The delivery driver can't find you: explaining where you are in Spanish
The food is downstairs, the driver is on the phone, and he is speaking fast because he has four more orders. It is the phone call a visitor gets most often. This page has what he will say, how to describe where you are, the words for the buzzer and the doorman in each country, how addresses are written in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina, and what to do about the tip.
The call, in thirty seconds
Most of these calls are short and follow the same shape. He says he has arrived, you say where you are, one of you moves.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’m on my way down | Ya bajo. / Ya voy bajando. | The single most useful line on this page |
| Wait for me one minute | Espéreme un minuto. | usted |
| Wait for me one minute | Esperame un minuto. | Argentina, vos |
| I’m coming out now | Ya salgo. | |
| Where are you exactly? | ¿Dónde está exactamente? | |
| Can you come up? | ¿Puede subir? | |
| I can’t come down | No puedo bajar. | |
| Leave it at the door | Déjelo en la puerta. | |
| Ring the buzzer | Toque el timbre. | |
| I’ll open for you | Le abro. | What you say pressing the door release |
| I’m the one in the blue shirt | Soy el de la camisa azul. / Soy la de la camisa azul. | For a street handover |
| Two minutes and I’m there | Dos minutos y estoy ahí. | |
| Sorry to keep you waiting | Perdón por la demora. |
Saying where you are
Give the building first, then the floor, then the door. Drivers are working from a pin on a map, so they find you faster by a landmark than by an address.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| It’s the white building | Es el edificio blanco. | |
| The building with the green gate | El edificio de la reja verde. | Reja is the metal gate or grille on the front |
| The green door | La puerta verde. | |
| Number 42 | El número cuarenta y dos. | |
| Next to the pharmacy | Al lado de la farmacia. | |
| Opposite the bank | Enfrente del banco. | |
| Above the bakery | Encima de la panadería. | |
| On the corner | En la esquina. | |
| Between the bar and the shop | Entre el bar y la tienda. | |
| Halfway down the street | A mitad de cuadra. (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) / A mitad de la calle. (Spain) | Cuadra is a city block |
| Third floor | Tercer piso. | Mexico, Colombia, Argentina |
| Third floor | Tercero. / Tercera planta. | Spain |
| Ground floor | Planta baja. | Spain, Argentina (written PB) |
| Flat 4B | Departamento 4B. (Mexico, Argentina) / Apartamento 401. (Colombia) / Piso 3º izquierda. (Spain) | |
| The door on the left | La puerta de la izquierda. | |
| At the back | Al fondo. | |
| Through the garage | Por el garaje. | |
| The entrance is on the other street | La entrada es por la otra calle. | Common in corner buildings |
| I’m outside waiting | Estoy afuera esperando. | |
| I’ll send you the location | Le mando la ubicación. | By WhatsApp, and it ends most of these calls |
A note on floors. In Spain and Argentina the ground floor is la planta baja and the floor above it is the first. In Mexico and Colombia people count the ground floor as the first (primer piso), so the floor above it is the second. Say the number the local way and confirm it: ¿el primero o el de arriba?
The buzzer, the intercom and the doorman
This is the vocabulary that changes most between the four countries, and getting it wrong means standing in a lobby.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The buzzer at the door | el timbre | el timbre | el timbre | el timbre |
| The intercom | el interfón | el portero automático / el telefonillo | el citófono | el portero eléctrico |
| To buzz the flat | Toque el interfón. | Llame al telefonillo. | Llame por el citófono. | Tocá el portero. |
| The doorman | el portero | el portero / el conserje | el portero / el vigilante | el portero / el encargado |
| The reception desk | la recepción | la portería | la portería | la entrada |
| Leave it with him | Déjelo con el portero. | Déjalo en portería. | Déjelo en la portería. | Dejáselo al encargado. |
| The street door | el zaguán / la reja | el portal | la reja / la entrada | la puerta de calle |
Colombia. Most flats in Bogotá and Medellín have a portería staffed around the clock, and el citófono is the internal phone between the desk and your flat. The porter will call up and ask whether to let the delivery in: le llegó un domicilio, ¿lo hago subir? Answer sí, que suba or que lo deje en la portería.
