Spanish for settling in: flat, bank and paperwork

Flat, registration, bank and doctor’s appointment: Spanish for anyone living in Spain for a while.

36 sentences · 3 dialogues · 17 words

Why this field

Move to Spain and you soon notice that English is rarely enough for a tenancy agreement, registration, a bank account or a doctor’s appointment. Offices, landlords and surgeries work in Spanish, and so do their forms.

The errands repeat themselves, and so do the sentences: getting an appointment, handing in documents, asking what is missing. If you can say them with confidence, you lose less time and fewer nerves.

What you will be able to do

Goals by level. Tick what you can already do — the tick stays in this browser only.

A1I can give and spell my name, address and phone number.
A2I can view a flat and ask about rent, deposit and bills.
A2I can make a doctor’s appointment and say what is wrong.
B1I can submit an application at an office and ask what documents are missing.
B1I can open a bank account and report damage in the flat.
B2I can make a written complaint and insist on a deadline.

Core vocabulary

17 words from the word lists, ordered by level. A coloured edge shows what you have already practised.

el alquilerthe rent; the lettingA2
el propietariothe landlord, the property ownerA2
la fianzathe depositA2
los gastosthe bills, the running costsA2
amuebladofurnishedA2
la calefacciónthe heatingA2
la cita previathe appointment booked in advanceB1
empadronarseto register as a residentB1
la solicitudthe applicationB1
el justificantethe proof, the receiptB1
el permiso de residenciathe residence permitB1
renovarto renewB1
la seguridad socialthe social securityB1
el contrato de alquilerthe tenancy agreementB1
abrir una cuentato open an accountB1
la transferenciathe transferB1
el caserothe private landlordB1

Practise as flashcards Card box Mixed round

Typical situations

Short dialogues to read along and repeat. Say one part first, then the other.

Viewing a flat

You are looking round a flat you would like to rent.

Landlady
Hola, pase, pase. Este es el salón.Hello, come in, come in. This is the living room.
Prospective tenant
Es muy luminoso. ¿El piso está amueblado?It’s very bright. Is the flat furnished?
Landlady
Sí, menos el dormitorio pequeño.Yes, except for the small bedroom.
Prospective tenant
¿Y los gastos están incluidos en el alquiler?And are the bills included in the rent?
Landlady
El agua y la comunidad, sí. La luz la paga usted.Water and the building charges, yes. You pay the electricity.
Prospective tenant
¿Cuánto hay que dejar de fianza?How much do you have to put down as a deposit?
Landlady
Un mes. Si le interesa, preparamos el contrato esta semana.One month. If you’re interested, we’ll draw up the contract this week.

An appointment with the GP

You ring the health centre.

Surgery
Centro de salud, buenos días.Health centre, good morning.
Patient
Buenos días. Quería pedir cita con mi médico de cabecera.Good morning. I’d like to make an appointment with my GP.
Surgery
¿Me dice el número de su tarjeta sanitaria?Could you give me your health card number?
Patient
Sí, un momento, que la busco.Yes, just a moment while I find it.
Surgery
Tengo hueco mañana a las once y media.I have a slot tomorrow at half past eleven.
Patient
Perfecto, me viene bien. Gracias.Perfect, that suits me. Thank you.

Registering at the town hall

You have an appointment to register at the town hall.

Clerk
Buenos días. ¿Tiene cita previa?Good morning. Do you have an appointment?
Applicant
Sí, a las diez. Vengo a empadronarme.Yes, at ten. I’ve come to register.
Clerk
Muy bien. Necesito su pasaporte y el contrato de alquiler.Fine. I need your passport and the tenancy agreement.
Applicant
Aquí tiene. El contrato está a nombre de mi pareja, ¿es un problema?Here you are. The contract is in my partner’s name — is that a problem?
Clerk
Entonces necesito también una autorización firmada por ella.Then I also need an authorisation signed by her.
Applicant
Vaya. ¿Puedo traerla otro día?Oh dear. Can I bring it another day?
Clerk
Sí, pero tendrá que pedir otra cita.Yes, but you’ll have to make another appointment.

Sentences to say aloud

The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.

