Learn Spanish (Spain): El cruce está allí mismo, antes de girar a la izquierda. - The intersection is right there, before turning left.

We use mismo after spatial adverbs like allí (there) to add emphasis, translating to 'right there' or 'exactly there.' Because allí is an adverb and does not have gender or number, mismo simply stays in its default masculine singular form.

Why do we use the infinitive girar instead of a conjugated verb after antes de?

When you use antes de (before) as a general instruction without introducing a new subject, it must be followed directly by an infinitive verb like girar. You would only use antes de que plus a conjugated verb if a different person were performing the action, like saying 'before he turns'.

Is there a difference between saying allí mismo and ahí mismo?

Yes, they follow the usual Spanish distance rules. Ahí mismo means 'right there' close to the person you are talking to, while allí mismo means 'right there' further in the distance, away from both the speaker and the listener.

Why does the sentence use the preposition a in a la izquierda instead of en?

When talking about direction or movement, like turning left or right, Spanish uses the preposition a (girar a la izquierda). You generally use en when describing a static location, like stating that the crossing is located on the left.