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Spanish for house viewings

For anyone looking for a holiday home in Spain or a house to move to: arrange a viewing, ask the right questions as you look round, talk about the price politely and go through the steps from reserva to notary with the inmobiliaria, the estate agent. Every phrase comes with an English-friendly pronunciation.

Pronunciation in six rules

Spanish is pronounced the way it is written. Once you know these six rules, you can say words like cédula de habitabilidad correctly first time.

Five pure vowels

a, e, i, o, u are always short and clear, like ah, eh, ee, oh, oo. They never glide as in English ‘day’ or ‘go’: casa = ‘KAH-sah’, todo = ‘TOH-doh’.

z and c

z, and c before e and i, sound like the th in ‘think’ in most of Spain: terraza = ‘teh-RRAH-thah’, precio = ‘PREH-thyoh’. In Andalusia and the Canary Islands people often say ‘s’, and both are understood.

j and g

j, and g before e and i, sound like the ch in Scottish ‘loch’: tejado (roof) = ‘teh-KHAH-doh’, garaje = ‘gah-RAH-kheh’.

ll, y and ñ

ll and y sound like the y in ‘yes’: llave (key) = ‘YAH-beh’, calle (street) = ‘KAH-yeh’. ñ is the ny in ‘canyon’: baño (bathroom) = ‘BAH-nyoh’.

h, qu, ch, b and v

h is silent: humedad (damp) = ‘oo-meh-DAHD’. qu is a plain ‘k’: arquitecto = ‘ar-kee-TEHK-toh’. ch is as in ‘church’: ochenta = ‘oh-CHEHN-tah’. b and v sound the same, like a soft b: vivienda (home) = ‘bee-BYEHN-dah’.

Stress

An accent marks the stressed syllable: jardín, habitación. Without an accent, words ending in a vowel, n or s stress the second-to-last syllable (piscina = ‘pees-THEE-nah’), all others the last (humedad = ‘oo-meh-DAHD’).

In the transcriptions below the stressed syllable is in CAPITALS, syllables are joined with hyphens, words are separated by spaces and ‘·’ separates sentences. ‘th’ is the th in ‘think’, ‘kh’ the ch in Scottish ‘loch’, ‘r’ a single quick tap of the tongue and ‘rr’ a strongly rolled r, as in arras. Read ‘ah, eh, ee, oh, oo’ as short, pure vowels and ‘eye’ as in English.

Arranging a viewing

  • Hola, llamo por el anuncio de la casa en Altea.OH-lah YAH-moh por ehl ah-NOON-thyoh deh lah KAH-sah ehn ahl-TEH-ahHello, I'm calling about the advert for the house in Altea.
  • ¿Sigue disponible?SEE-geh dees-poh-NEE-blehIs it still available?
  • ¿Podríamos verla este sábado por la mañana?poh-DREE-ah-mohs BEHR-lah EHS-teh SAH-bah-doh por lah mah-NYAH-nahCould we view it this Saturday morning?
  • ¿Me puede mandar la ubicación por WhatsApp?meh PWEH-deh mahn-DAR lah oo-bee-kah-THYOHN por GWAH-sahpCould you send me the location on WhatsApp? (In Spain WhatsApp is said ‘GWAH-sahp’.)
  • Hablo un poco de español. ¿Puede hablar más despacio?AH-bloh oon POH-koh deh ehs-pah-NYOHL · PWEH-deh ah-BLAR MAHS dehs-PAH-thyohI speak a little Spanish. Could you speak more slowly?

Questions as you look round

  • ¿De qué año es la casa?deh KEH AH-nyoh ehs lah KAH-sahWhat year was the house built?
  • ¿Cuántos metros útiles tiene?KWAHN-tohs MEH-trohs OO-tee-lehs TYEH-nehHow many square metres of usable floor space does it have? (construidos: including the walls)
  • ¿Hay problemas de humedad?eye proh-BLEH-mahs deh oo-meh-DAHDAre there any problems with damp?
  • ¿Cuándo se arregló el tejado por última vez?KWAHN-doh seh ah-rreh-GLOH ehl teh-KHAH-doh por OOL-tee-mah BEHTHWhen was the roof last repaired?
  • ¿Qué calefacción tiene? ¿Hay aire acondicionado?KEH kah-leh-fahk-THYOHN TYEH-neh · eye EYE-reh ah-kohn-dee-thyoh-NAH-dohWhat heating does it have? Is there air conditioning?
  • ¿Hacia dónde está orientada la terraza?AH-thyah DOHN-deh ehs-TAH oh-ryehn-TAH-dah lah teh-RRAH-thahWhich way does the terrace face?

A piso is a flat, a chalet a detached house, an adosado a terraced house and a finca a house with land.

Running costs and documents

  • ¿Cuánto es la comunidad al mes?KWAHN-toh ehs lah koh-moo-nee-DAHD ahl MEHSHow much is the community fee per month?
  • ¿Hay alguna derrama prevista?eye ahl-GOO-nah deh-RRAH-mah preh-BEES-tahIs a special levy planned?
  • ¿Cuánto se paga de IBI al año?KWAHN-toh seh PAH-gah deh EE-bee ahl AH-nyohHow much property tax do you pay a year?
  • ¿Está todo legalizado, también la piscina?ehs-TAH TOH-doh leh-gah-lee-THAH-doh · tahm-BYEHN lah pees-THEE-nahIs everything approved, including the pool?
  • ¿Tiene la cédula de habitabilidad?TYEH-neh lah THEH-doo-lah deh ah-bee-tah-bee-lee-DAHDDoes it have the certificate of habitability? (In some regions you ask for the licencia de primera ocupación, the occupancy licence.)
  • ¿Me puede enviar la Nota Simple y el certificado energético?meh PWEH-deh ehn-BYAR lah NOH-tah SEEM-pleh ee ehl thehr-tee-fee-KAH-doh eh-nehr-KHEH-tee-kohCould you send me the land registry extract and the energy performance certificate?

