Taxis, ride apps and asking for directions in Spanish, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Two things happen in a taxi: you have to say where you are going, and then the driver talks to you. Two things happen when you ask for directions: you have to ask, and then someone answers faster than you can follow. Below: the phrases for both, the words for left, right, straight and blocks, and what is different about taxis in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
Getting a taxi
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi! | ¡Taxi! | With the arm out; it works in all four countries |
| Are you free? | ¿Está libre? | |
| Can you take me to…? | ¿Me lleva a…? | usted, everywhere |
| To the airport, please | Al aeropuerto, por favor. | |
| To this address | A esta dirección. | Show the phone |
| To the centre | Al centro. | |
| To the bus station | A la terminal de autobuses. (Mexico) / A la terminal de transportes. (Colombia) / A la estación de autobuses. (Spain) / A la terminal de ómnibus. (Argentina) | |
| To the train station | A la estación de tren. | |
| Do you know where … is? | ¿Sabe dónde queda…? / ¿Sabe dónde está…? | queda is the everyday verb in Latin America |
| How much to…? | ¿Cuánto cobra hasta…? / ¿Cuánto es hasta…? | Ask before getting in where there is no meter |
| Is there a meter? | ¿Tiene taxímetro? | |
| Turn on the meter, please | Ponga el taxímetro, por favor. | |
| Stop here | Aquí está bien. / Acá está bien. (Argentina) | “Here is fine” is what people say |
| At the corner | En la esquina. | |
| Wait a moment, please | Espere un momento, por favor. | |
| Can you wait for me? | ¿Me espera? | |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto es? | |
| Keep the change | Quédese con el cambio. | |
| A receipt, please | Un recibo, por favor. | |
| Slower, please | Más despacio, por favor. | Also for driving |
What is different in each country
Mexico. Street taxis exist and are cheaper than the apps, but the advice given to visitors is to use sitio taxis (from a rank, un taxi de sitio) or the apps (Uber, DiDi) rather than hail on the street, especially at night. Fares are metered in Mexico City; elsewhere agree the price first: ¿cuánto cobra? The driver calls you joven if you are young, jefe or jefa if you are not; both are friendly. Ahorita llego from a driver means “I will be there soon”, and ahorita means anything.
Spain. Taxis are metered, licensed and reliable, with a green light on the roof when free (libre). Hail them or find una parada de taxis. Prices are fixed by the city, and airport runs are often a flat rate (tarifa fija). You can use Cabify and Uber in the big cities. Drivers are chatty in a Spanish way; ¿qué tal? and the weather.
Colombia. Bogotá taxis are yellow and metered. Older meters show units that the driver reads off a tariff card; most now show pesos or take the fare from an app. Ask ¿cuánto es? at the end. The city advice is to order by app (Cabify, Uber, DiDi, InDrive, or the taxi apps) rather than hail one on the street at night. Drivers say ¿para dónde va?, where are you going, and con mucho gusto at the end. Addresses in Bogotá are a grid: calle runs one way, carrera the other, and “Calle 72 con Carrera 11” is a corner, not a street. Say calle setenta y dos con once.
Argentina. Buenos Aires taxis are black and yellow, plentiful, and metered (el reloj, “the clock”, is what people call the meter). Hail them anywhere. Cash is preferred and the driver may not have change for a large note: ¿tiene cambio de diez mil? You can use Uber and Cabify; un remís is a pre-booked car with a fixed price, common outside the capital. Drivers say ¿adónde vamos? and will discuss football if you let them.
The apps
| You want to say | Spanish |
|---|---|
| I ordered an Uber | Pedí un Uber. |
| The app says … | La aplicación dice… / La app dice… |
| Are you my driver? | ¿Usted es mi conductor? / ¿Vos sos mi chofer? (Argentina) |
| For Ana? | ¿Para Ana? |
| I’m at the corner | Estoy en la esquina. |
| I’ll be right out | Ya salgo. |
| Can you come a bit closer? | ¿Puede acercarse un poco? |
| Cancel | cancelar |
El conductor is the driver everywhere; el chofer, stressed on the last syllable, is common in Argentina and Mexico, and in Spain people say chófer; el taxista is the taxi driver specifically.
