a neighbourhood / an area
Barrio / zona de una ciudad
“I spend most of my time in my neighbourhood because almost everything I need is nearby.”
Vocabulary · Working prototype
The city and local issues
Describe your everyday city, compare places and discuss changes that affect local people.
76 entries11 topic areas41 consolidate · 35 extend
Consolidate Useful foundations to revisitExtend Add gradually when needed
Places in your everyday city
Name places, say where you go and explain what you do there.
a street / a square
Calle / plaza
“There is a small square at the end of our street where people meet after work.”
a supermarket / a local shop
Supermercado / comercio de barrio
“I do my weekly shopping at the supermarket, but buy bread from a local shop.”
a café / a restaurant
Cafetería / restaurante
“We usually meet at a café near the station before choosing somewhere to eat.”
a library / a community centre
Biblioteca / centro comunitario o sociocultural
“The library is quiet, while the community centre runs evening activities.”
a sports centre / a swimming pool
Polideportivo / piscina
“I would use the sports centre more often if the swimming pool opened earlier.”
a hospital / a health centre
Hospital / centro de salud
“There is a health centre in our neighbourhood, but the nearest hospital is further away.”
a museum / an art gallery
Museo / galería de arte
“I rarely visit museums here, but I always look for art galleries when I travel.”
Areas, landmarks and local identity
Describe the shape and character of a place.
the city centre / the outskirts
Centro de la ciudad / afueras
“I work in the city centre, but I live on the outskirts.”
the old town / a landmark
Casco antiguo / lugar o edificio emblemático
“The old town has several landmarks that visitors recognise straight away.”
a residential area / an industrial area
Zona residencial / zona industrial
“The old industrial area now includes housing and a sports centre.”
a harbour / a port
Puerto como zona de abrigo para barcos / puerto como lugar de actividad y transporte; los usos se solapan
“You can see fishing boats in the harbour and larger ships at the port.”
the waterfront / an estuary
Frente marítimo o ribereño / estuario; ría se puede describir como estuary o inlet según el lugar
“I would like more places to sit along the waterfront and enjoy views of the estuary.”
a suburb / a commuter town
Zona periférica residencial / localidad desde la que mucha gente se desplaza a trabajar a otra
“Living in a commuter town can mean cheaper housing but a longer journey to work.”
a sense of community / local identity
Sentimiento de comunidad / identidad local
“The street market gives the neighbourhood a strong sense of community.”
Getting around and finding places
City movement and street design; general journey vocabulary lives in Travel.
within walking distance / nearby
A una distancia que permite ir andando / cerca
“The station is within walking distance, so I hardly ever take a taxi.”
a pedestrian crossing / traffic lights
Paso de peatones / semáforo
“There should be a pedestrian crossing near the school, not just traffic lights at the next junction.”
a pavement / a cycle lane
Acera / carril bici; pavement es el uso británico
“The pavement is narrow, and the cycle lane ends before the city centre.”
a bus stop / a bus route
Parada de autobús / línea o recorrido de autobús
“There is a bus stop outside, but the route does not go past my workplace.”
traffic congestion / rush hour
Congestión del tráfico / hora punta
“Traffic congestion is much worse during rush hour.”
a pedestrianised street
Calle peatonal
“The pedestrianised street has become a popular place to meet friends.”
step-free access / a ramp
Acceso sin escalones / rampa
“The entrance has a ramp, but the rest of the building does not have step-free access.”
well-connected / poorly connected
Bien comunicado / mal comunicado
“The centre is well-connected, but some neighbourhoods are poorly connected in the evenings.”
Parks and shared spaces
Features that matter when comparing places or recommending a specific spot.
a green space / a playground
Zona verde / zona de juegos infantiles
“Our neighbourhood needs more green spaces and a playground away from the main road.”
a path / a trail
Camino / sendero o ruta
“The main path is wide, but the woodland trail is quite steep.”
shade / a shaded area
Sombra / zona con sombra
“There is plenty of space for a picnic, but not enough shade in summer.”
a bench / public toilets
Banco para sentarse / baños públicos
“There are several benches near the lake, but the public toilets are at the entrance.”
a view / a viewpoint
Vista / mirador
“The viewpoint offers a great view of the city, although the climb is steep.”
a flat / a steep path
Camino llano / empinado
“I would choose the flat path if I were walking with someone who finds hills difficult.”
an outdoor gym / a skatepark
Gimnasio al aire libre / parque para patinar
“The park features an outdoor gym and a skatepark, so it attracts different age groups.”
a paved / an unpaved path
Camino pavimentado / sin pavimentar
“The paved path is easier to use after rain than the unpaved one.”
Services, facilities and maintenance
Explain what is available, missing or in need of improvement.
public services / facilities
Servicios públicos / instalaciones o equipamientos
“The area has good public services, but few sports facilities.”
a rubbish bin / rubbish collection
Papelera o contenedor / recogida de basura
“There are too few rubbish bins, and rubbish collection is less frequent at weekends.”
street lighting
Alumbrado público
“Better street lighting would make the walk from the bus stop more comfortable at night.”
roadworks / a pothole
Obras en la calle o carretera / bache
“The roadworks are inconvenient, but the potholes needed repairing.”
well-maintained / run-down
Bien cuidado / deteriorado por falta de mantenimiento; contraste de estado
“The main square is well-maintained, but the playground looks run-down.”
affordable / unaffordable
Asequible / inasequible
“A useful service is not accessible to everyone if the price is unaffordable.”
accessible / inaccessible
Accesible / inaccesible; indicar si se habla de acceso físico, ubicación u otro sentido
“The museum is physically accessible, but the bus stop nearby is not.”
