Breakdown of Идите направо, потом налево.
идти
to go (on foot) / to proceed, go (of a process)
потом
then
налево
to the left
направо
to the right
Questions & Answers about Идите направо, потом налево.
Why does this sentence use идите instead of ходите?
Идите is the command form of идти, which means to go on foot in one specific direction. You use this for giving direct instructions to a destination. Ходите comes from ходить, which is for undirected motion or habits (like pacing around or walking regularly), so it doesn't work for step-by-step directions.
Why do we use направо and налево here instead of справа and слева?
Направо (to the right) and налево (to the left) describe the direction of motion, answering the question "where to?". You would use справа and слева to describe a static location, answering the question "where at?" (for example, "the store is on the right"). Since someone is moving in this sentence, we need the directional words.
If I am giving these same directions to a driver, can I still use идите?
No, идите is strictly for going on foot. If you are giving directions to someone driving a vehicle, you should use езжайте (or поезжайте), which are the command forms of the verb for going by transport.
Why use потом for "then"? Could I use тогда?
You must use потом here because it means "then" as in "next" or "afterwards" in a sequence of events. Тогда means "then" in the sense of "in that case" or "at that time" (for example, "If you are tired, тогда go to sleep").
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