my area spanish essay

Talk About My City In Spanish

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My city in Spanish

¿Cómo es tu ciudad? or What’s your city like? is a common question people may ask you if you are visiting a Spanish speaking country or if you are learning the language. Talking about tu ciudad  or your city is important since it is also a good icebreaker. 

In order to describe your city, you need to learn some adjectives to describe where you live, some places in your city or how to give directions. No matter where you live, you need to learn basic vocabulary to tell others about your town.

First of all, you need to understand the questions a Spanish speaker may ask you to describe your city. ¿Cómo es….? or What’s…..like? is the most common information question to start talking about tu ciudad  or your city or tu pueblo or your town. In any of these questions the main verb is the verb to be or es , the 3rd person singular of the verb ser . 

¿Cómo es tu ciudad? = What’s your city like?

¿Cómo es tu pueblo? = What’s your town like?

¿Cómo es el lugar donde vives? = What’s the place where you live like?

¿Dónde queda tu ciudad? = Where is your city?

Describing the local area

In order to answer the question ¿Cómo es tu ciudad? , you need to learn some basic adjectives in the Spanish language. Once you have learnt a few of them, remember the word order in the Spanish language. First, you mention if you live in a ciudad  or city, the campo  or countryside, a pueblo or town. 

Then, you add the adjective. The word order in the spanish language is indefinite article + noun + adjective: Una ciudad hermosa or A beautiful city. 

Vivo en un barrio ajetreado  = I live in a busy city

Vivo en una ciudad grande = I live in a large city

Vivo en un pueblo tranquilo en el campo = I live in a quiet village in the countryside

Vivo en un área urbana = I live in a urban area

Adjectives to describe your city

Mi ciudad es bonita/pintoresca = my city is nice/picturesque.

Mi ciudad es grande/ pequeña = My city is big/small

Mi ciudad es tranquila/ruidosa = My city is calm/noisy

Mi ciudad es limpia/sucia = My city is dirty/clean

Talking about Locations in City

The verb to be in the spanish language has two meanings: ser  and estar . In order to talk about locations you simply use the second meaning. You say Mi ciudad está al norte  de Barcelona meaning My city is in the north of Barcelona. The verb está matches the 3rd person singular. 

In order to describe a city using adjectives, you use the other meaning: ser  which you conjugate in the 3rd persona singular. 

Mi ciudad está al norte/sur/este/oeste de Barcelona  = My city is in the north/south/east/west of Barcelona

Mi ciudad está en el interior de Venezuela = My city is in the inland of Venezuela

Mi ciudad está lejos de la capital = My city is far from the capital city

Mi ciudad está a 50 kilómetros de la costa = My city is 50 kilometres from the coast

Describing features of your city

You can also use the verb tener  or to have to describe some features in your city such as monuments, rivers, a coast, among others. The verb tiene  matches the 3rd person singular. You simply say Mi ciudad tiene…. or my city has…..

Mi ciudad tiene muchos/pocos habitantes  = My city has a big/small population

Mi ciudad tiene un río importante = My city has an important river

Mi ciudad tiene muchas tradiciones = My city has many traditions

Mi ciudad tiene monumentos antiguos = My city has old monuments

Talking about places of reference in a city

In order to say where some significant places are you use the verb estar  or quedar  which literally means to be or to stay/remain. You need to use the 3rd person singular of both verbs: está  and queda . Both verbs are used interchangeably and referrers where a particular place is located. 

La farmacia está junto al hospital  = The drugstore is next to the hospital

La farmacia queda junta al hospital  = The drugstore is next to the hospital

Hay una farmacia junto al hospital  = there’s a drugstore next to the hospital.

¿Dónde queda el hospital? = Where is the hospital?

Related Lessons in Beginner Course, to further your understanding.

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March 29, 2021 · Learn Spanish

Your town, neighborhood or city in Spanish

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Describing places is something that we do in every language! Adjectives are the most common type of words we are going to use in descriptions.

Here we have some adjectives that you’ll probably need to describe your neighborhood or hometown!

