Projective spatial terms such as ''below'' specify the location of one object by indicating its spatial relation with respect to a reference object. These relations are defined via a reference frame that consists of a number of parameters (orientation, direction, origin, and distance) whose settings configure the space surrounding the reference object. The current paper examines the distance parameter. In four experiments we collected response times in a speeded sentence/picture verification task, and compared across prime and probe trials for which the distance between the objects matched or mismatched. Facilitation when prime/probe distance matched indicates preservation of the distance setting. The results indicate that a distance is computed when using projective spatial terms, and that this distance is maintained within a parameter of the reference frame.