Asking for Directions in Russian

A phone battery dies, a map lies, and suddenly the most useful grammar in the world is «Извините, где метро?». This lesson makes sure you can both ask and — crucially — understand the answer.

Opening the Question

The Three Directions

Ninety percent of every route:

Commands You'll Hear

Answers come as polite commands — learn them as sounds first; the grammar of imperatives comes later:

Near and Far

Common Mistakes

• Stopping strangers with «эй». Извините opens every polite request.
• Confusing налево and направо under stress. Право = right (think “right = law”, право). Лево is what's left.
• Asking but not listening. If the answer floods past you: «Извините, ещё раз?» — sorry, once more?

What You Can Do Now

You can stop anyone politely, ask where anything is, follow their answer turn by turn — and confirm the happy news that it's рядом.