Describing a home is a practical way to practise the present tense and a few tricky irregular verbs. Below you will find clear examples in Spanish, short explanations in English, and simple exercises to help you use tener, ser, estar and adjectives correctly when talking about a house.
Key vocabulary and short phrases
Here are useful, correct Spanish sentences you can use right away. Each sentence is followed by a brief grammar note in English.
Mi casa es pequeña.
Use ser to describe inherent characteristics: size, colour, origin. Adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun: pequeña (feminine singular).
Mi casa está muy bonita.
Use estar for temporary states or the result of a recent change: here it means the house looks very nice right now.
Me gusta mucho.
Short and useful: “I like it a lot.” Use gustar with me to express personal preference.
Using tener to describe possessions and features
Tener means “to have” and is essential when listing rooms or parts of the house.
Mi casa tiene dos pisos.
Spanish: tiene is the third person singular present of tener. Use it to say a house has floors, rooms, furniture, a balcony, etc.
El primer piso es para los carros.
“El primer piso” (the ground/first floor) can be the parking area. Note agreement: el primer piso, and es para to indicate purpose.
Explaining lack of something and describing space
Negative sentences are easy with no before the verb.
No tengo mesa porque no hay espacio.
“I don’t have a table because there isn’t space.” Use no + verb for negation, and porque to give a reason.
Tengo un balcón.
Simple possession: “I have a balcony.” Use un or una depending on the gender of the noun.
Adjectives: position and agreement
Adjectives usually come after the noun in Spanish and must agree in gender and number.
- Noun + adjective: casa grande, habitaciones pequeñas.
- Use muy to strengthen an adjective: muy bonita, muy grande.
- Some adjectives change meaning depending on position, but for basic descriptions place them after the noun.
Common mistakes and corrections
Here are a few pitfalls learners often face with house descriptions and how to avoid them.
- Missing agreement: say Mi casa es pequeña, not Mi casa es pequeño.
- Ser vs estar: choose ser for permanent qualities (es grande), estar for temporary states (está limpia).
- Using tener: to list features use Mi casa tiene… followed by the thing(s).
Practice: translate and create
Try these short exercises. Write your answers in Spanish.
- Translate: “My house has three bedrooms.”
- Translate: “The balcony is very big.”
- Write a short sentence about your living room using estar.
- Say why you do not have a table, using porque.
Quick reference: present tense forms
Memorise these common present forms for speaking about a home.
- Tener (to have): yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella tiene, nosotros tenemos
- Ser (to be – permanent): yo soy, tú eres, él/ella es, nosotros somos
- Estar (to be – temporary): yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella está, nosotros estamos
Final tips
Describe your space out loud using short, clear sentences. Focus on:
- Choosing ser or estar correctly
- Making adjectives agree with nouns
- Using tener to list features
Keep sentences simple at first. Progressive practice will make these patterns automatic.
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