Casa, comunidad y servicios
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name common neighborhood places and services and describe what you can do there.
- Use ser, estar, and hay together accurately, distinguishing identity, location, and existence in the same conversation.
- Use core prepositions of place — en, cerca de, lejos de, al lado de, enfrente de, entre, detrás de, delante de — to describe where things are.
- Form and use the contractions al and del correctly.
- Recognize and use personal a with specific people.
- Make polite, practical requests for information and services in a neighborhood setting.
Communication Scenario
Diego has just moved to a new neighborhood and does not yet know where anything is. He stops a neighbor, Rosa, on the street to ask about the bank, the pharmacy, and the closest place to buy groceries. Rosa is happy to help and gives him clear directions using the kind of everyday location language that makes a new neighborhood feel manageable.
- In English, think of three questions you would ask a neighbor if you had just moved somewhere new.
- What phrases do you already know in Spanish for saying where something is located?
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary lets you name the places in a neighborhood, describe where they are, and ask for what you need there.
Lugares del barrio
| Lugar | Meaning |
|---|---|
| el banco | the bank |
| la farmacia | the pharmacy |
| el supermercado | the supermarket |
| la panadería | the bakery |
| el correo | the post office |
| la parada de autobús | the bus stop |
| la estación de metro | the subway station |
| el parque | the park |
| la biblioteca | the library |
| la lavandería | the laundromat |
| el consultorio médico | the doctor's office |
| la plaza | the plaza / square |
Preposiciones de lugar
| Preposición | Meaning |
|---|---|
| en | in / on / at |
| cerca de | near |
| lejos de | far from |
| al lado de | next to |
| enfrente de | across from / facing |
| detrás de | behind |
| delante de | in front of |
| entre | between |
| a la derecha (de) | to the right (of) |
| a la izquierda (de) | to the left (of) |
Most place prepositions in this chapter end in de. When de is followed by el, the two words contract to del: al lado del banco (next to the bank), never al lado de el banco.
Peticiones prácticas
| Expresión | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Perdón, ¿dónde está…? | Excuse me, where is…? |
| ¿Hay un/una… por aquí? | Is there a… around here? |
| Necesito ir a… | I need to go to… |
| ¿Me puede decir cómo llegar a…? | Can you tell me how to get to…? |
| ¿Está abierto/a los domingos? | Is it open on Sundays? |
| Muchas gracias por su ayuda. | Thank you very much for your help. |
Pronunciation Focus
Spanish speakers normally run words together in a phrase rather than pausing between each one. When a word ending in a vowel is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, the two vowels blend into a single syllable in natural speech: la_estación, está_enfrente. This is especially noticeable with the prepositions in this chapter, since so many end in -e or -a: cerca_de la farmacia, al lado_del banco.
a + el → al and de + el → del are required contractions, not optional shortcuts: Voy al banco (not a el banco), Está cerca del parque (not de el parque). The contraction does not happen with ella, usted, ellos, or a proper name: Voy a El Salvador keeps a El separate because El is part of the country's name.
Práctica — lectura en voz alta: La farmacia está al lado del banco. El supermercado está enfrente de la panadería, entre la plaza y la parada de autobús. La biblioteca está un poco lejos, pero el parque está muy cerca.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Purpose: this chapter reviews and sharpens ser, estar, and hay together, introduces core place prepositions and the contractions they require, and adds personal a so you can talk accurately about people and places in your community.
3.1 Ser, estar y hay juntos
| Verbo | Función | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| ser | identity, origin, what something is | El banco es grande. |
| estar | location of something specific/known | El banco está en la calle Ocho. |
| hay | existence of something non-specific | Hay un banco en la esquina. |
Hay introduces something the listener does not yet know about or cannot identify specifically: Hay una farmacia cerca de aquí (there is a pharmacy near here — any pharmacy, not a specific one the listener already has in mind). Once that pharmacy has been identified, use estar to say where it is: La farmacia está al lado del banco. A common learner error is using estar for both jobs. Compare: Hay un parque en el barrio (existence) versus El parque está cerca de mi casa (location of a specific, known park). Hay never changes form for number or agreement — it stays hay whether you are talking about one thing or several.
- Hay dos farmacias en esta calle.There are two pharmacies on this street. (existence, plural, still "hay")
- La farmacia grande está enfrente del correo.The big pharmacy is across from the post office. (specific location)
3.2 Preposiciones de lugar y las contracciones al/del
- El supermercado está cerca de la estación.The supermarket is near the station.
