a flat / an apartment
Piso; flat es habitual en inglés británico y apartment en estadounidense
“We rent a small flat near the station.”
English toolkit / vocabulary / version 01
HOUSING.
The homes, people and everyday language you need to talk about where and how you live.
55 entries8 topic areas19 consolidate · 36 extend
Consolidate Revisit familiar languageExtend Build your rangeEssentials first, then extensions within every section.
Homes & people
Types of homes and the people involved
a neighbour
Vecino/a
“Our neighbours helped us move in.”
live on your own / with someone
Vivir solo/a / con alguien
“I live on my own, but my sister shares a flat.”
a detached / semi-detached / terraced house
Casa independiente / pareada / adosada en una fila
“We live in a terraced house with a small garden.”
a studio flat
Estudio; vivienda con salón y dormitorio en un mismo espacio
“A studio flat would suit someone living alone.”
a block of flats
Bloque de pisos
“Our block of flats has a lift.”
a landlord / landlady
Persona que alquila una vivienda de su propiedad a otra; landlord se usa también sin especificar género
“Ask the landlord to repair the heating.”
a tenant
Inquilino/a
“The tenants share responsibility for keeping the flat clean.”
Renting a home
Finding a place and arranging a rental
rent a flat
Alquilar un piso para vivir en él
“I’d rather rent a flat than buy one at the moment.”
pay the rent
Pagar el alquiler
“We pay the rent at the beginning of each month.”
move in / move out
Entrar a vivir / dejar una vivienda
“We’re moving into our new flat next week.”
move house
Mudarse de casa; inglés británico
“We’re moving house because we need more space.”
a furnished / unfurnished flat
Piso amueblado / sin amueblar
“An unfurnished flat means we’ll need to buy furniture.”
a rental agreement / tenancy agreement
Contrato de alquiler; tenancy agreement es habitual en inglés británico
“Read the rental agreement before you sign it.”
a security deposit
Fianza del alquiler
“We paid a security deposit before moving in.”
bills included
Gastos de suministros incluidos en el precio
“The room costs €450 a month, with bills included.”
Buying & housing costs
Prices, borrowing and affordability
buy / own a home
Comprar / tener una vivienda en propiedad
“I’d like to own a home one day.”
house prices
Precios de la vivienda
“House prices have risen faster than our salaries.”
can / can’t afford to buy
Poder / no poder permitirse comprar
“We can’t afford to buy a flat in the city centre.”
save up for
Ahorrar para algo
“We’re saving up for our first home.”
take out a mortgage
Contratar un préstamo hipotecario
“They took out a mortgage to buy their flat.”
a deposit / down payment
Entrada para comprar una vivienda; down payment es habitual en inglés estadounidense
“We need a larger deposit before we can buy.”
What is the home like?
Eight useful descriptions
bright
Luminoso/a
“The living room is bright even in winter.”
quiet / noisy
Tranquilo/a / ruidoso/a
“The flat is spacious, but the street is noisy.”
spacious
Espacioso/a
“We need somewhere more spacious now that we both work from home.”
cosy
Acogedor/a; cozy en inglés estadounidense
“The flat is small but cosy.”
cramped
Demasiado pequeño o con poco espacio para moverse cómodamente
“The kitchen feels cramped when we’re both cooking.”
damp
Húmedo/a, normalmente de forma desagradable o problemática
“The bedroom is damp and smells musty.”
run-down
Deteriorado/a por falta de mantenimiento
“They bought a run-down house and repaired it.”
affordable / unaffordable
Asequible / inasequible económicamente
“We’re looking for an affordable home near our workplaces.”
Living conditions & repairs
Comfort, maintenance and everyday problems
heating
Calefacción
“The heating isn’t working.”
repair / fix something
Reparar / arreglar algo
“Someone needs to fix the leaking tap.”
living conditions
Condiciones de habitabilidad o de vida
“Poor living conditions can affect people’s health.”
a leak
Fuga de agua; también gotera según el contexto
“There’s a leak in the bathroom ceiling.”
mould
Moho; mold en inglés estadounidense
“There’s mould on the bedroom wall.”
insulation / well-insulated
Aislamiento / bien aislado
“A well-insulated home is easier to keep warm.”
Sharing & student accommodation
Sharing space, expenses and responsibilities
share a flat
Compartir piso
“I shared a flat with two friends at university.”
get on with your flatmates
Llevarse bien con las personas con las que compartes piso
“It’s easier to share a home when you get on with your flatmates.”
a flatmate / housemate
Persona con la que compartes piso / casa
“My flatmate works nights, so I try to be quiet in the morning.”
privacy
Intimidad; posibilidad de estar sin que otras personas interfieran
“I’d like more privacy than a shared room offers.”
student accommodation
Alojamiento para estudiantes; accommodation es incontable en este uso británico
“Finding student accommodation can take time.”
halls of residence
Residencia universitaria; habitual en inglés británico
“She lived in halls of residence during her first year.”
split the bills
Repartirse el pago de las facturas
“We split the bills equally.”
share the household chores
Repartirse las tareas domésticas
“We agreed to share the household chores fairly.”
Location & trade-offs
Choosing where to live
a neighbourhood
Barrio; neighborhood en inglés estadounidense
“It’s a friendly neighbourhood with plenty of shops.”
close to / far from
Cerca de / lejos de
“I’d prefer to live close to my family.”
within walking distance of
A una distancia que permite ir andando a un lugar
“The flat is within walking distance of the university.”
on the outskirts
En las afueras
“Rent is often cheaper on the outskirts.”
a commute
Trayecto habitual entre casa y el trabajo o lugar de estudios
“A cheaper home would mean a longer commute.”
Housing choices & challenges
A few expressions for wider discussions
a housing shortage
Escasez de viviendas disponibles para cubrir las necesidades
“A housing shortage can make it harder to find a home.”
overcrowding / overcrowded
Hacinamiento o exceso de ocupación / con demasiadas personas para el espacio disponible
“The family is living in an overcrowded flat.”
social housing
Vivienda proporcionada a precios más bajos por entidades públicas u organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro
“The council plans to build more social housing.”
temporary accommodation
Alojamiento temporal
“They moved into temporary accommodation after the fire.”
a short-term / long-term rental
Alquiler de corta / larga duración
“We need a short-term rental while our house is being repaired.”
rent out a property
Dar en alquiler una vivienda a otra persona
“They rent out their old flat to a family.”
Useful distinctions
Small distinctions that help you choose the right expression.