• Lindo/a = pretty, cute, lovely
• Grande = big
• Pequeño/a = little 
• Moderno/a = modern
• Tradicional = traditional 
• Tranquilo/a = calm
• Aburrido/a = boring
• Antiguo/a = ancient
• Limpio/a = clean
• Sucio/a = dirty 
• Caro/a = expensive
• Barato/a = cheap
• Aislado/a = isolated

In Spanish, we usually use the Present tense or the Imperfect tense for descriptions. The verbs that we are going to use the most are “ser”, “estar”, “haber” (which are often translated as “to be”), “tener” (to have) and “parecer” (to seem). You might think that is a very small amount, but those verbs are enough to make a good description!

Of course, you have to mention the different places in your town or neighborhood. Those will often be:

• El subte = the subway
• El negocio = the store
• El edificio = the building
• La estación de servicio = the gas station
• La farmacia = the pharmacy
• La plaza = the square / the park 
• El cajero = the ATM
• La fábrica = the factory
• El banco = the bank
• La escuela = the school
• La iglesia = the church
• El parquet = the park
• El farol = the streetlight
• La casa = the house
• La mansión = the mansion
• El restaurante = the restaurant
• La biblioteca = the library
• El supermercado = the supermarket
• El centro = downtown 
• El estacionamiento = the parking lot 
• La avenida = the avenue
• La calle = the street
• La autopista = the highway

Say we want to describe a calm tranquil neighborhood in a small town in Spanish. For instance:

Mi barrio es pequeño, tranquilo y bonito. Hay muchas casas con jardines, un parque y una iglesia. Las casas son blancas o de otros colores claros. Mi escuela está frente al parque. 

My neighborhood is small, quiet and nice. There are houses with gardens, a park, and a church. The houses are white or in other light colors. My school is in front of the park. 

Now say we want to describe a modern town in Spanish:

Mi ciudad es grande y diversa. En el centro, hay muchos edificios altos y es ruidoso. Hay teatros, plazas, monumentos y negocios, pero también hay edificios antiguos en la parte vieja de la ciudad.

My hometown is big and diverse. In downtown, there are a lot of tall buildings and it’s noisy. There are theaters, squares, monuments and stores, but you can also find some ancient buildings in the old part of the town. 

 Therefore, if we are describing a small town or a neighborhood, we’ll probably say: “There’s a park” (“Hay un parque”), instead of “there are parks” (“Hay parques”), but we can say “There are some houses” (“Hay casas”). Don’t forget how to use the indefinite articles in Spanish! 

Also, remember that we are going to use “haber” (“hay”, “había”) for indefinite nouns (“una escuela”, “a school”) and “estar” for definite ones (“la escuela”, “the school”). 

• La escuela está frente al parque = The school is in front of the park
• Hay una escuela / Hay varias escuelas en mi barrio = There’s a school / There are several schools in my neighborhood. 

Lastly, do not forget to conjugate the verbs! 

• El parque ES bonito.
• Las casas SON bonitas. 

So now you know how to describe your hometown or neighborhood! You have the vocabulary and some easy grammar tips, but remember to correct your text before handing it in! 

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Describing your home town and local area in spanish.

I then asked my students to produce a short movie like the one above about their local area. All of them did a fantastic job and here are some examples:

We watched all their videos in class and students gave feedback based on the IGCSE criteria for speaking . I was very pleased because they assessed the language and pronunciation accurately. For example, one student noticed that on the first video the student said “ muchos estudiantes ir allí ” instead of “ muchos estudiantes van allí “. Another student also noticed that “ allí ” was not pronounced correctly. Students were practicing they listening skills as well as peer assessing. And I am now planning to have grade 10 watch these videos as a revision tool.

It was a simple idea really! But my students liked to create the video although it was for homework and they enjoyed watching the end products all together in class. I think they were proud of their work and they were glad they could use technology instead of pen and paper!

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52 Spanish Essay Phrases for Your AP Exam

In order to do well on the AP Spanish exam’s   free-response  section, you must be able to write a persuasive essay based on three Spanish-language sources.

Here we’ve put together a list of 52 vocabulary words and essays phrases that will come in handy for making and supporting arguments in your AP Spanish essays.

Handy Essay Phrases for Writing a Strong Spanish AP Composition

Starting your essay, agreeing and disagreeing, stating an opinion, supporting an opinion, contrasting (or comparing), transitional phrases, changing topics, concluding your essay, how to prepare for the ap spanish essay, what are the details of the ap spanish essay, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Para empezar – To begin with

Hoy en día – Nowadays…

Hoy en día, las personas están en Internet hasta ocho horas por día. (Nowadays, people are on the Internet up to eight hours per day.)

