Welcome to Unit 4 — Around the City! In this lesson, you'll learn the names of common places you'll find in any Latin American city. By the end, you'll be able to point out a pharmacy, a bank, a park, and more. You'll also learn the verb 'estar' for talking about where things are located. Let's explore Bogotá together!
Learning tips
- Many Spanish place names look similar to English — 'hospital,' 'restaurante,' 'farmacia.' Use these cognates to your advantage!
- Practice pointing out places as you walk around your own city and naming them in Spanish.
- Notice that 'el' and 'la' tell you the gender of the noun — start learning them together with the place name.
- In Colombia, 'la plaza' is often the heart of the neighborhood — a central square with shops, churches, and cafés.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| primero | first |
| luego | then/next |
| finalmente | finally |
| descansar | to rest |
| cocinar | to cook |
| cenar | to have dinner |
| dormir | to sleep |
| la cena | dinner |
| nunca | never |
| todos los días | every day |
Dialog
Andrés and Valentina take a walk through a neighborhood in Bogotá, pointing out various places. Notice how they use 'hay' (there is/there are) to mention the existence of places, and '¿Dónde está…?' to ask about specific locations. Valentina uses 'estar' to say where the bank and pharmacy are located. All 10 active vocabulary words appear naturally in the conversation.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| la calle | /ˈka.ʝe/ | the street | Feminine noun — la calle |
| la tienda | /ˈtjen.da/ | the store, the shop | Feminine noun — can be any kind of shop |
| el parque | /ˈpaɾ.ke/ | the park | Masculine noun — el parque (note: ends in -e but is masculine) |
| el banco | /ˈbaŋ.ko/ | the bank | Masculine noun — also means 'bench' |
| el hospital | /os.pi.ˈtal/ | the hospital | Masculine noun — a cognate with English |
| el supermercado | /su.peɾ.meɾ.ˈka.ðo/ | the supermarket | Masculine noun — a cognate with English |
| la farmacia | /faɾ.ˈma.sja/ | the pharmacy, the drugstore | Feminine noun — also called 'la droguería' in Colombia |
| la iglesia | /i.ˈɣle.sja/ | the church | Feminine noun — important in Colombian culture |
| el restaurante | /res.tau.ˈɾan.te/ | the restaurant | Masculine noun — note the -e ending |
| la plaza | /ˈpla.sa/ | the plaza, the square | Feminine noun — the central gathering place in Latin American cities |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| el edificio | /e.ði.ˈfi.sjo/ | the building | |
| la esquina | /es.ˈki.na/ | the corner | |
| la avenida | /a.βe.ˈni.ða/ | the avenue | |
| el semáforo | /se.ˈma.fo.ɾo/ | the traffic light | |
| el puente | /ˈpwen.te/ | the bridge | |
| la fuente | /ˈfwen.te/ | the fountain |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| ¿dónde está? | where is it? |
| hay un / hay una | there is a (m.) / there is a (f.) |
Grammar: Present tense of 'estar' for location
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estoy |
| tú | estás |
| usted / él / ella | está |
| nosotros | estamos |
| ellos / ellas | están |
| Question | Example |
|---|---|
| ¿Dónde está el banco? | El banco está en la calle principal. |
| ¿Dónde está la farmacia? | La farmacia está en la plaza. |
In this lesson, you learn the verb estar (to be) for talking about location — where something or someone is.
The key forms are:
- yo estoy = I am (at a place)
- tú estás = you are
- él/ella/usted está = he/she is, you (formal) are
- nosotros estamos = we are
- ellos/ellas están = they are
To ask where something is: ¿Dónde está el banco? (Where is the bank?)
Remember: Spanish has two verbs for 'to be' — ser and estar. For now, use estar when talking about where something is located. You already know ser for identity and origin (soy colombiano, es profesor). We'll compare them in detail in Lesson 4.5.
You'll also hear hay (there is / there are) — an impersonal form used to say something exists: Hay un parque en la calle (There is a park on the street).
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing word.
- El banco en la calle principal.(form of 'estar' for él/ella)
- Hay una al lado del hospital.(a place that sells medicine)
- La está en la plaza.(a place of worship)
- El está cerca del parque.(a place to eat)
- ¿Dónde el supermercado?(form of 'estar' for a question)
Grammar Application
Conjugate 'estar' for the given subject pronoun.
- yo / estar / en el parque → Yo en el parque.(yo → est___)
- tú / estar / en la tienda → Tú en la tienda.(tú → est___)
- ella / estar / en el hospital → Ella en el hospital.(ella → est___)
- nosotros / estar / en la plaza → Nosotros en la plaza.(nosotros → est___)
- ellos / estar / en el restaurante → Ellos en el restaurante.(ellos → est___)
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- The bank is on the street.
- Where is the pharmacy?
- There is a park in the plaza.
- The hospital is next to the supermarket.
- The church is on the main street.
Creative Construction
Write 2 sentences describing places in your city or neighborhood. Use 'hay' and 'estar' and at least 4 vocabulary words from this lesson.
Takeaway
Use 'estar' to say where things are located: 'El banco está en la calle.' Use 'hay' to say something exists: 'Hay un parque en la plaza.' Learn place names with their articles (el/la) to remember their gender.