Spanish - Basic Location

Lesson 16 of 159

Student learning basic Spanish location phrases such as debajo de and enfrente de, with playful classroom objects in the scene.

Goal: Say where people and things are — simple location words

Free Spanish lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome! In this short lesson you'll move things around with words — but only in Spanish. Listen, repeat, and use these frames to point out where people and objects are.

Level A1: This CEFR-aligned lesson teaches simple location phrases in Spanish: under, behind, in front of, between, in/at, and inside/outside. You'll hear the core sentence frames, practice with a short conversation, and then try quizzes and spoken repetition. Lesson 16 keeps it light — let's find things!

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Learn eight simple Spanish frames to say where things are (A1).
  • Be able to say and hear: debajo de, detrás de, enfrente de, entre, en, adentro/afuera.
  • Practice listening, choosing the correct phrase, and speaking each frame aloud.
Illustration showing a student pointing to objects (table, chair, door) while practicing Spanish location words.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

___ está debajo de ___.

___ is under ___.

Meaning: ___ is under ___.

When to use: Use this frame to say that one object or person is below another (under).

El gato está debajo de la mesa.
The cat is under the table.
Las llaves están debajo del sofá.
The keys are under the sofa.

___ está detrás de ___.

___ is behind ___.

Meaning: ___ is behind ___.

When to use: Use this to say something or someone is at the back of another object or person.

La mochila está detrás de la puerta.
The backpack is behind the door.
Él está detrás del coche.
He is behind the car.

___ está enfrente de ___.

___ is in front of ___.

Meaning: ___ is in front of ___.

When to use: Use this to say someone or something is facing or before another thing.

Tip: Some learners mix up enfrente de and detrás de — remember enfrente de = in front of.

La farmacia está enfrente del banco.
The pharmacy is in front of the bank.
Ella está enfrente de la casa.
She is in front of the house.

___ está entre ___ y ___.

___ is between ___ and ___.

Meaning: ___ is between ___ and ___.

When to use: Use this to say that one thing is in the middle of two other things or places.

El restaurante está entre la escuela y el parque.
The restaurant is between the school and the park.
El libro está entre la silla y la lámpara.
The book is between the chair and the lamp.

___ está en ___.

___ is at ___.

Meaning: ___ is at ___.

When to use: Use está en when someone or something is at or in a place (room, building, or position).

Tip: Don’t confuse en with a — use está en for location like 'in/at' rather than movement.

Estoy en la oficina.
I am at the office.
El cuadro está en la pared.
The picture is on the wall.

¿___ está adentro o afuera?

Is ___ inside or outside?

Meaning: Is ___ inside or outside?

When to use: Ask this to find out whether someone or something is indoors (inside) or outdoors (outside).

Tip: Adentro/afuera is common in many Spanish-speaking regions; learners sometimes use dentro/fuera — both are understood, but adentro/afuera is very natural.

¿El perro está adentro o afuera?
Is the dog inside or outside?
¿La ropa está adentro o afuera?
Is the laundry inside or outside?

___ está adentro.

___ is inside.

Meaning: ___ is inside.

When to use: Use this to say that someone or something is inside a building or room.

La niña está adentro.
The girl is inside.
El vaso está adentro.
The glass is inside.

___ está afuera.

___ is outside.

Meaning: ___ is outside.

When to use: Use this to say that someone or something is outdoors or not in the building.

Los niños están afuera.
The children are outside.
El coche está afuera.
The car is outside.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna asks where pets and keys are; David answers using location frames.

Two people talking about where a dog and a cat are, using Spanish location phrases like adentro and afuera.

Is the dog inside or outside?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿El perro está adentro o afuera?

Is the dog inside or outside?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Está afuera, en el jardín.

He is outside, in the garden.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Dónde está el gato?

Where is the cat?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

El gato está debajo de la mesa.

The cat is under the table.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

¿Y las llaves?

And the keys?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Las llaves están entre el libro y la lámpara.

The keys are between the book and the lamp.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Spanish sentence means 'The keys are under the sofa.'?

How do you ask 'Is the dog inside or outside?' in Spanish?

Which sentence means 'The restaurant is between the school and the park.'?

How do you say 'She is in front of the house.' in Spanish?

The cat is under the table.

El gato ___ la mesa.

Is the backpack behind the door?

¿La mochila ___ la puerta?

The restaurant is between the school and the park.

El restaurante ___ la escuela y el parque.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está debajo de ___.

___ is under ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está detrás de ___.

___ is behind ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está enfrente de ___.

___ is in front of ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está entre ___ y ___.

___ is between ___ and ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está en ___.

___ is at ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿___ está adentro o afuera?

Is ___ inside or outside?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está adentro.

___ is inside.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ está afuera.

___ is outside.