La recepcionista nos indicó que la terminal estaba arriba.

Nos means to us. It is the indirect object pronoun.

So:

• indicó = he/she indicated / told / pointed out
• nos indicó = he/she indicated / told us / pointed out to us

In Spanish, this little pronoun is very common and often required where English might phrase things differently.

For example:

• La recepcionista indicó la terminal. = The receptionist indicated the terminal.
• La recepcionista nos indicó la terminal. = The receptionist indicated the terminal to us / showed us where the terminal was.

In your sentence, nos tells you who received the information.

Not exactly. Indicar usually means something like:

• to indicate
• to point out
• to tell
• to direct

In this sentence, nos indicó que la terminal estaba arriba suggests that the receptionist told us / informed us / pointed out that the terminal was upstairs.

Compared with other verbs:

• dijo = said
• explicó = explained
• indicó = indicated / told / directed

So indicó often feels a bit more formal or more specific than just dijo.

This is a very common question. Here, estaba is the imperfect of estar, and it is used because it describes a state or location in the background rather than a completed event.

• la terminal estaba arriba = the terminal was upstairs / was up there

This gives the location as a description.

If you said estuvo arriba, it would usually suggest that the terminal was upstairs for a period of time and then perhaps was not anymore, which sounds odd in this context.

So in reported information about where something was located, Spanish normally uses estaba.

Arriba means upstairs / up above / up there. It is very natural here.

• La terminal estaba arriba. = The terminal was upstairs / up there.

A few comparisons:

• arriba = above, upstairs, up there
• encima = on top, on top of something, over something
• en el piso de arriba = on the upper floor / upstairs

So:

• arriba is the most natural simple word here.
• encima would usually need a reference point and often means on top of something, so it would not fit well.
• en el piso de arriba is possible, but more specific and longer.

In Spain, arriba is very commonly used in everyday speech for upstairs.

Probably, but not necessarily. Terminal can refer to different kinds of terminals depending on context, such as:

• an airport terminal
• a bus terminal
• a ferry terminal
• a transport terminal in general

The sentence itself does not specify which kind. You understand it from the situation.

Also note that terminal in Spanish is feminine in this meaning:

• la terminal

Recepcionista is a noun that often has the same form for both masculine and feminine. The gender is usually shown by the article or by context.

So:

• la recepcionista = the female receptionist
• el recepcionista = the male receptionist

This is common with many nouns ending in -ista:

• el/la turista
• el/la dentista
• el/la pianista

So the word itself stays the same, but the article changes.

Que here means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

• La recepcionista nos indicó que la terminal estaba arriba.
• The receptionist told us that the terminal was upstairs.

This is very similar to English, although Spanish uses que very regularly in these structures.

Compare:

• Nos dijo que venía. = She told us that she was coming.
• Me explicó que era importante. = He explained to me that it was important.
• Nos indicó que la terminal estaba arriba. = She indicated/told us that the terminal was upstairs.

Yes, absolutely. That would be a very natural alternative.

• La recepcionista nos indicó que la terminal estaba arriba.
• La recepcionista nos indicó dónde estaba la terminal.

The difference is subtle:

• ...que la terminal estaba arriba = she told us that the terminal was upstairs
• ...dónde estaba la terminal = she told us where the terminal was

Another very natural option is:

• La recepcionista nos indicó dónde estaba la terminal: arriba.

Or even:

• La recepcionista nos dijo que la terminal estaba arriba.

So your original sentence is correct, but it is not the only natural way to say it.

Both are possible, but La recepcionista nos indicó... is the more neutral word order.

This is the standard pattern:

• subject + pronoun + verb
• La recepcionista
  • nos
    • indicó

If you say:

• Nos indicó la recepcionista...

that can sound more marked, and it may be used for emphasis, contrast, or in a narrative style.

For most learners, the safest default is the version you have:

• La recepcionista nos indicó que la terminal estaba arriba.

Yes. The accent mark shows where the stress goes.

• indicó is stressed on the last syllable: in-di-CÓ

Without the accent, indico would be stressed differently and would mean something else:

• indico = I indicate
• indicó = he/she indicated

So the accent mark is important both for pronunciation and meaning.

Sometimes, but here upstairs or up there is more natural.

• arriba can mean above, upstairs, or up there, depending on context.

In this sentence, since a receptionist is giving directions inside a building, the best natural translations are usually:

• upstairs
• up there

So:

• La terminal estaba arriba. = The terminal was upstairs / up there.

Above in English sounds less natural in this situation unless you are talking about relative position in a more abstract way.

Yes, it could. Indicar can refer either to:

• giving information verbally, or
• pointing/directing with a gesture

So the sentence could mean:

• she told us the terminal was upstairs, or
• she indicated / pointed out that the terminal was upstairs

The exact nuance depends on context. If you want to make the physical gesture clearer, Spanish could say something like:

• La recepcionista nos señaló que la terminal estaba arriba.
• La recepcionista nos indicó con la mano que la terminal estaba arriba.

But your sentence is perfectly natural as it stands.