How to Say ‘At the traffic light, turn left.’ in Mexican Spanish
En el semáforo, dé vuelta a la izquierda.
en el seh-MAH-foh-roh DEH BWEHL-tah ah lah ees-kyehr-dah
[en el seh-MAH-foh-roh DEH BWEHL-tah ah lah ees-kyehr-dah]
Phrase Breakdown
En el semáforo,
en el seh-MAH-foh-roh
At the traffic light,
'Semáforo' is a traffic light. Stress the 'MÁ': 'en el seh-MAH-foh-roh'.
Espera en el semáforo.
Wait at the traffic light.
Words in this phrase
En
[en]
In / at
Preposition used to locate an action or event (e.g., in/at the conference).
En la demostración voy a explicar el proceso paso a paso.
In the demo I’m going to explain the process step by step.
el
[el]
the (masculine singular)
Definite article used for masculine singular nouns; “demo” is treated as masculine in common Mexican Spanish.
El demo empieza con una pantalla de bienvenida.
The demo starts with a welcome screen.
semáforo
[seh-MAH-foh-roh]
traffic light
Masculine noun for the signal light that controls traffic.
El semáforo está en rojo.
The traffic light is red.
dé vuelta
DEH BWEHL-tah
turn
A formal command used in directions. Say 'DEH BWEL-tah'.
Dé vuelta en la gasolinera.
Turn at the gas station.
Words in this phrase
dé
[DEH]
give (formal command)
Formal command of 'dar'; 'dé vuelta' means 'turn'.
Dé vuelta aquí, por favor.
Turn here, please.
vuelta
[BWEHL-tah]
turn
Can mean a turn in the road or a change of direction while driving.
Sí, pero esa vuelta siempre me confunde cuando hay muchos coches.
Yes, but that turn always confuses me when there are many cars.
a la izquierda.
ah lah ees-kyehr-dah
to the left.
This tells the direction. Say 'ah lah ees-KYEHR-dah'.
El hotel está a la izquierda.
The hotel is on the left.
Words in this phrase
a
[ah]
to
Preposition used before a person as the object of introduction.
Voy a a la mesa de empresas internacionales.
I'm going to the table of international companies.
la
[lah]
the (feminine singular)
Definite article used with feminine nouns like “pantalla.”
La pantalla del demo está lista.
The demo screen is ready.
izquierda
[ees-kyehr-dah]
left
The left side or left direction.
Dé vuelta a la izquierda. La izquierda es más rápida.
Turn left. The left side is faster.
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