In the Home
En casa
Englishman and jurist Sir Edward Coke very famously stated that "every man's home was his castle" and he was not wrong. Wherever someone may be in the world, each persons' home is their little sanctuary, away from the rest of the world, where they can rest, relax and take some time out for themself.
If you want a true Spanish immersion, then the best way to do so is to stay with a Spanish family, be treated like one of their own and see the world through Spanish eyes. Which will do wonders for your Spanish vocabulary. You'll be living in Spanish time, eating Spanish fruit and seeing what it truly is to be Spanish as you absorb the rich culture along with studying Spanish abroad.
Living standards in Latin America, such as homes in Cuba or those in Guatemala are far different to those in Spain. Spanish homes are very much subject to the area in which they are built, but being a place of refuge and sanctuary, homes across the world do have certain things in common.
| English Word | Spanish Word | Pronunciation |
| house | la casa | la cahsah |
| apartment / flat (Spain) | el piso | el pee-soh |
| floor (Latin American) | el piso | el pee-soh |
| floor | el suelo | el swellowe |
| apartment / flat (Latin America) | el apartamento | el a-par-ta-mentowe |
| villa, house | el chalet | el cha-let |
| village | el pueblo | el pweblowe |
| town (Spain - old fashioned word) | la villa | la vee-yah |
| city | la ciudad | la thee-oo-dad |
| countryside | el campo | el campowe |
| neighbourhood | el barrio | el bah-ree-owe |
| area / zone | la zona | la thonna |
| roof | el techo | el techowe |
| wall | la pared | la pah-red |
| window | la ventana | la ven-tah-nah |
| rooms | los cuartos | los ku-wartowes |
| garden | el jardin | el har-deen |
| fireplace | la chimenea | la chim-ehn-ayah |
| lounge | el salon | el sa-lon |
| dining room | el comedor | el coh-me-dore |
| bedroom | la habitación | la abbey-tas-thee-on |
| bathroom | el cuarto de baño | el kwarto de banyoh |
| cupboard / wardrobe | el armario | el ar-mario |
| bedside cabinet | la mesita de noche | la me-seeta de nochey |
| book shelf | la estantería | la es-tan-tur-eeah |
| carpet / rug | la moqueta/ la alfombra | la moh-keh-tah /la al-fombrah |
| curtain | la cortina | la cor-teena |
| mortgage | la hipoteca | la ee-po-teckah |
| rent | el alquiler | el al-keel-air |
Spain is different to English speaking countries in that most people tend to live in flats and apartments rather than houses. Those who live in houses in Spain are those who have money or those who live in the countryside where there is space to spare. In Spanish cities it is usual to see apartment blocks between 4 and 10 floors and some cities have blocks that average higher than that, depending on the neighbourhood.