A manera de introducción – We can start by saying…

Como punto de partida – As a starting point

Al principio – At the beginning… 

En primer lugar  – To start… 

Empecemos por considerar – Let’s begin by considering…

Estoy de acuerdo/No estoy de acuerdo — I agree/I disagree

Estoy de acuerdo con lo que dice el autor. (I agree with what the author says.)

No estoy de acuerdo con la idea principal de la fuente número dos . (I disagree with the main idea of source number two.)

En mi opinión — In my opinion

En mi opinión, los jóvenes deberían comer más sano. (In my opinion, young people should eat healthier.)

La verdad es   — The truth is

La verdad es que todavía hay mucha desigualdad en los Estados Unidos . (The truth is there is still a lot of inequality in the United States.)

Es verdad  — It’s true

Es verdad que las redes sociales pueden ser peligrosas . (It’s true that social media can be dangerous.)

Es falso   —   It’s false

Hay gente que dice que las redes sociales son peligrosas, pero esto es falso . (There are people who say that social media is dangerous, but this is false.)

Me parece/No me parece   —   It seems to me/It doesn’t seem to me

Me parece bien que los niños asistan a colegios bilingües . (I think it’s a good idea that children attend bilingual schools.)

No me parece bien que los niños asistan a colegios bilingües . (I don’t think it’s a good idea that children attend bilingual schools.)

Remember that since me parece implies an opinion or emotion, you must conjugate the verb in the subjunctive tense.

(Yo) pienso que   —   I think that

Yo pienso que no hay nada más importante que la familia . (I think that there is nothing more important than family.)

(Yo) creo que  — I believe that

Yo creo que todos los adolescentes deberían aprender a tocar un instrumento . (I believe that all adolescents should learn to play an instrument.)

The following phrases all have the same structure: Es  + adjective +  que .

This structure is similar to the English “It’s [adjective] that…” and is great for expressing and supporting opinions in a strong and confident manner. Here are some phrases that are especially useful when making and defending claims in a persuasive essay:

Es evidente que   —   It’s evident that

Es claro que   —   It’s clear that

Es cierto que  —   It’s certain that

Es obvio que   — It’s obvious that

Es importante que  — It’s important that

Es necesario que   — It’s necessary that

Es probable que   —   It’s probable that

Es dudoso que  — It’s doubtful that

For some of these phrases, the verb following the word que must be conjugated in the indicative, while others require the subjunctive . A good rule of thumb is that when implying that something is certain, use the indicative. When expressing doubt or expressing some other emotion, use the subjunctive.

On this list, evidente, claro, cierto  and obvio use indicative verbs, and importante, necesario, probable  and dudoso use subjunctive verbs.

Es cierto que nuestro clima está cambiando . (It is certain that our climate is changing.)

Es importante que la gente sepa hablar más de un idioma . (It’s important that people know how to speak more than one language.)

These words will help you refer to your three sources, which contain information that will help you support your argument. This section also contains transition words to connect one part of your argument to the next.

Según   — According to  

Según el autor… (according to the author…)

La fuente  —   The source

Según la fuente numero 1… (According to source number one…)

El tema   —   The theme/topic

Esto es un tema muy importante. (This is a very important topic.)

Mostrar   —   To show

La fuente muestra la importancia de la diversidad. (The source shows the importance of diversity.)

Remember, mostrar is an o-ue stem-changing verb—pay attention to conjugation!

Demostrar   —   To demonstrate

La tabla demuestra que muchos jóvenes en España juegan al fútbol. (The table demonstrates that many youths in Spain play football.)

Demostrar is also an o-ue stem changing verb. Luckily for you, it follows the exact same conjugation rules as mostrar !

Indicar   —   To indicate

La tabla indica que hay muchas familias pobres en ese barrio. (The table indicates that there are many poor families in that neighborhood.)

Apoyar   —   To support

Estos datos apoyan la idea de que el clima está cambiando. (This data supports the idea that the climate is changing)

Sin duda   — Without a doubt

Sin duda, el cambio climático es el problema más grave que enfrenta nuestra planeta. (Without a doubt, climate change is the most serious problem that our planet faces.)

Por otra parte   — On the other hand

Es importante que la economía crezca, pero por otra parte, tenemos que cuidar el medio ambiente. (It’s important that the economy grows, but on the other hand, we have to care for the environment.)