Housing and changes in the neighbourhood
Local effects; fuller home and renting vocabulary lives in Housing.
rent / house prices
Alquiler / precios de la vivienda
“Rents have risen so much that some of my friends have moved further out.”
an empty shop / a vacant building
Local comercial vacío / edificio desocupado
“There are more empty shops on this street than there used to be.”
a housing shortage / affordable housing
Escasez de vivienda / vivienda asequible
“Building more holiday rentals will not necessarily solve the shortage of affordable housing.”
a short-term rental
Alquiler de corta duración
“Some residents think there are too many short-term rentals in their building.”
renovate / regeneration
Reformar un edificio / recuperación o revitalización de una zona
“The area needs regeneration, but residents do not want improvements to force them out.”
gentrification
Transformación de un barrio asociada a la llegada de residentes y negocios con más recursos, que puede desplazar a residentes anteriores
“The new cafés are popular, but some neighbours worry about gentrification and rising rents.”
displace residents / price someone out
Desplazar a residentes / hacer que alguien no pueda seguir pagando vivir o comprar en un lugar
“Higher rents have priced some long-term residents out of the neighbourhood.”
Local problems and who is affected
Identify a concrete problem, its scale and its effects.
litter / illegal dumping
Basura tirada en espacios públicos / vertidos o abandono ilegal de residuos
“Litter is a problem near the bars, and illegal dumping affects the edge of town.”
overcrowded / quiet
Abarrotado / tranquilo o con poca gente; contraste contextual
“The square is overcrowded on Saturday nights, but quiet on Sunday mornings.”
a nuisance / disturb residents
Molestia persistente / molestar a los vecinos
“Late-night noise has become a nuisance because it disturbs residents who need to sleep.”
homelessness / a rough sleeper
Situación de sinhogarismo / persona que duerme a la intemperie
“A city needs long-term responses to homelessness, not just fewer people sleeping in busy streets.”
neglect / a lack of investment
Abandono por falta de atención / falta de inversión
“Residents say the broken playground is the result of years of neglect.”
inequality / unequal access
Desigualdad / acceso desigual
“The distance between services can create unequal access for people without a car.”
put pressure on services
Sobrecargar o aumentar la demanda de servicios
“A growing population can put pressure on services if investment does not keep up.”
Decisions and local improvements
Discuss realistic priorities and what a change would achieve.
improve / provide
Mejorar / proporcionar u ofrecer
“The council could improve the park by providing more shaded seating.”
allocate funding / a limited budget
Asignar fondos / presupuesto limitado
“With a limited budget, I would allocate more funding to maintenance before building something new.”
raise an issue / make a complaint
Plantear un problema / presentar una queja
“Our neighbours raised the issue at a meeting before making a formal complaint.”
a proposal / consult residents
Propuesta / consultar a los vecinos
“The proposal sounds promising, but the council should consult residents first.”
a trade-off / prioritise
Equilibrio que exige renunciar a algo para obtener otra cosa / dar prioridad
“There is a trade-off between more parking and more space for pedestrians.”
Culture, events and recommendations
Explain what is on and recommend a suitable plan.
a venue / an event
Lugar donde se celebra algo / evento
“The venue is small, so I would check whether the event needs a booking.”
an exhibition / a performance
Exposición / actuación o representación
“I have already seen the exhibition, but I would like to go to the evening performance.”
a festival / a local celebration
Festival / celebración local
“The festival attracts visitors, while the local celebration is mainly organised by neighbours.”
admission / free entry
Entrada o acceso y su precio / entrada gratuita
“Admission is expensive on Saturdays, but there is free entry on Sunday mornings.”
be held / take place
Celebrarse / tener lugar
“The concert is being held in the park, but the workshops take place indoors.”
what is on / an events listing
Qué actividades o espectáculos hay / agenda de eventos
“I check the events listings when I want to know what is on at the weekend.”
worth visiting / overrated
Que merece la pena visitar / sobrevalorado; valoraciones distintas, no antónimos exactos
“The market is worth visiting, although I think the famous café next door is overrated.”
People and local roles
Who lives here, works here and makes local decisions?
a resident / a neighbour
Residente / vecino; neighbour suele referirse a alguien que vive cerca de ti
“Residents have organised a meeting, and several of my neighbours are going.”
the local council / the mayor
Ayuntamiento o gobierno municipal / alcalde o alcaldesa
“I would like the local council to explain how it chooses which streets to repair.”
a local business / a market stall
Negocio local / puesto de mercado
“The market gives local businesses a chance to reach new customers.”
a shopkeeper / a stallholder
Tendero o comerciante / persona que atiende un puesto
“The stallholders know many of their regular customers by name.”
a commuter
Persona que se desplaza habitualmente entre casa y el trabajo o lugar de estudios
“Commuters need frequent buses early in the morning, not just during shopping hours.”
a councillor / a council worker
Representante electo municipal / empleado del ayuntamiento; funciones distintas
“A councillor discussed the proposal with residents, while council workers repaired the path.”
a visitor / a local
Visitante / persona de la zona
“Visitors may love a busy festival, while some locals find the noise exhausting.”
Five useful idioms
Use one naturally when it expresses what you mean; not all at once.
a stone’s throw from
A un paso de; muy cerca, sin indicar una distancia exacta
“My flat is a stone’s throw from the market, so I hardly ever drive there.”
on your doorstep
Muy cerca de casa o del lugar donde estás
“We have a beautiful park on our doorstep, but I rarely make time to go.”
put a place on the map
Hacer conocido un lugar
“The festival could put the town on the map, but residents also want it to benefit local businesses.”
have seen better days
Haber conocido tiempos mejores; estar deteriorado
“The playground has seen better days: several swings are broken and the benches need repairing.”
the talk of the town
Lo que está en boca de todo el mundo en un lugar
“The new market is the talk of the town; everyone seems to have an opinion about it.”