It lets you find a station, ask for a bathroom, understand a hotel receptionist, or guide someone through a neighborhood. The basic Catalan question word is on, meaning “where.” It does not carry an accent: On és el museu? means “Where is the museum?”

Catalan location expressions often combine an adverb (a word such as “here” or “far”) with a preposition (a short linking word such as “at,” “to,” or “from”). Some answers need only one word, as in aquí (“here”). Others have a fuller structure, such as a prop de l’estació (“near the station”) or a l’esquerra del banc (“to the left of the bank”).

At beginner level, focus on three useful tasks: asking On és...?, locating something with és, and following commands such as gira, segueix, and travessa. Later in this article, you will also see the useful contrast between On és...? and On hi ha...?, as well as regional alternatives such as ací and allí.

How It Works

Asking where something is

Use on at the beginning of a location question. The most useful beginner pattern is:

On + és + known person, place, or thing?

Catalan	English	Note
On és l’estació?	Where is the station?	Singular place
On és el lavabo?	Where is the bathroom?	Singular place
On és la Marta?	Where is Marta?	Singular person
On són els lavabos?	Where are the bathrooms?	Plural: són

Here, és means “is” and són means “are.” They are forms of ser (“to be”). Catalan does not normally add a separate equivalent of English “it” in an answer when the subject is already clear:

• On és el caixer automàtic? — És allà. “Where is the ATM? — It is over there.”

English requires “it” in the answer, but Catalan naturally leaves the subject unstated because the verb and context make it clear.

To ask about the location of more than one item, use On són...?:

• On són les claus? — “Where are the keys?”
• On són els taxis? — “Where are the taxis?”

Saying “here,” “there,” “near,” and “far”

The shortest answers use location adverbs—words that locate something without naming a reference point.

Catalan	English	Key expression
La parada és aquí.	The stop is here.	aquí = here
L’hotel és allà.	The hotel is over there.	allà = there, over there
El mercat és a prop.	The market is nearby.	a prop = nearby, close
L’aeroport és lluny.	The airport is far away.	lluny = far, far away

When you name the place used as a reference, add de after a prop and lluny:

• a prop de la plaça — near the square
• lluny del centre — far from the center

Do not add de when no reference point follows: És a prop, not És a prop de.

Locating one thing in relation to another

Many location expressions follow this pattern:

thing + és + location expression + de + reference point

For example, in La farmàcia és davant del mercat, the pharmacy is the thing being located, and the market is the reference point.

Catalan	English	Key expression
És a la dreta de l’hotel.	It is to the right of the hotel.	a la dreta de
És a l’esquerra del banc.	It is to the left of the bank.	a l’esquerra de
És al costat de l’escola.	It is next to the school.	al costat de
És davant de l’ajuntament.	It is in front of the town hall.	davant de
És darrere del museu.	It is behind the museum.	darrere de
És entre el banc i el bar.	It is between the bank and the bar.	entre... i...
És al final del carrer.	It is at the end of the street.	al final de

Notice the contractions (two words combined into one):

• a + el → al: al costat, al final
• de + el → del: del banc, del carrer

Before a vowel or a silent h, the article is apostrophized instead, so there is no al or del: a l’estació, de l’hotel. With feminine articles, the words remain separate: a la dreta, de la plaça.

Giving simple directions

Directions often use the imperative, the verb form used for a command or instruction. At A1, it is easiest to learn these common forms as complete chunks addressed informally to one person.

Catalan instruction	English	Typical continuation
Gira...	Turn...	a la dreta / a l’esquerra
Segueix...	Continue, follow...	tot recte / aquest carrer
Ves...	Go...	fins a la plaça
Travessa...	Cross...	el carrer / la plaça
Agafa...	Take...	el primer carrer a la dreta
Continua...	Continue...	fins al semàfor

Two especially useful direction phrases are:

• tot recte — straight ahead
• fins a — as far as, until you reach

Before el, fins a follows the usual contraction: fins al semàfor (“as far as the traffic light”). Before an apostrophized article, use fins a l’estació.

A complete set of instructions can be very short:

Segueix tot recte, gira a l’esquerra i travessa la plaça. “Continue straight ahead, turn left, and cross the square.”

Position versus movement

Catalan can distinguish a position from movement toward that position:

• El banc és a la dreta — “The bank is on the right.”
• Gira a la dreta — “Turn right.”
• Ves cap a la dreta — “Go toward the right.”

The preposition cap a means “toward” and emphasizes direction rather than destination. In everyday route instructions, however, gira a la dreta is the normal fixed expression for “turn right.”

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Perdoni, on és l’estació?	Excuse me, where is the station?	Polite opening with perdoni
On són els lavabos, si us plau?	Where are the bathrooms, please?	Plural question
La parada d’autobús és aquí mateix.	The bus stop is right here.	mateix adds “right/exactly”
El supermercat és a prop.	The supermarket is nearby.	No reference point follows
L’aeroport és lluny del centre.	The airport is far from the center.	lluny de + reference point
La farmàcia és al costat del forn.	The pharmacy is next to the bakery.	Two contractions: al, del
El restaurant és davant de l’hotel.	The restaurant is in front of the hotel.	Apostrophe before hotel
El caixer és a l’esquerra de l’entrada.	The ATM is to the left of the entrance.	Position relative to an entrance
És al final del carrer.	It is at the end of the street.	Subject omitted naturally
Gira a la dreta després del semàfor.	Turn right after the traffic light.	després de means “after”
Segueix tot recte fins a la plaça.	Continue straight ahead as far as the square.	Route + endpoint
Travessa el carrer i gira a l’esquerra.	Cross the street and turn left.	Two linked instructions
Agafa el segon carrer a la dreta.	Take the second street on the right.	Common route instruction
El museu és entre la biblioteca i l’ajuntament.	The museum is between the library and the town hall.	entre... i...
No és gaire lluny: són cinc minuts a peu.	It is not very far: it is a five-minute walk.	Natural reassurance

Common Mistakes

1. Translating English “where” as a on

• Wrong: A on és el museu?
• Right: On és el museu?
• Why: Standard neutral Catalan uses on by itself to ask about location. You may hear a on in speech, especially when movement toward a destination is involved, but On és...? is the safest standard pattern for asking where something is.