Aunque   — Even though/Although

Aunque is followed by an indicative verb when the outcome is known, but a subjunctive verb when the outcome is speculative.

Aunque cuesta mucho dinero, tenemos que buscar una solución. (Even though it costs a lot of money, we have to search for a solution.)

Aunque cueste mucho dinero, tenemos que buscar una solución . (Even though it may cost a lot of money, we have to search for a solution.)

Al igual que  —   Just like

Al igual que en los años 40, hoy en día hay mucha gente que no quiere ayudar a los refugiados de guerra . (Just like in the 40s, today there are many people who don’t want to help war refugees.)

Tanto… como… — … as well as…

Fill in this phrase with two nouns to emphasize that you’re talking equally about two different things.

Tanto chicos como chicas deberían aprender a cocinar, limpiar, coser y cuidar a los bebés. (Boys as well as girls ought to learn how to cook, clean, sew and care for babies.)  

Sino   —   But rather

Remember that Spanish has two translations for the English word “but.” The word sino is like the English phrase “but rather,” used to introduce an alternative.

En comparación  —   In comparison

En comparación, la fuente número 2 indica que hay más obesidad en Estados Unidos que en España . (In comparison, source number 2 indicates that there is more obesity in the United States than in Spain.)

Leer no es una pérdida de tiempo, sino una manera de aprender y de conocer otras culturas . (Reading isn’t a waste of time, but rather a way to learn and understand other cultures.)

Además  — Additionally

This word is usually seen at the beginning of a sentence, and it’s useful for transitioning from one idea or argument to another.

Además, es evidente que la tecnología nos ayuda mucho. (Additionally, it’s evident that technology helps us a lot.)

Sin embargo   —   However

This is another good transition word. In your essay, you may want to present an alternate argument and then explain why you disagree with it. Sin embargo is very helpful for this.

Obviamente, estudiar es muy importante. Sin embargo, es necesario que los adolescentes tengan tiempo para jugar con sus amigos . (Obviously, studying is very important. However, it’s necessary that teenagers have time to play with their friends.)

Por lo cual   —   For this reason/That’s why/Which is why

This phrase is used in the middle of a sentence to connect ideas.

La Amazonía tiene un alto nivel de biodiversidad, por lo cual la conservación de esta región debe ser una prioridad.  (The Amazon has a high level of biodiversity, which is why the conservation of this region must be a priority.)

Sobre un tema relacionado — On a related topic

Sobre un tema relacionado con la inteligencia artificial, se están llevando a cabo investigaciones para mejorar la capacidad de aprendizaje de los algoritmos de machine learning.  (Regarding a topic related to artificial intelligence, research is being conducted to enhance the learning capacity of machine learning algorithms.)

Cuando se trata de –  When it comes to

Relacionado con esta idea — Related to this idea

Una idea similar es — A similar idea is

Una idea similar es utilizar la realidad virtual como herramienta educativa para mejorar la experiencia de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. (A similar idea is to use virtual reality as an educational tool to enhance the learning experience of students.)

Ahora estoy pasando a  — Now moving onto

In your final paragraph, you’ll want to provide a summary of your main argument and your main supporting points. You can use the following helpful phrases:

En conclusión   —   In conclusion

En resumen   —   In summary

En fin   —   Finally

En conclusión,/En resumen,/En fin, las tres fuentes muestran que la contaminación del aire es un problema muy grave para todo el mundo . (In summary, the three sources show that air pollution is a very serious problem for the whole world.)

After summarizing your essay, you’ll want to restate your main argument in a succinct, strongly-worded sentence. Start with these phrases:

Por estas razones   —   For these reasons

Por eso  — That is why

Así que   —   Therefore

Entonces  — So

Por estas razones,/Por eso,/Así que/Entonces, afirmo que los adolescentes no deberían usar las redes sociales. (For these reasons, I affirm that teenagers should not use social media.)

In many ways, preparing for the free-response section is the same as preparing for the rest of the AP exam.

It involves studying grammar and vocabulary, and it also means immersing yourself in the Spanish language as much as possible.

There are also some targeted ways to practice for the free-response section.