Comunidad is the community fee for a residential complex, IBI the municipality's annual property tax.

Talking about the price politely

  • ¿El precio es negociable?ehl PREH-thyoh ehs neh-goh-THYAH-blehIs the price negotiable?
  • ¿Cuánto tiempo lleva a la venta?KWAHN-toh TYEHM-poh YEH-bah ah lah BEHN-tahHow long has it been on the market?
  • Nos gusta mucho, pero está por encima de nuestro presupuesto.nohs GOOS-tah MOO-choh · PEH-roh ehs-TAH por ehn-THEE-mah deh NWEHS-troh preh-soo-PWEHS-tohWe really like it, but it's over our budget.
  • ¿Aceptaría el propietario una oferta de doscientos ochenta mil?ah-thehp-tah-REE-ah ehl proh-pyeh-TAH-ryoh OO-nah oh-FEHR-tah deh dohs-THYEHN-tohs oh-CHEHN-tah MEELWould the owner accept an offer of 280,000 euros?
  • ¿Los muebles están incluidos?lohs MWEH-blehs ehs-TAHN een-kloo-EE-dohsIs the furniture included in the price?
  • Lo tenemos que pensar.loh teh-NEH-mohs keh pehn-SARWe need to think about it.

Reserva, arras and the notary

  • ¿Cuánto hay que pagar de reserva?KWAHN-toh eye keh pah-GAR deh reh-SEHR-bahHow much do you have to pay to reserve it?
  • ¿En qué casos se devuelve la reserva?ehn KEH KAH-sohs seh deh-BWEHL-beh lah reh-SEHR-bahIn which cases is the reservation fee refunded?
  • Nuestro abogado va a revisar el contrato de arras.NWEHS-troh ah-boh-GAH-doh bah ah reh-bee-SAR ehl kohn-TRAH-toh deh AH-rrahsOur lawyer is going to check the preliminary contract.
  • Todavía estamos esperando el NIE.toh-dah-BEE-ah ehs-TAH-mohs ehs-peh-RAHN-doh ehl NEE-ehWe're still waiting for our NIE.
  • ¿Para cuándo sería la firma en el notario?PAH-rah KWAHN-doh seh-REE-ah lah FEER-mah ehn ehl noh-TAH-ryohWhen would the signing at the notary be?

For the notary appointment you need an NIE, the Spanish tax and foreigner identification number. Apply early: appointments are often booked up weeks in advance.

Following up by phone and WhatsApp

  • Le escribo por la casa que vimos el sábado.leh ehs-KREE-boh por lah KAH-sah keh BEE-mohs ehl SAH-bah-dohI'm writing about the house we saw on Saturday.
  • ¿Ha podido hablar con el propietario?ah poh-DEE-doh ah-BLAR kohn ehl proh-pyeh-TAH-ryohHave you been able to speak to the owner?
  • ¿Podemos volver a verla con un arquitecto?poh-DEH-mohs bohl-BEHR ah BEHR-lah kohn oon ar-kee-TEHK-tohCould we come back and see it with an architect?
  • Muchas gracias, le confirmo mañana.MOO-chahs GRAH-thyahs · leh kohn-FEER-moh mah-NYAH-nahThank you very much, I'll let you know tomorrow.

Good to know

Usted first

Agents usually address clients as usted, the formal ‘you’. Stick to it until you are offered tú. On the coast many people switch to tú quickly, but at the notary and the town hall it stays formal.

Three areas, three figures

Listings usually give the metros construidos, including the walls; the usable floor area (metros útiles) is smaller. The Catastro and the land registry often show different figures again. Ask, and rely on what is registered and approved.

The words on the way to the notary

Reserva is the small fee that takes the house off the market, arras the preliminary contract with a deposit of usually around 10 per cent, and the escritura the purchase deed signed before the notario. The notary checks the formalities but does not act for you; that is the job of your own abogado.

WhatsApp yes, but get it in writing

Much of the contact with agents in Spain happens on WhatsApp, often as voice messages. Anything about the price or getting the reserva back should be confirmed in writing, ideally in the contract.

How buying a house in Spain works

Our sister project Heimweit has a step-by-step guide to buying property in Spain: the process, the costs and the usual pitfalls.

Guide: Buying a house in Spain

A course for exactly your house purchase

A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: viewing a holiday flat on the Costa Blanca, buying a finca in Mallorca, moving to Andalusia with the family. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, from the first call to the inmobiliaria to the notary appointment, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until the viewing.

Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play

More about LingoTrip →

FAQ

Won't the agent speak English anyway?

On the Costa Blanca, the Costa del Sol and in Mallorca, often yes. Sellers, neighbours, the community administrator, tradespeople and the town hall, on the other hand, usually speak only Spanish. If you can say a few phrases to them, you find out more about the house.

Are these phrases enough for the notary appointment?

No. At the notary the deed is read out in Spanish. If you can't follow it with confidence, bring an interpreter or let your lawyer represent you with a power of attorney (poder). The phrases here help with viewings, talking to the agent and following up.

How long until I can manage a viewing in Spanish?

For the phrases on this page, one to three weeks with a few minutes a day is enough. Understanding the answers takes longer. A course that practises exactly your viewings is a good start.

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