2. Forgetting de before a reference point

• Wrong: L’hotel és a prop l’estació.
• Right: L’hotel és a prop de l’estació.
• Why: A prop can stand alone, but it becomes a prop de when you say what the hotel is near. The same applies to lluny de, a la dreta de, and al costat de.

3. Missing the contractions al and del

• Wrong: És a el final de el carrer.
• Right: És al final del carrer.
• Why: Catalan contracts a + el to al and de + el to del. This differs from English, where “at the” and “of the” remain separate words.

4. Using a contraction before an apostrophized article

• Wrong: És al entrada de l’hotel.
• Right: És a l’entrada de l’hotel.
• Why: Before a vowel, el or la usually becomes l’. Write a l’entrada and de l’estació, not al entrada or del estació.

5. Copying English “to” into every direction

• Wrong: Gira a la dreta al semàfor when you mean “turn right after reaching the traffic light.”
• Right: Gira a la dreta al semàfor can mean “turn right at the traffic light,” while Segueix fins al semàfor i gira a la dreta makes the sequence explicit.
• Why: Memorize complete Catalan route chunks rather than matching each English preposition word for word. A la dreta, fins al semàfor, and al final del carrer each express a different relationship.

6. Saying és with a plural subject

• Wrong: On és els lavabos?
• Right: On són els lavabos?
• Why: Use singular és with one person or thing and plural són with more than one.

Usage Notes

Making the question polite

A bare On és l’estació? is grammatically correct, but with a stranger it can sound abrupt if said without a greeting. Add Perdoni (“Excuse me,” formal singular) and si us plau (“please”):

Perdoni, on és la parada d’autobús, si us plau?

If you do not understand the answer, useful follow-up phrases include M’ho pot repetir, si us plau? (“Can you repeat that for me, please?”) and És lluny? (“Is it far?”).

Aquí, allà, ací, and allí

Aquí and allà are widely understood throughout the Catalan-speaking area. In Valencian and some western varieties, ací is common for “here.” You may also hear allí for a more precisely identified “there,” while allà can suggest a less exact or more distant place. Actual usage varies by region, and beginners can communicate well with aquí and allà.

Street language

Catalan speakers often describe walking time rather than distance: És a cinc minuts a peu (“It is a five-minute walk”) or Són deu minuts caminant (“It is ten minutes on foot”). Landmarks are also common: davant del mercat, després del pont, or al costat de la farmàcia. Listening for the landmark may be more useful than understanding every word.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following distinctions at A1, but they explain forms you will meet in natural Catalan.

On és...? versus On hi ha...?

Use On és...? to ask for the location of a specific, identifiable place or thing: On és l’estació? (“Where is the station?”). Use On hi ha...?—literally an existence pattern—to ask where one can find something or whether such a thing exists in a location:

• On hi ha una farmàcia? — “Where is there a pharmacy?” / “Where can I find a pharmacy?”
• Hi ha un caixer a prop? — “Is there an ATM nearby?”

The difference resembles English “Where is the pharmacy?” versus “Where is there a pharmacy?”, although natural English often uses “Where can I find a pharmacy?” for the second meaning. The noun phrase (the noun and the words that belong with it) gives a useful clue: the station is normally identifiable, while a pharmacy means any suitable pharmacy.

Ser and estar with location

The beginner pattern in this article uses ser: On és el museu? Traditional Catalan also commonly uses ser to ask where a person is: On és la Maria? In contemporary speech, estar is frequent for a person’s current presence or stay, especially in some regions and under contact with Spanish: La Maria està a casa (“Maria is at home”).

Rather than treating the two verbs as freely interchangeable, keep the dependable fixed question On és...? for locating a destination. Learn estar later with meanings such as staying or remaining somewhere: Estarem tres dies a Girona (“We will stay three days in Girona”).

More precise route language

Longer instructions often use sequence markers:

• primer — first
• després — afterward, then
• llavors — then
• quan arribis a... — when you reach...

They may also use pel / per la to describe a route through or along a place: Passa pel centre (“Go through the center”) and Continua per aquesta avinguda (“Continue along this avenue”). These patterns build on Catalan prepositions and more advanced verb forms; recognizing the location words and landmarks is enough at first.

Practice Tips

1. Build directions around a real map. Choose five places near your home and say where each one is: El banc és al costat de... Then give a two-step route using segueix and gira.
2. Learn expressions as whole chunks. Review a prop de, a l’esquerra de, al final de, and fins a as units. This makes it easier to remember both de and the contractions al/del.
3. Practice both sides of the exchange. Ask Perdoni, on és...?, answer in one sentence, and then add a direction. Speaking both roles prepares you to recognize the same phrases at normal speed.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Prepositions — explains a, de, en, and contractions such as al and del that appear throughout location phrases.