• Do practice exams and read sample essays. The College Board  has posted the full AP exams from the last several years. Try to read the sources and write the essay in the allotted 55 minutes. When you’re done, go back and slowly revise your essay for errors in grammar, spelling and logic. After that, you can also check out the grading rubric provided by the College Board and several sample persuasive essays . Try to compare your essay against the rubric and the samples to see how you can improve your writing.
• Practice summarizing and analyzing Spanish-language sources. Remember all those great resources listed above? Well, it’s not enough to just read or listen to them. The whole point of the presentational essay is to measure your ability to summarize, synthesize and argue. So, after you read or listen to a Spanish-language source, take five minutes to summarize it—on paper. Identify the main argument, and then make a bulleted list of important points. Finally, write a few sentences summarizing your personal opinion.
• Learn targeted vocabulary for talking about opinions and arguments. Is there anything more frustrating than knowing exactly what you want to say, but not having the vocabulary to say it? This article lists many crucial vocabulary words for expressing and supporting opinions in persuasive essays. Using these words and phrases will help make your writing flow more smoothly, and allow you to argue with more credibility.

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You can also find some great info on great news outlets , podcasts , YouTube channels  and blogs —all in Spanish. Even following some Spanish Twitter feeds or listening to Spanish music can be a great way to work a little language practice into your day.

The free-response section of the exam is meant to test your ability to communicate with others in spoken and written Spanish.

There are two essays in the free-response section. The interpersonal essay asks you to respond to an email. The presentational essay  tests how well you can draw information from Spanish-language sources, form an argument and write formally. This second essay is a little less straightforward, so we’ll walk you through it here.

So, how does it work?

The presentational essay is based on three sources . Two of them are written sources and one is an audio source.

These sources can be just about anything: Advertisements, articles, infographics, letters, maps, interviews, radio programs, podcasts and conversations are just some examples of the types of sources you may encounter.

You’ll have about 55 minutes to complete this particular essay. First, you’ll have six minutes to read the prompt and the two written sources, and then you’ll hear the audio source twice. Finally, you’ll have 40 minutes to plan and write your essay.

The essay is graded on the basis of Spanish language skills like reading, listening, writing and grammar—but it’s also based on your general ability to analyze the sources and make a strong, coherent argument.

Of course, learning vocabulary and essay phrases is just one way to prepare for the free-response section.

Remember to expose yourself to as many Spanish-language sources as you can before test day, and don’t forget to think critically about those sources as you read them!

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Basic Guidelines For Writing Essays in Spanish

Students tend to focus on speaking practice while learning Spanish, so they often neglect writing. However, most educators emphasize its importance for mastering the language. They say it’s impossible to become fluent in a particular language if one doesn’t train writing skills. 

Therefore, teachers give a lot of essay assignments to students. This type of homework is a great way to inspire them to think and communicate in Spanish effectively. It may be quite difficult to complete such a task. However, it’s one of the most effective ways to learn Spanish or any other language.

You may be tempted to go online and find the best essay writing service to have your essay written for you. This may be helpful when you’re pressed for time, but in the long run, you’re missing an opportunity to improve your own essay writing skills. That’s why we are going to provide you with some recommendations on how to ease the writing process.

Some tips on writing in Spanish 

• Be careful with word spelling. Remember that teachers pay special attention to spelling so it can either make or break your student image. Having good spelling makes a positive impression of your writing skills and boosts your grades. 
• Make your essay coherent with the help of connectors. Use them to explain the relationship between the ideas so your essay doesn’t look like just a list of thoughts and facts. 
• Pay attention to syntax or the word order. As you need to stick to the academic style, try to keep the traditional order such as “subject + verb + objects”. This will also help you express your opinion in a simpler way, so it’s more clear to the reader.
• Avoid word repetitions by using synonyms. Frequent repetitions make your text boring and heavy. If you use the same words again and again, your essay will look dull. Hence, try to find synonyms in Spanish thesaurus and replace the most commonly used expressions with them. 
• Before you create a final version of your essay, let someone read it and give feedback. It’s hard to be objective about your writing, so ask another person to tell you which ideas are less clear if your text contains any confusing phrases, and what are the positive aspects that can be reinforced. 
• Do not write the essay in your native language first to translate it into Spanish then. This approach is not viable for mastering a foreign language. The only thing that you are doing by translating the text literally is practicing the grammatical structures that you have learned. This doesn’t help you learn new idioms and collocations that don’t follow the general grammatical rules. 

Now that you know how to make your writing better, let’s consider a step-by-step guide to essay writing in Spanish. 