Argentina. El encargado is the building superintendent who lives on site and knows everyone. Portero eléctrico is the buzzer panel. Flats are almost always given as piso y departamento, floor and flat: piso 5, departamento B, often written 5º B.
Spain. El portal is the street door and the entrance hall, the thing to name on the phone: estoy en el portal. El telefonillo is the door phone, and el portero automático is the whole system. Many buildings have no porter at all.
Mexico. In a private house the driver will ring el timbre or call out ¡buenas! at the gate. In a flat block, the guard at the gate is el vigilante or el de la caseta, and at gated developments you often have to leave your name at the entrance.
How addresses are written
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example | Calle Orizaba 112, Col. Roma Norte, depto 3 | C/ Mayor 12, 3º izq. | Calle 72 # 10-34, apto 501 | Av. Corrientes 1234, piso 5, depto B |
| The neighbourhood | la colonia (written Col.) | el barrio | el barrio | el barrio |
| Street abbreviations | Av., Blvd., Priv. | C/, Avda., Pza. | Cl., Cra., Dg., Tv. | Av., Bv. |
| Flat | depto or depto. | piso and puerta | apto | depto |
| Postcode | el código postal (CP) | el código postal | not used in everyday addresses | el código postal |
Bogotá is laid out on a grid, and the address is a set of coordinates. Las calles run east to west and the numbers rise towards the north. Las carreras run north to south and the numbers rise towards the west. Calle 72 # 10-34 is on Calle 72, thirty-four metres past Carrera 10. Once you see the pattern, most addresses in the city are easy to find. Diagonal and transversal are the streets that break the grid, and in Medellín the same system is used, with circular as well.
Mexico City is organised by colonia. Two streets can share a name in different colonias, so the colonia matters more than the postcode, and a driver will ask for it: ¿qué colonia?
In Spain the floor and the side are part of the address. 3º izq. is the third floor, left-hand door. The other codes are dcha. for right, ctro. for centre, and letters for flats in newer blocks. In older buildings there are also el bajo (ground level), el entresuelo (mezzanine) and el ático (top floor).
In Argentina the address has the floor and the flat letter. Piso 5, depto B, or 5º B. In Buenos Aires you can tell from the hundreds in a street number which block you are on.
The apps, by country
The names on the screen and the words people use for the person carrying the bag.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food delivery apps | Rappi, Uber Eats, Didi Food | Glovo, Uber Eats, Just Eat | Rappi, Didi Food | PedidosYa, Rappi |
| Rides | Uber, Didi, Cabify | taxi, Uber, Cabify | Uber, Didi, Cabify | taxi, Uber |
| The delivery itself | el envío, la entrega | el pedido | el domicilio | el delivery, el envío |
| The driver | el repartidor | el repartidor, el rider | el domiciliario | el repartidor, el cadete |
| The order | el pedido | el pedido | el pedido | el pedido |
Domicilio is the Colombian word for a home delivery, and it is a noun for the whole service: ¿hacen domicilios?, do you deliver. In the other three, domicilio means your place of residence and delivery is a domicilio or el envío.
What the driver will say
- Buenas, soy el repartidor. Ya estoy abajo. Hi, it’s the delivery. I’m downstairs.
- Ya llegué. ¿Dónde es exactamente? I’m here. Where exactly is it?
- No encuentro la dirección. I can’t find the address.
- La aplicación me manda a otro lado. The app is sending me somewhere else.
- ¿Es el edificio de la reja negra? Is it the building with the black gate?
- ¿Baja usted o subo yo? Are you coming down or shall I come up?
