Breakdown of Vas todo recto y está a la izquierda.
y
and
estar
to be (location/state)
ir
to go
a
to
la izquierda
the left (side)
todo recto
straight ahead
Questions & Answers about Vas todo recto y está a la izquierda.
Why do we use todo here? Doesn't it normally mean all?
You are right! Todo normally means all or everything. However, the set phrase todo recto is how people in Spain say straight ahead (literally all straight). You will hear this a lot when asking for directions.
Why is it está instead of es for it is?
Why does a la izquierda use a instead of en to mean on?
When talking about left and right, Spanish uses the preposition a (which usually means to or at). So a la izquierda is literally to the left, which is just how Spanish speakers naturally say on the left.
Is vas a command here?
No, vas is just the normal present tense for you go. In Spanish, it is very common and natural to give directions by just describing what the person does, like saying You go straight ahead, rather than using a strict command form.
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