Pick an interesting topic 

If possible, choose a topic you are truly excited about. Unless the specific title was given to you by instructors, find a theme you want to research and write about. True interest is what will drive you towards creating an excellent piece. If you enjoy reading about the subject you are going to analyze in your essay, then you will definitely succeed in writing. Remember that decent work can be done only if you are passionate about it. 

Brainstorm the ideas 

When it comes to any project, brainstorming is an integral stage of the creation process. This is one of the most efficient ways to gain insights and generate new ideas. You can use this technique to think of the main supporting arguments, an approach for a catchy introduction, and paragraph organization. You can also try freewriting and/or make a brief outline to ease the writing process itself. 

Create an introduction 

Probably the main rule about creating an introduction that you have to stick to is adding a clear thesis statement there. It must be included in the first paragraph to give your essay a certain direction and help the readers focus their attention on the topic. Also, your introduction must be catchy and intriguing to evoke the desire to read the essay further and learn more. 

Organize an essay body 

It’s essential to make the body paragraphs organized logically. You need to make sure that each of them is closely related to the main topic and discusses one major point. Each body paragraph must consist of a topic sentence and supporting arguments with evidence. It’s very important to write sentences in a logical sequence so they follow each other orderly. Also, since paragraphs shouldn’t overlap in content, add smooth transitions from one to the other. 

Sum up the content 

The vital requirement to the conclusion is that it must logically relate to the original thesis statement. Generally, it’s not acceptable to introduce new ideas in the conclusion. Instead, you need to sum up the main points mentioned in the essay’s body. It’s also forbidden to add any off-topic ideas to the last paragraph of your paper.

Check content relevance and cohesion 

Once you complete the conclusion, read through the essay for relevance and cohesion. Make sure that the whole piece is on the topic and in the mode required. In particular, check if body paragraphs support the thesis statement and whether the conclusion relates to it. After that, read your paper once again to see whether the parts connect together well. Think if there are logical links between ideas and if you need more transitions. 

Read for clarity and style

Scan your essay to find out whether some sections may be unclear to the reader. Analyze the text to find out if it sounds academic and polished. Check if there are any vague pronouns, excessive wording, or awkward phrases. Don’t forget to make sure that all points are listed in similar grammatical forms.

The last stage of your writing process is final proofreading. Read your paper the last time looking at grammar, spelling, punctuation, verb tense, word forms, and pronoun agreement. Correct all the mistakes to make your work excellent. 

Remember that the most important thing about learning a foreign language is a regular practice. Therefore, you should use any opportunity provided by instructors to polish your skills. Hopefully, the recommendations given above will help you write an excellent essay and master the Spanish language!

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Spanish Words to Use in an Essay

Are you writing an essay in Spanish and aren't sure of the best way to start the next paragraph? Or maybe you're trying to think of some connectors to make your essay flow better. Look no further! In this article, we've prepared a list of words that will help you write that Spanish essay without even breaking a sweat.

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Spanish Essay Phrases: 40 Useful Phrases for an Impressive Writeup

7  Comments

May 30, 2019

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Do you need to write a lot of essays in Spanish? If you do, don’t worry. It's about to get a little bit easier for you because here in this article, we’ve listed many useful Spanish essay phrases that you can readily use in your essays.

Feel free to pepper your essays with the words and expressions from this list. It would certainly elevate your essays and impress your teachers. You're welcome!

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No time to read now? Then you might opt to get the list in PDF instead. If you sign up to the newsletter, you'll get the list of Spanish essay phrases in PDF format plus free audio files. 

Spanish Essay Phrases

Additional Resources

You can also check out the following resources:

84 Spanish Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Common Spanish Verbs

Expresiones útiles para escribir en español

Looking for more Spanish phrases? Check out this e-book with audio!

Try to use the essay phrases in Spanish that you learned in this lesson and write a few example sentences in the comments section!

About the author 

Janey is a fan of different languages and studied Spanish, German, Mandarin, and Japanese in college. She has now added French into the mix, though English will always be her first love. She loves reading anything (including product labels).

VERY VERY useful !! Gracias

Amazing! This will definitely help me in tomorrow’s spanish test 🙂

Sounds good

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Amazing article! Very helpful! Also, this website is great for Spanish Beginners.

