Expresiones de localización: Plaza de Oriente (vídeo)

Pilar and Natasha, from Ukraine, who teaches English in Dubai, visit the Plaza de Oriente. Describing the Royal Palace, the opera house and the statue of Philip IV, they practise expressions of location.

Learn some useful expressions to express location in Spanish with this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

Expressions of location: delante de, detrás de, enfrente de, al lado de, a la izquierda de.
Detrás de nosotras está el Palacio Real, the official residence of the Spanish royal family, although they do not live there.
Enfrente del palacio está el Teatro Real, Madrid's opera house, which opened in 1850 and reopened in 1997 after a long renovation.
In the middle of the square, the equestrian statue of Philip IV stands only on its back legs; Galileo did the calculations to make it possible.

Frequent doubts

Delante de or enfrente de?

Delante de means in front of, close to something (delante del palacio); enfrente de means opposite, facing it (el teatro está enfrente del palacio).

Why del and not de el?

De + el always contracts: detrás del palacio, enfrente del teatro. It does not happen with la: detrás de la estatua.

Do the King and Queen of Spain live in the Royal Palace?

No. It is their official residence and is used for state ceremonies, but they live in the Palacio de la Zarzuela, on the outskirts of Madrid.

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Key points

Frequent doubts

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