En casa y en el barrio
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name the rooms of a home and common pieces of furniture.
- Use estar to say where a specific person or thing is located.
- Use hay to say what exists in a home or neighborhood, and distinguish it from estar.
- Use prepositions of place such as al lado de, cerca de, lejos de, entre, delante de, and detrás de.
- Form and use the contractions al and del correctly.
- Describe your home and neighborhood, and give simple directions within it.
Communication Scenario
Marisol's cousin Elena is visiting the apartment that Marisol shares with Diego for the first time. Elena needs to know where things are inside the apartment and what is nearby in the neighborhood, since she will be staying for the weekend and wants to walk to a few places on her own.
- You will describe the rooms and furniture of a home using hay and estar.
- You will describe where places are located in a neighborhood using prepositions of place and the contractions al and del.
Core Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is new productive material for this chapter. It builds on the home-related nouns and articles consolidated in Chapters 3 and 4.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la sala, la cocina, el comedor | the living room, the kitchen, the dining room |
| el dormitorio, el baño, el pasillo | the bedroom, the bathroom, the hallway |
| el balcón, el patio, el jardín | the balcony, the patio, the garden/yard |
| la puerta, la ventana, las escaleras | the door, the window, the stairs |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la cama, el armario, el escritorio | the bed, the closet/wardrobe, the desk |
| la mesa, las sillas, el sofá | the table, the chairs, the sofa |
| el refrigerador, la estufa, el estante | the refrigerator, the stove, the shelf |
| la lámpara, el espejo | the lamp, the mirror |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el parque, la plaza, la parada de autobús | the park, the plaza, the bus stop |
| la farmacia, el supermercado, la panadería | the pharmacy, the supermarket, the bakery |
| el edificio, la calle, la esquina | the building, the street, the corner |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| en, cerca de, lejos de | in/on/at, near, far from |
| al lado de, entre, enfrente de | next to, between, across from |
| delante de, detrás de | in front of, behind |
| encima de, debajo de | on top of, underneath |
En is recycled from earlier chapters. All other prepositions and preposition phrases above are new productive material.
Pronunciation and Orthography Focus
Prepositional phrases of place are usually pronounced as one smooth breath group, without pausing between the parts.
- al lado de, delante de, and debajo de link together in speech; do not pause after each word as an English speaker naturally might.
- The contraction al (a + el) and the contraction del (de + el) are pronounced as single words, not as two separate sounds.
- Stress in words such as cocina, armario, and edificio falls on the second-to-last syllable, following the default stress pattern for words ending in a vowel.
- Written accents continue to appear only where a word breaks the default stress pattern; none of this chapter's new vocabulary requires one.
Grammar: Estar, Hay, and Prepositions of Place
Purpose: give learners the tools to say where specific things are located, what exists in a space, and how to combine location language with the contractions al and del.
8.1 Estar for location
Use estar when both speakers already know which person or thing is being located: el sofá, mi hermano, las llaves. The location itself is new information; the thing being located is not.
- El baño está entre el dormitorio y la cocina. The bathroom is between the bedroom and the kitchen.
- Diego y Marisol están en el balcón. Diego and Marisol are on the balcony.
8.2 Hay for existence, and hay versus estar
A simple test: if the noun is new or unspecific (a chair, some chairs), use hay. If the noun is already known or specific (the chair, my chair), use estar to say where it is.
- ¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí? Is there a supermarket near here?
- Sí, el supermercado está en la esquina. Yes, the supermarket is on the corner.
This chapter presents the functional difference between hay and estar only for describing homes and neighborhoods. A fuller contrast between ser and estar is scheduled for later chapters.
8.3 Prepositions of place
Most prepositions of place in this chapter end in de: al lado de, cerca de, lejos de, enfrente de, delante de, detrás de, encima de, debajo de. Combine them with estar to describe location precisely.
- El parque está cerca del edificio, no lejos. The park is near the building, not far.
- La farmacia está entre la panadería y la plaza. The pharmacy is between the bakery and the plaza.
8.4 The contractions al and del
- El edificio está cerca del parque, no cerca de la plaza. The building is near the park, not near the plaza.
- La ventana da al jardín. The window faces the garden.
This chapter does not introduce por, para, or personal a in new contexts. Those systems remain scheduled for later chapters.
Model Dialogue: ¿Dónde está todo?
Context: Elena arrives at Marisol and Diego's apartment for the first time.
Elena looks toward the window.
Notice how the dialogue moves from locating specific things with estar, to introducing new places with hay, to combining both with prepositions and the contractions al and del — the same sequence used in this chapter's tasks.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the script below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- Listen for which rooms the speaker's apartment has.
- Listen for where the kitchen and the bed are located.
- Listen for which neighborhood places are close and which is far.
Speaking Practice
Práctica controlada — Controlled practice: Mi casa
Say four sentences describing your home, using hay to introduce two rooms or objects and estar with a preposition to locate two other objects.
Tarea comunicativa — Communicative task: El barrio de mi compañero/a
With a partner, ask and answer at least three questions about what is in each other's neighborhood and where it is located, following the model dialogue.
Práctica independiente — Solo alternative
Record or say aloud a short description of your home and neighborhood, including at least five rooms, objects, or places with their locations.
Reading Practice
El barrio de Tomás — Tomás's neighborhood
Vivo en un edificio pequeño en el centro. En mi apartamento hay una sala, una cocina y dos dormitorios. Mi dormitorio está al lado de la cocina, y mi escritorio está debajo de la ventana. En el barrio hay muchas cosas cerca: la panadería está enfrente de mi edificio, y la farmacia está al lado del parque. El supermercado está un poco lejos, pero la parada de autobús está delante de mi edificio, así que no es un problema. Entre la panadería y la farmacia hay una plaza pequeña donde mis vecinos y yo hablamos por la tarde.