- La panadería está al lado del banco.The bakery is next to the bank.
- La biblioteca está entre el parque y la plaza.The library is between the park and the plaza.
- Voy al correo y después a la farmacia.I'm going to the post office and then to the pharmacy.
3.3 La a personal
Spanish marks a direct object with a when that object is a specific person (or a pet treated like one). This a has no direct English translation — it simply signals that a person, not a thing, is being talked about or acted upon.
- Busco a mi vecina Rosa.I'm looking for my neighbor Rosa. (specific person → personal a)
- Busco un banco cerca de aquí.I'm looking for a bank near here. (a thing, not a person → no personal a)
- ¿Conoces a la farmacéutica de la esquina?Do you know the pharmacist on the corner? (specific person → personal a)
Personal a also combines with the contraction rule: a + el → al, so "I'm looking for the doctor" is Busco al médico.
Práctica — Completa con ser, estar o hay:
- _____ (Hay) un parque muy bonito en mi barrio.
- El parque _____ (estar) cerca de mi casa.
- Mi barrio _____ (ser) tranquilo y seguro.
- _____ (Hay) dos farmacias en esta calle.
Práctica — Completa con la preposición o contracción correcta:
- La panadería está al lado _____ (de/del) banco.
- Voy _____ (a/al) supermercado después del trabajo.
- La biblioteca está _____ (entre) el parque y la plaza.
Aplicación comunicativa: Write three sentences describing your own neighborhood using hay for what exists there and estar for where at least one specific place is located.
Model Dialogue
Contexto: Diego, recién llegado al barrio, para a su vecina Rosa en la calle. Usan usted porque acaban de conocerse y Rosa es mayor que Diego.
Preguntas de comprensión:
- ¿Qué busca Diego primero?
- ¿Dónde está la farmacia exactamente?
- ¿A quién conoce Rosa que puede ayudar a Diego?
- ¿Por qué usan Diego y Rosa la forma usted?
Listening
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following three short neighborhood announcements aloud, twice each. As you listen, note which place is mentioned and where it is located.
1. "Atención, vecinos: hay una nueva panadería en la calle Central, al lado del correo. Abre todos los días desde las siete de la mañana."
2. "La biblioteca del barrio está cerrada hoy. Está entre el parque y la plaza y abre de nuevo mañana a las nueve."
3. "Recuerden que la parada de autobús está enfrente de la farmacia, no lejos de la estación de metro."
| Anuncio | Lugar mencionado | Ubicación |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ______ | ______ |
| 2 | ______ | ______ |
| 3 | ______ | ______ |
Reading
Read the following practical neighborhood notice, the kind of short public text you might see posted on a community board.
Aviso del barrio
¡Bienvenidos al barrio Las Flores! Aquí tienen información útil para los nuevos vecinos. El supermercado más cercano está en la calle Ocho, cerca de la estación de metro. Hay dos farmacias: una está al lado del banco y la otra está enfrente de la plaza. El correo está entre la panadería y la lavandería, y abre de lunes a viernes.
Si necesitan ayuda, pueden hablar con Rosa Mendoza, la representante del barrio. Vive cerca del parque y siempre está dispuesta a ayudar a los nuevos residentes.
Preguntas de comprensión:
- ¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?
- ¿Cuántas farmacias hay en el barrio, y dónde están?
- ¿Quién es Rosa Mendoza y dónde vive?
Writing Workshop: Guía de mi barrio
Your writing task for this chapter is a short practical note, similar to the reading model, that welcomes a new neighbor and describes at least four places in your neighborhood and where they are.
- Estudia el modelo. Reread the neighborhood notice above. Underline every use of hay, every use of estar, and every preposition of place.
- Planifica. List at least four places in your own neighborhood (real or invented) and one detail about the location of each.
- Escribe el primer borrador. Write at least six sentences in Spanish using hay to introduce places and estar plus a preposition to locate them.
- Revisa. Check your draft against the editing checklist below.
- Escribe la versión final. Produce a clean final version.
Lista de revisión:
- I used hay only to introduce something non-specific, and estar only for the location of something already identified.
- My contractions al and del appear wherever a or de meets el.
- I used personal a if I mentioned a specific person.
- My articles and nouns agree in gender and number.
- My accents and punctuation follow Spanish conventions.
Speaking Practice
Práctica controlada
With a partner, take turns naming a neighborhood place and describing its location: La farmacia está al lado del banco. / Hay un parque cerca de mi casa.
