Real-Life Conversations · Lesson 4 of 6

Finding Your Way

Ask where things are, understand left / right / straight, and get a taxi to stop right here.

12 min

Asking where a place is is only half of finding it. This lesson helps you ask, recognize a short answer, and request repetition when you miss a detail. You already know 있어요.

Where is…?

화장실 어디예요?

hwajangsil eodiyeyo?

Where's the bathroom?

어디 = where. This is a shorter alternative to 어디에 있어요? from Course 3.

지하철역 어디예요?

jihacheol-yeok eodiyeyo?

Where's the subway station?

Swap in 출구 (exit), 버스 정류장 (bus stop), 편의점 (convenience store).

The three direction words

왼쪽 / 오른쪽 / 직진

oenjjok / oreunjjok / jikjin

Left / Right / Straight ahead

쪽 = side/direction. 직진 names straight-ahead movement; listen for the instruction around it.

쭉 가세요

jjuk gaseyo

Go straight ahead.

쭉 = straight on. 가세요 = “please go”, the same 가세요 from 안녕히 가세요.

Taxis

여기서 세워 주세요

yeogiseo sewo juseyo

Please stop here.

세우다 (to stop) + 주세요. Ask only where the driver can safely and legally stop.

얼마나 걸려요?

eolmana geollyeoyo?

How long does it take?

A handy bonus — learn it as a chunk.

Try it

Stop a passerby and ask where the subway station is.Show answer

저기요! 지하철역 어디예요? — 저기요 (Course 2) gets their attention, then ask.

You're in a taxi and you've arrived. Tell the driver to stop here.Show answer

여기서 세워 주세요.

Practice understanding the answer

Use this original imagined station exchange: A: 화장실이 어디에 있어요? (Where is the bathroom?) B: 오른쪽에 있어요. (It's on the right.) A: 오른쪽이요? (On the right?) B: 네. (Yes.) Repeating the detail gives the other person a chance to correct a mishearing before you walk away.

Compare 오른쪽에 있어요, a location, with 오른쪽으로 가세요, an instruction to go right. 에 marks where something is; 으로 in 오른쪽으로 points in a direction of movement. Knowing “right” alone does not tell you whether the speaker is naming a location or asking you to move.

When you miss part of the instruction

다시 한 번 말해 주세요

dasi han beon malhae juseyo

Please say that once more.

Ask for repetition instead of guessing a turn or exit.

천천히 말해 주세요

cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo

Please speak slowly.

Use this if the answer was too fast to follow.

If two stations have similar names or several exits lead in different directions, show the written destination and confirm the relevant exit. This lesson teaches a short language exchange; it does not establish the current layout, accessibility, or opening hours of any real station.

The answer is 왼쪽에 있어요. You repeat 오른쪽이요? What detail have you changed?Show answer

You changed left (왼쪽) to right (오른쪽). Confirm 왼쪽이요? before proceeding; hearing 에 있어요 correctly is not enough if the direction word was wrong.

You recognize only the word 출구 in a fast answer. What can you say before following it?Show answer

다시 한 번 말해 주세요. 천천히 말해 주세요. Ask again and more slowly. Recognizing “exit” does not tell you which exit or route the person meant.

What you just learned

___ 어디예요? asks where a named place is; confirm the answer before setting off.
왼쪽 / 오른쪽 / 직진 (and 쭉 가세요) — the directions you'll hear.
여기서 세워 주세요 — the essential taxi line.

References

Revised September 29, 2026 by Korean ESY with AI assistance. This revision adds contextual practice and corrects overbroad explanations. Examples and answers are original editorial material; no independent teacher or classroom review is claimed. See our editorial policy or report a correction.

National Institute of Korean Language: 초급 한국어 읽기, Spanish edition (PDF), printed page 121 (PDF page 135) — location 에 and direction (으)로 exercises; checked September 29, 2026. Our dialogue and practice situations are independently written.

Quick check

Did it stick?

Three quick questions — instant answers, no grades, no pressure.

1.“Where's the subway station?” is…

2.직진 means…

3.In a taxi, “please stop here” is…

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