Me llamo Lukas Bauer: be, a, u, e, erre.My name is Lukas Bauer: B, A, U, E, R.
A1neutral You spell with the Spanish names of the letters; R is erre.
Vivo en la calle Mayor, número doce.I live at number twelve, Calle Mayor.
A1neutral
¿Cuál es su número de teléfono?What is your phone number?
A1polite
¿Me lo puede escribir, por favor?Could you write it down for me, please?
A1polite
Necesito un médico.I need a doctor.
A1neutral
Me duele la cabeza.I’ve got a headache.
A1neutral
¿Dónde hay una farmacia?Where is there a chemist’s?
A1neutral
Soy nuevo en el barrio.I’m new in the neighbourhood.
A1neutral
Llamo por el piso de la calle Sol. ¿Sigue libre?I’m calling about the flat in Calle Sol. Is it still available?
A2neutral
¿Cuánto es el alquiler al mes?How much is the rent a month?
A2neutral
¿Los gastos están incluidos?Are the bills included?
A2neutral
¿El piso está amueblado?Is the flat furnished?
A2neutral
¿Cuántos meses de fianza hay que pagar?How many months’ deposit do you have to pay?
A2neutral
La calefacción no funciona desde ayer.The heating hasn’t been working since yesterday.
A2neutral
Tengo fiebre desde hace dos días.I’ve had a temperature for two days.
A2neutral
Se ha roto la lavadora. ¿Puede venir alguien?The washing machine has broken. Can someone come round?
A2neutral
Mañana viene el técnico a las nueve.The engineer is coming tomorrow at nine.
A2neutral
Hemos firmado el contrato esta mañana.We signed the contract this morning.
A2neutral
El propietario vive en el piso de abajo.The owner lives in the flat below.
A2neutral
Llamo por el anuncio del piso.I’m calling about the advert for the flat.
B1neutral
Quería pedir cita con el médico de cabecera.I’d like to make an appointment with my GP.
B1polite médico de cabecera is your family doctor at the health centre.
Quería pedir cita previa para empadronarme.I’d like to make an appointment to register as a resident.
B1polite
Para empadronarse hace falta el contrato de alquiler.To register you need the tenancy agreement.
B1neutral
¿Qué documentos tengo que traer?What documents do I need to bring?
B1neutral
Me falta el justificante de pago. ¿Lo puedo traer mañana?I’m missing the proof of payment. Can I bring it tomorrow?
B1neutral
Tengo que renovar el permiso de residencia antes de que caduque.I have to renew my residence permit before it expires.
B1neutral After antes de que the subjunctive is always used.
Quería abrir una cuenta. ¿Qué necesito?I’d like to open an account. What do I need?
B1neutral
He hecho la transferencia de la fianza esta mañana.I transferred the deposit this morning.
B1neutral
Para trabajar necesitas un número de la seguridad social.To work you need a social security number.
B1neutral
El casero dice que la humedad no es culpa suya.The landlord says the damp isn’t his fault.
B1casual el casero is the everyday word for the landlord; the contract says el arrendador.
Me han dicho que la tarjeta tarda unas semanas en llegar.I’ve been told the card takes a few weeks to arrive.
B1neutral
Les escribo para reclamar la devolución de la fianza.I am writing to request the return of my deposit.
B2formal
Han pasado ya dos meses sin que se haya resuelto la avería.Two months have already passed without the fault being repaired.
B2formal
Si hubiera sabido que hacía falta cita previa, no habría venido sin ella.If I’d known you needed an appointment, I wouldn’t have come without one.
B2neutral
Le ruego que me indique en qué estado se encuentra mi solicitud.I would ask you to let me know the status of my application.
B2formal
Según el contrato, las reparaciones grandes corren a cargo del propietario.Under the contract, major repairs are the owner’s responsibility.
B2formal

What matters here

For almost every official errand you need an appointment, the cita previa.
Without one you are often sent away again.
cita previa
Registering at the town hall is called empadronarse; many other offices ask for proof of it.
empadronarse
In offices you use usted, even if the person is young.
A request with ¿Podría…? is never wrong.
usted¿Podría…?
La comunidad is the owners’ association of a building; its charges are often listed separately in the tenancy agreement.
La comunidad

Quick quiz

6 questions on the words and sentences of this field. The word questions count in your progress like any other exercise.

Try it yourself

Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in Spanish, then open it to compare.

My name is Lukas Bauer: B, A, U, E, R.
Me llamo Lukas Bauer: be, a, u, e, erre.
How much is the rent a month?
¿Cuánto es el alquiler al mes?
The owner lives in the flat below.
El propietario vive en el piso de abajo.
I transferred the deposit this morning.
He hecho la transferencia de la fianza esta mañana.

Keep learning

The grammar behind it

Word lists that go with it

Practise

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Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.