Overview

Describing a home is one of the most practical ways to practise the present tense in Spanish. This guide focuses on the verbs you will use most often — especially the irregulars tener, ser and estar — and on adjective agreement so your descriptions sound natural and correct.

Key verbs to describe a house

Use these verbs to say what a house has, how it is, and where things are. Below are the basic present-tense forms you need for talk about your home.

Tener — to have (possession)

Conjugation (present): tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen. Use tener to say what the house contains or what people have.

Examples:

• Tengo un balcón. — I have a balcony.
• Mi casa tiene dos pisos. — My house has two floors.

Ser vs Estar — both mean “to be”

Spanish has two verbs that translate as “to be.” Use ser for permanent or defining qualities, and estar for temporary states or locations.

• Ser (present): soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son. — Use for things like size, material, origin, or defining traits.
  Example: Mi casa es pequeña. (My house is small.)
  
• Estar (present): estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están. — Use for location or temporary condition.
  Example: La sala está muy bonita hoy. (The living room looks very nice today.)
  

Adjectives and agreement

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• Masculine singular: grande, bonito
• Feminine singular: pequeña, bonita
• Adjective endings change for plural: pequeñas, bonitos
• Intensifiers: add -ísimo to emphasize. Example: grandísimo (very big)

Useful vocabulary for describing a house

• la casa — the house
• el piso — the floor / apartment
• el primer piso — the ground floor / first floor (depending on country)
• el garaje / el estacionamiento — garage / parking
• el balcón — balcony
• la mesa — table
• el jardín — garden
• espacio — space

An example description

Mi casa es pequeña, pero muy cómoda.

Mi casa está muy bonita y me gusta mucho.

Mi casa tiene dos pisos.

El primer piso es para los carros; el garaje es grande.

No tengo mesa por falta de espacio.

Tengo un balcón y un jardín grandísimo.

Line-by-line explanation

• Mi casa es pequeña — uses ser for a normal quality (size).
• Mi casa está muy bonita — uses estar to express how the house looks or feels right now; both verbs appear in natural speech.
• Mi casa tiene dos pisos — uses tener to state possession (two floors).
• El primer piso es para los carros — explains the purpose of a space; es is fine here because the purpose is a defining fact.
• No tengo mesa por falta de espacio — tener for possession and a common phrase to explain why something is missing.
• Tengo un balcón y un jardín grandísimo — shows possession and the intensifier -ísimo.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using ser when you need estar for temporary conditions (e.g. La sala está sucia vs La sala es sucia).
• Forgetting adjective agreement: casa pequeño is incorrect — say casa pequeña.
• Wrong conjugation of tener: say tengo for “I have”, not tienes.

Practice tasks

Try these exercises to reinforce the grammar points above. Do them in writing or aloud.

1. Fill the blanks with the correct present tense form of tener, ser, or estar:
   1. Mi casa ___ (tener) tres habitaciones.
   2. El jardín ___ (ser/estar) muy bonito hoy.
   3. Nosotros ___ (tener) un balcón pequeño.
2. Make the adjective agree with the noun:
   1. La casa (pequeño) → __________
   2. Los jardines (bonito) → __________
   3. Una mesa (grande) → __________
3. Translate into Spanish:
   1. My house has two floors and a big garden.
   2. I do not have a table because there is no space.
4. Write a short 5-sentence description of your house in Spanish using at least one form of tener, one of ser, and one of estar.

Answers and model sentences

• 1. Fill the blanks:
  1. Mi casa tiene tres habitaciones.
  2. El jardín está muy bonito hoy. (You could also say “es muy bonito” if it is generally beautiful.)
  3. Nosotros tenemos un balcón pequeño.
• 2. Adjective agreement:
  1. La casa pequeña
  2. Los jardines bonitos
  3. Una mesa grande
• 3. Translations (one possible version):
  1. Mi casa tiene dos pisos y un jardín grande.
  2. No tengo mesa porque no hay espacio.
• 4. Model 5-sentence description:
  1. Mi apartamento es pequeño pero muy acogedor.
  2. Tengo una cocina amplia y dos habitaciones.
  3. La sala está decorada con plantas.
  4. No tengo garaje, así que el coche está en la calle.
  5. El balcón es grandísimo y tiene muchas flores.

Final tips

Describe your daily environment in Spanish as often as possible. Focus on using the present tense naturally: say what you have with tener, describe permanent qualities with ser, and mention locations or temporary states with estar. Practise adjective agreement until it becomes automatic.

Building Proficiency for World Language Learners: 100+ High-Interest Activities
Discover over 100 dynamic activities to make world language learning interactive and fun. I wrote this book with some of my favorite activities for educators aiming to build proficiency with high-impact strategies.
Learn more and get your copy here.

5 Weeks of No and Low Prep Fun
Need quick, engaging activities for your class? This free guide includes 25 no-prep and low-prep ideas to save time while keeping students excited about learning.
Download your free copy now.

100s of Videos to Learn Spanish
Gain access to an extensive collection of videos for self-paced Spanish learning.
Browse the videos.