Giving Directions in Spanish

[wafflestomp]

I understand how to say "straight" "left" "right" "until " etc, but I am confused with what you say before it.

Sigue derecho - Sigo derecho - Siga derecho.. do they all mean go straight or are there differences?

Same with

Gira a la izquierda - Gire a la izquierda - Giro a la izquierda.. what is the difference in that first word.. do they all mean turn left or what?

I am just lost with this, is one for commands, one for indicative, I have absolutely no idea.. thanks for the help guys!

[Rusty]

Sigue and siga are commands. These are in the imperative mood, in other words. The first is the 2nd person familiar form (tú). The second is the 3rd person form (usted). You need to decide which of the two commands you'll use (it's based on how well you know the other person in some instances).

Sigo is the 1st person present indicative. That means 'I follow' or 'I am following'. It is not used as a command.

Apply the same logic to the next verb you asked about and see if you can tell me about how they would be used.

[wafflestomp]

Do you need to put the word "usted" in with it or no?

So, for turning right.. "Giro a la derecha" - I turn to the right... "Gire a la derecha" - You (informal) turn to the right... "Gira a la derecha" You (formal) turn to the right

Correct?

[Rusty]

Very close. Girar is an -AR verb. Seguir is an -IR verb.
The formal imperative gets the stem from the 1st person:
gir- sig-
Then, the opposite 3rd person ending is suffixed:
gire siga
The familiar takes the same 3rd person ending:
gira sigue

[chileno]

Originally Posted by wafflestomp

Do you need to put the word "usted" in with it or no?

So, for turning right.. "Giro a la derecha" - I turn to the right... "Gire a la derecha" - You (formal) turn to the right... "Gira a la derecha" You (informal) turn to the right

Correct?

That's right.

[laepelba]

See also this thread: http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=6705

[wafflestomp]

Thanks for the help guys, but do you need to say usted or not?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@wafflestomp: "Usted" is used to show respect, so it's necessary when you're talking to people who are older than you, people who are not much older than you but aged enough to be "respectable", or to someone in a very formal context.
"Tú" is used with friends and with people who's obviously younger than you and with whom you can have a more relaxed conversation.


Man accompanied by wife and children: Disculpe, ¿podría decirme dónde está el Museo de Arte Moderno?
You: Siga derecho hasta la primera calle y dé vuelta a la izquierda. El museo está a dos calles de ahí.

Two young tourists about 20 years of age: ¿Me puede decir cómo llegar al Monumento a la Independencia?
You: Regresa dos calles, da la vuelta a la derecha donde está el edificio amarillo y sigue derecho hasta la avenida.

Old lady in the supermarket: Disculpe. ¿Dónde están los lácteos?
You: Camine derecho en este pasillo. Los lácteos están en el tercer refrigerador de la izquierda.

[Rusty]

As you can see from AngelicaDeAlquezar's examples, usted is usually not said with the imperative (you don't say "Disculpe usted," for example). This is because the personal pronoun is understood; it is conveyed by the verb's conjugation (its ending). The same goes for tú.

As a general rule, personal pronouns are needed only when the verb ending doesn't convey the person adequately:
3rd person and, in the imperfect tense, 1st and 3rd person

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Rusty is right. Using the pronoun, at least in Mexico, is mostly used in somehow rude expressions:

¡Oiga usted!
¡Oye tú!
¡Oigan ustedes!
Hey you!

¡Salga usted de aquí!
¡Sal tú de aquí!
¡Salgan ustedes de aquí!
You get out of here!

¡Llame usted!
¡Llama tú!
¡Llamen ustedes!
You make the call!