Directions & Transport

Asking where things are, getting there, and surviving public transport. Heavy on prepositional (location) and genitive (proximity words like near/far).

Asking where something is

Russian	Literal	Means	Notes
Где нахо́дится...?	"Where is-located...?"	"Where is...?"	нахо́дится is reflexive, the "proper" way to ask location; more formal than a bare Где.
Где здесь...?	"Where here...?"	"Where's the nearest...?"	Casual — implies "around here."
Как дойти́ до...?	"How to-reach-on-foot to...?"	"How do I get to... (on foot)?"	до + genitive; дойти́ specifically implies walking.
Как дое́хать до...?	"How to-reach-by-vehicle to...?"	"How do I get to... (by transport)?"	Same до + genitive pattern, but дое́хать implies riding something.
Э́то далеко́?	"This far?"	"Is it far?"	далеко́ is a predicate adverb — no verb needed.
Э́то бли́зко	"This close"	"It's close"	Common reassuring reply.
Э́то далеко́ отсю́да?	"This far from-here?"	"Is it far from here?"	отсю́да is a fixed adverb, doesn't decline.
Ско́лько идти́ пешко́м?	"How-much to-walk on-foot?"	"How long is the walk?"	идти́ пешко́м specifically means "go on foot," redundant-sounding but standard.

Pattern

«Как дойти́/дое́хать до + [genitive]?» is the core "how do I get to X" template — до always takes genitive, so музе́й ("museum") becomes до музе́я, and вокза́л ("station") becomes до вокза́ла. Pick дойти́ if you're walking, дое́хать if you're on wheels.

Near, far, left, right

Russian	Literal	Means	Notes
Ря́дом с...	"Alongside with..."	"Next to..."	Takes instrumental — Ря́дом с гости́ницей ("next to the hotel").
Напро́тив...	"Opposite [of]..."	"Across from..."	Takes genitive — Напро́тив вокза́ла.
Недалеко́ от...	"Not-far from..."	"Not far from..."	от + genitive.
Нале́во	"To-the-left"	"[Turn/go] left"	Motion direction — different from нале́ве, which doesn't exist; this is the "where to" form.
Напра́во	"To-the-right"	"[Turn/go] right"	Same pattern as нале́во.
Пря́мо	"Straight"	"Straight ahead"	Also means "exactly/directly" in other contexts.
На углу́	"On [the] corner"	"At the corner"	на + prepositional; у́гол → углу́ shows the fleeting-vowel pattern.
Поверни́те нале́во	"Turn to-the-left"	"Turn left"	Formal imperative of поверну́ть.
Иди́те пря́мо, пото́м напра́во	"Go straight, then to-the-right"	"Go straight, then turn right"	Chaining directions — standard structure for multi-step directions.

Pattern

Direction words ending in -о (нале́во, напра́во) answer "where to?"; the same idea expressed as a static location uses на + prepositional with сле́ва/спра́ва ("on the left/right") instead — Магази́н сле́ва ("The shop is on the left"). Motion vs. location is a recurring Russian distinction; see verbs of motion.

Public transport

Russian	Literal	Means	Notes
Кака́я марш­ру́тка/авто́бус идёт до...?	"Which minibus/bus goes to...?"	"Which bus goes to...?"	идёт here means "travels/runs," not literally "walks."
Оди́н биле́т, пожа́луйста	"One ticket, please"	"One ticket, please"	оди́н agrees with masculine биле́т — see numbers.
Кака́я э́то остано́вка?	"Which this stop?"	"What stop is this?"	остано́вка is feminine, hence кака́я not како́й.
Ско́лько остано́вок до...?	"How-many stops to...?"	"How many stops until...?"	остано́вок is genitive plural after ско́лько.
Мне выходи́ть здесь?	"To-me to-exit here?"	"Do I get off here?"	Dative + infinitive impersonal construction — see dative.
Вы выхо́дите?	"You are-exiting?"	"Are you getting off?" (at the next stop)	Standard thing to ask someone blocking your exit on a crowded bus.
Следующая остано́вка...	"[The] next stop..."	"Next stop is..."	What you'll hear announced — сле́дующая agrees with feminine остано́вка.

Pattern

«Мне + [infinitive]?» is a compact way to ask "should I / do I need to [verb]?": Мне выходи́ть здесь?, Мне пересе́сть? ("Do I need to transfer?"). The dative мне plus a bare infinitive is a whole category of impersonal Russian questions — see dative.

Metro-specific phrases

Russian	Literal	Means	Notes
Где ближа́йшее метро́?	"Where nearest metro?"	"Where's the nearest metro?"	метро́ is indeclinable neuter — never changes form.
Кака́я э́то ли́ния?	"Which this line?"	"Which line is this?"	ли́ния is feminine.
Мне ну́жно на ста́нцию...	"To-me [it is] necessary to [the] station..."	"I need to get to ... station"	на + accusative for a destination station; see dative for the мне ну́жно pattern.
Э́та ли́ния идёт до...?	"This line goes to...?"	"Does this line go to...?"	idiomatic use of идёт for a transit line "running" somewhere.
Перехо́д на...	"Transfer to..."	"Transfer to [line/station]"	What's printed on metro signs for connecting lines.

Lost, and asking for help finding your way

Russian	Literal	Means	Notes
Я потеря́лся / потеря́лась	"I got-lost (m/f)"	"I'm lost"	Reflexive past tense; -лся for men, -лась for women — see past tense.
Я не зна́ю, где я	"I not know where I"	"I don't know where I am"	No "am" needed — same missing-"to be" pattern as everywhere else.
Вы не подска́жете, где...?	"You not would-tell, where...?"	"Could you tell me where...?"	Extremely common polite opener — literally "you wouldn't tell me," softened with не.
Покажи́те, пожа́луйста, на ка́рте	"Show, please, on [the] map"	"Could you show me on the map?"	Formal imperative of показа́ть; на ка́рте uses prepositional.
У вас есть ка́рта?	"At you is [a] map?"	"Do you have a map?"	у вас есть — standard "do you have" construction; see genitive.
Я здесь впервы́е	"I here for-the-first-time"	"I'm here for the first time"	Useful context to add when asking for help — people tend to explain more slowly.

Pattern

«Вы не подска́жете...?» is the politest possible way to ask a stranger anything — softer than a direct question, roughly "would you happen to know...?" Follow it with где, как, or ско́лько and you can ask about location, method, or quantity with the same opener.