Tarea de lectura — Reading task:
- What rooms does Tomás's apartment have, and where is his desk?
- Which neighborhood places are close to Tomás's building?
- What is located between the bakery and the pharmacy?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order. Together they form your written description of a home and neighborhood for this project.
Tarea 1 — Mi casa: Write four short sentences using hay and estar to describe the rooms and furniture in your home.
Tarea 2 — Completar la descripción: Fill in the blanks below to build a short neighborhood description.
Tarea 3 — Descripción completa: Combine your sentences from Tareas 1 and 2 into one short paragraph of five to seven sentences describing your home and neighborhood, including at least one use of al or del.
- Write your four home-description sentences first. This reviews hay and estar.
- Complete the fill-in-the-blank neighborhood description. Check that each preposition matches the intended meaning.
- Combine your sentences into one paragraph. Add at least one contraction with al or del.
- Read your paragraph aloud once. Listen for smooth linking in preposition phrases and correct pronunciation of al and del.
- Check every accent mark, capitalization choice, and article-noun agreement. Confirm that hay introduces new information and estar locates known things.
Lista de revisión — Editing checklist:
- Every use of hay introduces something new or unspecific.
- Every use of estar locates a specific, already-known person or thing.
- Estar is conjugated correctly, including the written accent on está and están.
- a + el is written as al, and de + el is written as del, everywhere they occur.
- Prepositions of place are used with the correct meaning and followed by de where required.
- No vocabulary or grammar from outside Chapters 1–8 has been used.
Culture and Communication
Homes in Spanish-speaking cities and towns range from apartments in large residential buildings to houses with patios or shared courtyards, depending on the country, city, and family circumstances. Many neighborhoods are designed for walking, with small shops, bakeries, and pharmacies close together, though this varies by location and is not true of every community.
Some regions use el departamento or el piso where others use el apartamento, and some speakers say la habitación or la recámara where others say el dormitorio. This course uses el apartamento and el dormitorio as the core productive forms and treats these regional preferences as recognition-only variation.
Common Mistakes
Error: Saying Hay el sofá en la sala to say where a specific, already-mentioned sofa is.
Correction: Use estar for a specific, known thing: El sofá está en la sala. Use hay only to introduce something new: Hay un sofá en la sala.
Error: Writing La farmacia está cerca de el parque instead of contracting de and el.
Correction: De + el must contract to del: La farmacia está cerca del parque. The same rule applies to a + el → al.
Error: Saying El parque está cerca la plaza, without de.
Correction: Prepositions such as cerca, lejos, al lado, delante, and detrás require de before a noun: El parque está cerca de la plaza.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Comprensión (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- Where is Elena's bedroom located, and what is in it?
- Where are the supermarket, the pharmacy, and the bus stop located?
Parte B — Escritura (Writing)
1. Conjugate estar in the yo, tú, and usted forms.
2. Write one sentence with hay and one sentence with estar and a preposition of place.
Parte C — Lectura (Reading)
1. Return to "El barrio de Tomás," and list the neighborhood places mentioned and their locations.
Parte D — Habla (Speaking)
1. Describe your home to a partner, then ask your partner two questions about their neighborhood.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 8 Practical Check
Describir mi casa y mi barrio — Describing my home and neighborhood
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, to describe and present a realistic home and neighborhood.
- Read the model dialogue and the reading passage. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Say your home description aloud. Include at least three rooms or objects using hay and estar.
- Describe your neighborhood aloud. Use at least three prepositions of place and one contraction with al or del.
- Ask a partner, instructor, or yourself at least two questions using ¿Dónde está...? or ¿Hay...?
- Write your full home and neighborhood paragraph. Apply the editing checklist from the Writing Workshop.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Estar accuracy | The learner conjugates estar correctly, including the written accent, to locate specific things. |
| Hay versus estar | The learner selects hay to introduce new information and estar to locate known things. |
| Prepositions of place | The learner uses prepositions of place accurately and includes de where required. |
| Contractions al/del | The learner forms al and del correctly wherever a or de meets el. |
| Vocabulary control | The learner uses chapter vocabulary for rooms, furniture, and neighborhood places appropriately. |
| Orthography and pronunciation | The learner links preposition phrases smoothly and pronounces al and del as single words. |
This checkpoint uses material introduced through Chapter 8. No item on this rubric requires a system that has not yet been taught.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Elena's bedroom is next to the bathroom, between Marisol's bedroom and the living room (al lado del baño); it has a bed and a new closet.
- The supermarket is across from the park (enfrente del parque); the pharmacy is next to the bakery (al lado de la panadería); the bus stop is in front of the building (delante del edificio).
Escritura
- estoy, estás, está.
- Sample answers: Hay un sofá en la sala. / El sofá está cerca de la ventana. (Other accurate sentences are acceptable.)
Lectura
- La panadería está enfrente del edificio; la farmacia está al lado del parque; el supermercado está un poco lejos; la parada de autobús está delante del edificio; entre la panadería y la farmacia hay una plaza pequeña.
Looking Ahead
Lo que ya sabes hacer — What you can do now
You can name the rooms of a home and common furniture; use estar to locate specific things; use hay to introduce what exists in a home or neighborhood; use prepositions of place; and form the contractions al and del correctly.