- ¿Me abre, por favor? Can you buzz me in?
- Nadie contesta el timbre. Nobody is answering the buzzer.
- Estoy en doble fila, no me puedo quedar. I’m double-parked, I can’t wait.
- ¿Tiene sencillo? Traigo poco cambio. Have you got small change? I have very little.
- Se lo dejo en la portería. I’ll leave it at the desk.
- ¿Me confirma su nombre? Can you confirm your name?
Paying and tipping
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I paid in the app | Ya pagué en la aplicación. | |
| I’m paying in cash | Voy a pagar en efectivo. | |
| Do you have change for a 500? | ¿Tiene cambio de quinientos? | |
| Keep the change | Quédese con el cambio. | The everyday way to tip in cash |
| This is for you | Esto es para usted. | |
| Can I tip by card? | ¿Puedo dar la propina con tarjeta? | |
| Thanks very much | Muchas gracias, muy amable. |
Tipping the driver, country by country. Mexico: a small cash tip is normal and expected, often twenty or thirty pesos on a food order. Colombia: the apps have a tip option on screen and many people add one, or you can give a couple of thousand pesos in cash instead. Argentina: cash tips are usual and welcome, and the driver may not have change, so have it ready. Spain: tipping a delivery rider is uncommon, and rounding up or handing over the coins is the whole custom.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Ya bajo, espéreme un minuto. I’m coming down, wait a minute.
- Es el edificio blanco, al lado de la farmacia. It’s the white building, next to the pharmacy.
- Piso cinco, departamento B. Le abro. Fifth floor, flat B. I’ll buzz you in. (Argentina)
- Apartamento 501. Déjelo en la portería, por favor. Flat 501. Leave it at the desk, please. (Colombia)
- Estoy en el portal, el del telefonillo roto. I’m at the street door, the one with the broken door phone. (Spain)
- Es en la colonia Roma Norte, calle Orizaba ciento doce. It’s in Roma Norte, Orizaba street, number 112. (Mexico)
- Le mando la ubicación por WhatsApp. I’ll send you the location on WhatsApp.
- No encuentro el timbre. ¿Toco el interfón? I can’t find the buzzer. Do I use the intercom? (Mexico)
- Tocá el portero eléctrico, quinto B. Buzz five B. (Argentina)
- Quédese con el cambio. Muchas gracias. Keep the change. Thanks a lot.
Questions people ask
How do I say “I’m coming down”? Ya bajo. Ya here means “right now”, and with it you stop the driver leaving. With ya voy bajando you say you have already started down.
What is a citófono? The internal phone in a Colombian building that connects the porter’s desk to each flat. The porter uses it to ask whether to send a delivery up. In Spain the equivalent is el telefonillo, in Argentina el portero eléctrico, in Mexico el interfón.
Is the first floor the ground floor? In Spain and Argentina, no. The ground floor is la planta baja and the first floor is one flight up. In Mexico and Colombia the ground floor is usually el primer piso. If it matters, say planta baja or a nivel de calle, at street level.
How do I read a Bogotá address? Calle 72 # 10-34 is on Calle 72, past Carrera 10, at number 34. Calles run east to west, carreras north to south. The hash is read as número.
What does “colonia” mean in a Mexican address? The neighbourhood. It is written Col. and it is the part a driver asks for first, because street names repeat across the city.
Should I tip the delivery driver? In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, yes, in cash or in the app. In Spain it is not the custom and nobody expects it.
What do I say if I can’t come down? No puedo bajar, ¿puede subir al tercer piso? or déjelo en la portería. Both are ordinary requests and neither is rude.
How do I say “the flat next to the lift”? El departamento que está al lado del ascensor. In Mexico the lift is el elevador; in Spain, Colombia and Argentina it is el ascensor.
Practise these words
bajar, subir, timbre, puerta, edificio, piso, departamento, esquina, portería, entrega, pedido, esperar, abrir. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.