In this workshop you will practice a short, useful conversation in Spanish: asking whether there is a supermarket near you, asking where the nearest one is, checking whether it is far, and finding out whether you can walk there. You will also hear a simple answer with a location and a walking time. Each native example is a full recorded line, so you can listen, repeat, and then use it in a guided exchange. You can play both roles with the audio, but there is no automatic assessment, so use the answer keys and self-checks to judge your own speaking.
Asking the main question
Start with the most general question. «¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?» means "Is there a supermarket near here?" You can use it in a street, a hotel, or a shop when you need to find a grocery store. If you want the closest option instead of any supermarket, use «¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?», which means "Where is the nearest supermarket?" Both questions are polite and direct. Say them slowly at first, then at a natural speed. Keep the question intonation rising at the end. When you practice, imagine you are standing outside a hotel and you need food for later. Ask the question out loud, then listen to the recording and compare your rhythm.
Checking distance and walking
After someone tells you where the supermarket is, you often need one more detail. «¿Está lejos de aquí?» means "Is it far from here?" Use it when you want to know if the place is close or far. If you prefer to go on foot, ask «¿Puedo ir caminando?», which means "Can I walk there?" These two follow-up questions are short and easy to remember. In a real conversation, you can ask them one after the other. Listen for the answer words cerca, which means close, and lejos, which means far. You do not need to add extra phrases. Just ask clearly and listen for the key word.
Understanding a simple answer
In the recorded exchange, one person asks «Disculpe, ¿hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?», which means "Excuse me, is there a supermarket near here?" The other person answers with «Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.», which means "Yes, there is one two blocks away. It's on the right." Here a la derecha means "on the right" as a location, not an instruction to turn right. The first person then asks «¿Está lejos? ¿Puedo ir caminando?», which means "Is it far? Can I walk there?" The answer is «No, está cerca. Cinco minutos caminando.», which means "No, it's close. Five minutes walking." This gives you a complete mini-dialogue: ask, get a location, check distance, and confirm walking time. Practice both roles so you can understand the answer as well as give it.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?
Is there a supermarket near here?
eye oon soo-per-mer-KAH-doh SER-kah deh ah-KEE
¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?
Where is the nearest supermarket?
DOHN-deh es-TAH el soo-per-mer-KAH-doh mahs ser-KAH-noh
¿Está lejos de aquí?
Is it far from here?
es-TAH LEH-hohs deh ah-KEE
¿Puedo ir caminando?
Can I walk there?
PWEH-doh eer kah-mee-NAHN-doh
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Disculpe, ¿hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?
Excuse me, is there a supermarket near here?Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.
Yes, there is one two blocks away. It's on the right.¿Está lejos? ¿Puedo ir caminando?
Is it far? Can I walk there?No, está cerca. Cinco minutos caminando.
No, it's close. Five minutes walking.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided exchange: ask and answer
You are outside a hotel. You need to find a supermarket. Play the role of the person asking. Use the recorded lines as your model. Then switch roles and answer with the recorded reply.
Your task: First, say the question from «¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?» out loud. Then play the answer from «Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.» and listen for the location. Next, ask the follow-up from «¿Está lejos? ¿Puedo ir caminando?». Finally, play the answer from «No, está cerca. Cinco minutos caminando.» and repeat it. Do the whole exchange twice: once as the asker, once as the answerer.
Reply comprehension: choose the correct meaning
Listen to the recorded answer «Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.» and the recorded answer «No, está cerca. Cinco minutos caminando.». Read the choices below and decide what each answer tells you.
Your task: For «Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.», choose: A) The supermarket is on the right. B) You must turn right at the corner. For «No, está cerca. Cinco minutos caminando.», choose: A) The supermarket is far. B) The supermarket is close and about five minutes on foot. Say your choices out loud, then check the answer key.
Recall and role switch
Cover the text of the recordings. Imagine the same street scene. You will now recall the lines from memory and switch roles.
Your task: First, ask the general question from «¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?». Then answer with the location from «Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.». Next, ask the distance question from «¿Está lejos de aquí?» and the walking question from «¿Puedo ir caminando?». Finally, answer with the close distance and walking time from «No, está cerca. Cinco minutos caminando.». Do this once as the asker and once as the answerer.
Common questions
What is the difference between asking «¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?» and «¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?»?
«¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?» means "Is there a supermarket near here?" and asks about any supermarket nearby. «¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?» means "Where is the nearest supermarket?" and asks specifically for the closest one. Use «¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí?» when you just need a store, and «¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?» when you want the shortest distance.
How do I know if a la derecha means a location or a direction to turn?
In the recorded answer «Sí, hay uno a dos cuadras. Está a la derecha.», a la derecha describes where the supermarket is: it is on the right. It is not an instruction to turn right. Listen to the whole sentence and the context. If someone is giving a location, a la derecha tells you the side. If someone is giving a route, they may use it as a turning instruction, but in this dialogue it is a location.
Sources and further reading
- spanish: ask for a supermarketChecked September 2026
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