Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): La rotonda está después del cruce con la avenida principal. - The roundabout is after the intersection with the main avenue.

Spanish uses estar for physical location: La rotonda está…. Use ser for events: La reunión es en la sala 2. So a roundabout (a place/object) takes estar.

Why después del and not después de el?

Because de + el contracts to del when el is the masculine article: después del cruce. No contraction if:

El is part of a proper name: de El Salvador, de El País.
It’s the pronoun él (with accent): después de él.

Can después de refer to physical position, not just time?

Yes. In directions it commonly marks spatial sequence. Synonyms you’ll hear:

tras: La rotonda está tras el cruce…
pasado (el): La rotonda está pasado el cruce…
más allá de: La rotonda está más allá del cruce…

What does cruce mean here?

Here it means an intersection/junction of roads. It is not a pedestrian crossing. For a crosswalk in Spain, the usual terms are paso de peatones or paso de cebra. You may also see the more technical intersección for intersection.

Why cruce con la avenida principal and not cruce de la avenida principal?

With intersections, Spanish typically uses:

el cruce de X con Y (most explicit), or
el cruce con Y (when X is already known). Using only cruce de la avenida principal can sound like “the crossing belonging to the main avenue” and is less precise about what it crosses.

Is rotonda the usual word in Spain?

Yes. Rotonda is the everyday term. Glorieta is also common (especially in place names and on some signs). Don’t say redonda (that’s just the adjective “round”). You may see other terms in Latin America (e.g., óvalo, redondel), but in Spain stick with rotonda/glorieta.

Do I need the articles la rotonda and la avenida principal?

Yes. Spanish uses definite articles in directions: la rotonda, la avenida. On signs or maps the article is often omitted for brevity: Rotonda a 300 m.

Why la avenida principal? Does principal change for gender/number?

avenida is feminine, so la avenida.
principal has the same form for masculine and feminine (it changes only for number): la avenida principal, el edificio principal, las avenidas principales.

Why do está and después have accents? What about esta?

está (from estar) takes an accent to mark stress and distinguish it from esta (“this,” fem.).
después needs the accent to mark the stressed syllable. Also note el (article) vs. él (pronoun).

Could I say La rotonda queda… or se encuentra… instead of está?

Yes. In Spain, queda is very common in directions (meaning “is located”), and se encuentra is a bit more formal. All three are correct:

La rotonda está…
La rotonda queda…
La rotonda se encuentra…

How do I say “after you cross the main avenue”?

You can use a verb after the preposition:

después de cruzar la avenida principal
tras cruzar la avenida principal Also common: Cuando cruces la avenida principal, verás la rotonda.

Pronunciation tips (Spain) for tricky parts

cruce, principal: the letter c before e/i sounds like English “th” in “thin” (θ): cru-θe, prin-θi-pal.
avenida: the v sounds like a soft b.
después: the “ue” is a single glide (like “we”): des-PWÉS.
está: stress the last syllable (es-TÁ).
rotonda: clear vowels throughout: ro-TON-da.

Could I say después de la avenida principal instead?

You could, but it’s less precise. It can be read as “beyond the whole avenue” or “after passing along it.” después del cruce con la avenida principal anchors the reference to the specific junction.

Should avenida principal be capitalized?

If it’s just a description (the main avenue in the area), use lower case: la avenida principal.
If it’s the official street name, capitalize as a proper name (common in addresses/signage): Avenida Principal.