Asking for directions
The question is easy. The answer is a wall of words. Learn the answer words.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excuse me | Disculpe. / Perdone. (Spain) / Perdón. | |
| Where is…? | ¿Dónde está…? / ¿Dónde queda…? | queda in Latin America |
| How do I get to…? | ¿Cómo llego a…? | |
| Is it far? | ¿Está lejos? / ¿Queda lejos? | |
| Is it near? | ¿Está cerca? | |
| Can I walk there? | ¿Se puede ir caminando? / ¿Se puede ir andando? (Spain) | |
| How long does it take? | ¿Cuánto se tarda? / ¿Cuánto tarda? | |
| I am looking for | Estoy buscando… | |
| I am lost | Estoy perdido / perdida. | Ending matches the speaker |
| Can you show me on the map? | ¿Me lo puede mostrar en el mapa? / ¿Me lo puede señalar…? | |
| Which way? | ¿Por dónde? | |
| Is this the way to…? | ¿Por aquí se va a…? |
Understanding the answer
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| todo recto (Spain) / derecho (Latin America) / todo derecho | straight ahead |
| a la derecha | to the right |
| a la izquierda | to the left |
| gire / doble / tire por | turn (usted). Doble in Latin America, gire in Spain, and in Madrid tire por la primera, take the first |
| siga | keep going |
| la primera / segunda a la derecha | the first / second on the right |
| en la esquina | at the corner |
| al final de la calle | at the end of the street |
| a dos cuadras (Latin America) / a dos manzanas (Spain) | two blocks away |
| cruce la calle | cross the street |
| pase el semáforo | go past the traffic light |
| enfrente de | opposite, across from |
| al lado de | next to |
| detrás de | behind |
| delante de | in front of |
| entre | between |
| arriba / abajo | up / down (also uphill, downhill) |
| subiendo / bajando | going up / going down |
| está aquí mismo / aquí nomás (Mexico) / acá nomás (Argentina) | it is right here |
| no tiene pérdida (Spain) | you can’t miss it |
| está a la vuelta | it is around the corner |
| a unos diez minutos | about ten minutes away |
Two words matter more than the rest. Derecho is straight ahead; derecha is right. One letter, opposite instructions, and the driver will say them in the same sentence: siga derecho y en la esquina a la derecha, straight on and right at the corner. And the block: cuadra everywhere in Latin America, manzana in Spain, where cuadra means a stable.
In Colombia and Mexico people give directions with nomás and ahí: derecho nomás, just straight on; ahí está, there it is. In Argentina people start every sentence of directions with mirá, look, and viste, you see, and they are not asking whether you saw anything.
Places you will be asking for
| English | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| the metro | el metro | Mexico City, Madrid, Barcelona; el subte in Buenos Aires; el TransMilenio is the bus system in Bogotá |
| the bus stop | la parada | el paradero in Colombia |
| the bus | el autobús (Spain) / el camión (Mexico, and it is a bus, not a lorry) / el bus or la buseta (Colombia) / el colectivo or el bondi (Argentina) | |
| the station | la estación | |
| the toilet | el baño (Latin America) / el servicio or los aseos (Spain) | |
| the cash machine | el cajero | |
| the pharmacy | la farmacia | |
| the supermarket | el súper | |
| the square | la plaza | |
| the market | el mercado | |
| the church | la iglesia | |
| the hospital | el hospital | |
| the police | la policía | |
| the beach | la playa | |
| the corner shop | la tienda (Mexico, Colombia) / el almacén (Argentina; el kiosco sells sweets, cigarettes and papers) / la tienda de la esquina |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- ¿Está libre? Al centro, por favor. Are you free? To the centre, please.
- ¿Cuánto cobra hasta el aeropuerto? How much to the airport? (Mexico, Colombia)
- Ponga el taxímetro, por favor. Turn on the meter, please.
- Aquí está bien, gracias. ¿Cuánto es? Here is fine, thanks. How much is it?
- Disculpe, ¿dónde queda la estación? Excuse me, where is the station?
- ¿Se puede ir caminando o está lejos? Can I walk or is it far?
- Siga derecho dos cuadras y doble a la izquierda. Straight on two blocks and turn left. (What you will hear)
- Todo recto y la segunda a la derecha. Straight on and the second on the right. (Spain)
- ¿Por aquí se va al metro? Is this the way to the metro?
- Estoy perdido. ¿Me lo puede mostrar en el mapa? I’m lost. Can you show me on the map?
Questions people ask
Do I tip taxi drivers? Mexico, Spain, Argentina: round up. Colombia: no.
Is it “derecho” or “recto” for straight? Both. In Spain people say todo recto; in Latin America, derecho or todo derecho. Everyone understands both.
What is a “cuadra”? A city block, in Latin America. In Spain people say manzana. Distances in Latin American cities are given in blocks, not metres.
How do addresses work in Bogotá? Calles run east to west and carreras north to south, numbered. “Calle 85 # 12-30” means on Calle 85, thirty metres from Carrera 12. Say it as calle ochenta y cinco, número doce, treinta.
What is a “colectivo”? In Argentina, the city bus. In Mexico, a shared minibus or shared taxi on a fixed route. In Colombia, a shared taxi between towns.
Why does the driver say “joven”? In Mexico, joven, young person, is how anyone addresses a stranger who looks under fifty. It is polite, not a comment on your age.
Is “conductor” or “chofer” correct? Both. Conductor is neutral everywhere; chofer is common in Mexico and Argentina and slightly old-fashioned in Spain.
Practise these words
derecha, izquierda, derecho, cuadra, esquina, lejos, cerca, seguir, doblar, cruzar, llegar, parada, taxi. 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.