Spanish Phrase
Está a una cuadra.
Meaning
Literally, 'It is at one block.' In everyday speech it means 'It's one block away' and is used to give a quick sense of distance.
When to use
Use this phrase when someone asks for directions or you need to tell how far a place is within a city or town. It works for both landmarks and businesses.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estáaunacuadra
Estar (está)
Use 'estar' for temporary locations or distances. Here it describes where something is relative to the speaker.
Preposition a
The preposition 'a' introduces a measure of distance, similar to 'away' or 'at' in English.
Indefinite article una
Matches the feminine noun 'cuadra' and indicates a single, unspecified block.
Cuadra (noun)
A city block; in many Latin American countries the same idea is expressed with 'manzana'.
🗨In Conversation
¿Dónde está la farmacia?
Where is the pharmacy?
Está a una cuadra.
It's one block away.
✕Common Mistakes
Es a una cuadra.
Use 'estar' (está) for location, not 'ser' (es).
Está en una cuadra.
The preposition 'en' indicates being inside something, not distance.
Está a una cuadra de la biblioteca.
When using 'a' to express distance, you don't need the extra 'de' after the noun.
↔Alternatives
Está a una manzana.
It's one block away.
Está a dos cuadras.
It's two blocks away.
Queda a una cuadra.
It's located one block away.
Cultural Tip
In Spain and many parts of Latin America, 'cuadra' is the common word for a city block. In countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, people often say 'manzana' instead. The phrase is informal but perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation; for formal written directions you might use 'a una cuadra de distancia'.