Parts of a House and Rooms in Spanish: A1 Vocabulary Guide
◄ Back to A1 Vocabulary Hub | Practice with Our House Vocabulary Quiz ►
Key Takeaways
- Learn the names of all the main rooms in a house
- Discover vocabulary for key areas outside the home
- Master simple prepositions to describe where things are
- Practice with a sample description of a house layout
Welcome Home! Learning House Vocabulary
Learning the parts of a house is one of the most practical vocabulary sets for any Spanish beginner. It allows you to describe where you live, understand simple conversations, and is the perfect foundation for learning furniture and household item vocabulary next.
The Main Rooms of a House (Las Habitaciones Principales)
Let’s start with the essential rooms you find in almost every home.
| English | Spanish | Example Sentence in Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| House / Home | la casa | Mi casa es grande. (My house is big.) |
| Room | la habitación / el cuarto | Tengo mi computadora en mi habitación. (I have my computer in my room.) |
| Living Room | la sala de estar / el salón | La familia está en la sala de estar. (The family is in the living room.) |
| Kitchen | la cocina | Cocinamos en la cocina. (We cook in the kitchen.) |
| Bedroom | el dormitorio / la recámara* | Duermo en mi dormitorio. (I sleep in my bedroom.) |
| Bathroom | el baño / el cuarto de baño | El baño está al final del pasillo. (The bathroom is at the end of the hall.) |
| Dining Room | el comedor | Comemos en el comedor. (We eat in the dining room.) |
| Hallway | el pasillo | El pasillo es largo. (The hallway is long.) |
Note: “Recámara” is commonly used in Mexico.
Other Important Areas (Otras Áreas Importantes)
Beyond the main rooms, here are other common parts of a house and property.
| English | Spanish | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Garden / Yard | el jardín | Los niños juegan en el jardín. (The children play in the garden.) |
| Garage | el garaje | El coche está en el garaje. (The car is in the garage.) |
| Balcony | el balcón | Tenemos plantas en el balcón. (We have plants on the balcony.) |
| Terrace | la terraza | Tomamos el sol en la terraza. (We sunbathe on the terrace.) |
| Stairs | las escaleras | Las escaleras son de madera. (The stairs are made of wood.) |
| Door | la puerta | Cierra la puerta, por favor. (Close the door, please.) |
| Window | la ventana | Abro la ventana para tener aire fresco. (I open the window for fresh air.) |
| Floor | el suelo / el piso* | El suelo está limpio. (The floor is clean.) |
| Wall | la pared | Hay un cuadro en la pared. (There is a picture on the wall.) |
Note: “Piso” means “floor” (the surface) in Latin America, but “apartment” in Spain.
How to Describe Where Things Are: Basic Prepositions
To describe your house, you’ll need a few basic prepositions of location. These are essential for forming simple, useful sentences.
Essential Prepositions of Location
| English | Spanish | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| in / on | en | El espejo está en la pared. (The mirror is on the wall.) |
| next to | al lado de | El garaje está al lado de la casa. (The garage is next to the house.) |
| between | entre | La cocina está entre el comedor y la sala. (The kitchen is between the dining room and the living room.) |
| in front of | delante de | Hay un jardín delante de la casa. (There is a garden in front of the house.) |
| behind | detrás de | La terraza está detrás de la cocina. (The terrace is behind the kitchen.) |
| near / close to | cerca de | Vivo cerca de la ciudad. (I live near the city.) |
| far from | lejos de | La casa está lejos de la carretera. (The house is far from the road.) |
Using ‘Arriba’ and ‘Abajo’
These words are useful for describing floors in a house.
| English | Spanish | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| upstairs | arriba | Los dormitorios están arriba. (The bedrooms are upstairs.) |
| downstairs | abajo | La cocina y la sala están abajo. (The kitchen and living room are downstairs.) |
💡 Grammar Note: This is your starter kit for Spanish prepositions! They are key to building great sentences. When you’re ready for a complete guide to all the essential prepositions for beginners, including how to use them with time and other contexts, we have a detailed lesson for you.
👉 Master the Topic: Dive deeper with our complete Basic Spanish Prepositions A1 Guide.
Putting It All Together: Describing a House
Let’s see how you can use this vocabulary and prepositions to describe where you live.
A Simple Description:
“Vivo en una casa pequeña. Tiene dos dormitorios y un baño arriba. Abajo, hay una cocina, un comedor y una sala de estar. La cocina está al lado del comedor. Detrás de la casa hay un jardín grande y delante de la casa hay un garaje.“
Translation:
“I live in a small house. It has two bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs. Downstairs, there is a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. The kitchen is next to the dining room. Behind the house there is a large garden and in front of the house there is a garage.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Gender Confusion: Remember the gender: la cocina, el baño, las escaleras. This is important for using articles and adjectives correctly.
- “Room” vs. “Bedroom”: A habitación or cuarto can be any room, but dormitorio specifically means bedroom.
- False Friend: “Carpet” in English is la alfombra, not la carpeta (which means “folder”).
- Preposition Placement: Remember that compound prepositions like al lado de and delante de stay together in the sentence.
Quick Reference Chart
| Room/Area | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Living Room | la sala de estar |
| Kitchen | la cocina |
| Bedroom | el dormitorio |
| Bathroom | el baño |
| Garden | el jardín |
| Garage | el garaje |
| Preposition | Spanish |
| in / on | en |
| next to | al lado de |
| between | entre |
| behind | detrás de |
Ready to Practice?
Think you know your cocina from your comedor? Test your knowledge!
Take our Parts of the House Quiz ► to make this vocabulary stick.
What’s Next in Your A1 Spanish Journey?
◄ Introducing Yourself | Furniture & Household Items ►