Tarea comunicativa: Pide direcciones
With a partner, role-play the scenario from the model dialogue: one of you has just moved to a new neighborhood and stops the other to ask about at least three services and their locations. Use usted since you have just met.
Alternativa individual
If you are studying independently: record a one-minute description of an imaginary neighborhood, naming at least four places, using hay and estar correctly, and including at least two prepositions of place. Listen back and check your linking between vowels.
Culture and Communication
Neighborhoods across Spanish-speaking communities vary enormously in layout, services, and daily rhythm, shaped by city planning, climate, and local custom rather than by a single shared pattern. In some neighborhoods, small independent shops and pharmacies are within easy walking distance and stay closed for part of the afternoon; in others, larger stores and pharmacy chains stay open continuously. Asking a neighbor for directions or recommendations, as Diego does in this chapter, is a common and welcome way to get reliable local information — avoid assuming that any single arrangement of neighborhood services is universal.
Common Mistakes
Error: Using estar to introduce something non-specific — Está un banco cerca de aquí.
Correction: Use hay for existence — Hay un banco cerca de aquí.
Error: Forgetting the contraction — La farmacia está al lado de el banco.
Correction: De plus el must contract — La farmacia está al lado del banco.
Error: Dropping personal a with a specific person — Busco mi vecina.
Correction: Mark the specific person with personal a — Busco a mi vecina.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Vocabulario
1. Nombra tres lugares del barrio de este capítulo.
2. Da tres preposiciones de lugar.
Parte B — Gramática
1. Completa: _____ (Hay) un parque muy bonito en mi barrio.
2. Completa: El parque _____ (estar) cerca de mi casa.
3. Completa: La panadería está al lado _____ (de/del) banco.
4. Corrige: Busco mi vecina Rosa.
Parte C — Lectura
1. ¿Dónde está el supermercado más cercano?
2. ¿Quién es Rosa Mendoza y dónde vive?
Parte D — Escritura
1. Write your neighborhood guide: at least six sentences, naming four places and locating them with hay, estar, and prepositions of place.
Parte E — Conversación
1. With a partner, complete the ask-for-directions role-play from this chapter.
Chapter Performance Task
Tarea de desempeño
Casa, comunidad y servicios: guía para un nuevo vecino
Complete a short conversation and a written guide that together demonstrate this chapter's systems:
- Introduce at least four neighborhood places using hay.
- Describe the location of at least three of those places using estar and a preposition of place.
- Use the contractions al and del correctly at least twice.
- Use personal a correctly with at least one specific person.
- Ask your partner at least two practical requests for information, using usted.
- Submit a written neighborhood guide of at least six sentences.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice — Completa con ser, estar o hay
1. Hay 2. está 3. es 4. Hay
Grammar Practice — Completa con la preposición o contracción correcta
1. del 2. al 3. entre
Listening
- 1 — panadería nueva — calle Central, al lado del correo
- 2 — biblioteca — entre el parque y la plaza (cerrada hoy)
- 3 — parada de autobús — enfrente de la farmacia, cerca de la estación de metro
Reading Comprehension
1. En la calle Ocho, cerca de la estación de metro. 2. Rosa Mendoza es la representante del barrio; vive cerca del parque.
Chapter Review — Parte A
1. Answers will vary; e.g., el banco, la farmacia, el supermercado. 2. Answers will vary; e.g., cerca de, al lado de, entre.
Chapter Review — Parte B
1. Hay 2. está 3. del 4. Busco a mi vecina Rosa.
Chapter Review — Parte C
1. En la calle Ocho, cerca de la estación de metro. 2. Rosa Mendoza es la representante del barrio; vive cerca del parque.
Chapter Review — Parte D, modelo
En mi barrio hay un supermercado, una farmacia, un parque y una biblioteca. El supermercado está cerca de mi casa. La farmacia está al lado del banco… Other accurate, well-organized answers using hay, estar, and prepositions of place are equally acceptable.
Chapter Review — Parte E, modelo
A: Perdón, ¿hay una farmacia cerca de aquí? B: Sí, hay una en la próxima calle, al lado del banco. Use this as a model, not as the only acceptable wording.
Looking Ahead
Lo que ya sabes
You can now name common neighborhood places, use ser, estar, and hay together with confidence, describe location with core prepositions and the contractions al and del, mark specific people with personal a, and make practical requests for everyday services.