¿dónde está el?
The English phrase "where is the" is translated into Spanish as ¿dónde está el?
This phrase is used to ask for the location of a specific object or person. In Spanish, the gender of the noun being located determines whether you use el or la. Use la when referring to feminine singular nouns.
What mistakes should you avoid?
You should use está to indicate where something is located.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you ask ¿dónde está? while gesturing toward your mouth, people will understand you are looking for a restroom.
- While you use está for location, if you were asking where a person 'is' in terms of their profession or identity, you would use a different verb, ser.
- The word el used as a masculine article comes from the Latin word 'ille', which originally meant 'that one'.
Examples in context
- ¿Dónde está el baño?Where is the bathroom?
- ¿Dónde está la estación de tren?Where is the train station?
- Perdone, ¿sabe usted dónde está el museo?Excuse me, do you know where the museum is?
- Perdone, ¿sabe usted dónde está la plaza principal?Excuse me, do you know where the main square is?
- ¿Dónde está el supermercado?Where is the supermarket?
- ¿Dónde está la playa?Where is the beach?
- Oye, ¿sabes dónde está el cine?Hey, do you know where the cinema is?
- Oye, ¿sabes dónde está la tienda?Hey, do you know where the store is?
- ¿Dónde está el parque?Where is the park?
- ¿Dónde está la biblioteca?Where is the library?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dónde, el, CC BY-SA 4.0.