It’s easy when you put it that way

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51 Spanish Phrases for Essays to Impress with Words

• January 7, 2021

Joanna Lupa

Communicating in a foreign language is hard enough, even in everyday situations, when no sophisticated or academic vocabulary is needed. 

Being able to write an actual essay in Spanish requires you not only to have a solid grammar base but also be knowledgeable about specific phrases and words typically used in school and university writing. 

For those of you who study in one of the Spanish speaking countries or are toying with the idea of signing up for an exchange program, I have prepared a summary of useful Spanish phrases for essays. They are divided into the following categories:

• Connectors (sequence, contrast, cause and effect, additional information, and conclusion)
• Expressions to give your opinion, agree and disagree with a thesis
• fancy academic expressions

Spanish Connectors to Use in Essays

Written language tends to be more formal than the spoken one. Ideas get explained in complex sentences showing how they relate to each other. A fantastic tool to achieve that is connectors.

What are some useful Spanish connectors for essays? Let’s have a look at the ten examples below:

• 🇪🇸 primero – 🇬🇧 first
• 🇪🇸 segundo – 🇬🇧 second
• 🇪🇸 el siguiente argumento – 🇬🇧 the next argument
• 🇪🇸 finalmente – 🇬🇧 finally, last but not least 
• 🇪🇸 sin embargo – 🇬🇧 however, nevertheless, nonetheless
• 🇪🇸 por lo tanto – 🇬🇧 therefore, thus
• 🇪🇸 además – 🇬🇧 besides
• 🇪🇸 por un lado….por el otro lado – 🇬🇧 on the one hand….on the other hand
• 🇪🇸 a menos que – 🇬🇧 unless
• 🇪🇸 a pesar de (algo) – 🇬🇧 despite / in spite of (something)
• 🇪🇸 aunque / a pesar de que – 🇬🇧 although / even though
• 🇪🇸 debido a – 🇬🇧 due to
• 🇪🇸 puesto que / dado que – 🇬🇧 given that
• 🇪🇸 ya que –  🇬🇧 since
• 🇪🇸 mientras que – 🇬🇧 whereas
• 🇪🇸 en conclusión – 🇬🇧 in conclusion
• 🇪🇸 para concluir – 🇬🇧 to conclude

Do you think you would know how to use these connectors in an essay? Let’s suppose you are writing about ecology:

🇪🇸 Los paises han estado cambiando sus politicas. Sin embargo, aún queda mucho por hacer.  🇬🇧 Countries have been changing their policies. However, there is still a lot to do. 

🇪🇸 Una de las amenazas climáticas es el efecto invernadero. Además está la contaminación del agua que presenta un serio riesgo para la salud.  🇬🇧 One of the climate threats is the greenhouse effect. Besides, there is water pollution that presents a severe health hazard. 

🇪🇸 A pesar de los acuerdos internacionales, varios países no han mejorado sus normas ambientales.  🇬🇧 Despite international agreements, many countries haven’t yet improved their environmental standards. 

🇪🇸 Debido a la restricción en el uso de bolsas de plástico desechables, Chile ha podido reducir su huella de carbono.  🇬🇧 Due to the restrictions in the use of disposable plastic bags, Chile has been able to reduce its carbon print. 

Spanish Phrases to Express Your Opinion in Essays

Essay topics commonly require you to write what you think about something. Or whether you agree or disagree with an idea, a project, or someone’s views. 

The words below will allow you to express your opinion effortlessly and go beyond the typical “creo que ” – “ I think ”:

• 🇪🇸 (yo) opino que – 🇬🇧 in my opinion
• 🇪🇸 me parece que – 🇬🇧 it seems to me
• 🇪🇸 desde mi punto de vista – 🇬🇧 from my point of view
• 🇪🇸 (no) estoy convencido que  – 🇬🇧 I am (not) convinced that
• 🇪🇸 no me cabe la menor duda – 🇬🇧 I have no doubt 
• 🇪🇸 estoy seguro que – 🇬🇧 I’m sure
• 🇪🇸 dudo que – 🇬🇧 I doubt
• 🇪🇸 sospecho que – 🇬🇧 I suspect
• 🇪🇸 asumo que – 🇬🇧 I assume
• 🇪🇸 estoy (totalmente, parcialmente) de acuerdo – 🇬🇧 I (totally, partially) agree
• 🇪🇸 no estoy de acuerdo en absoluto – 🇬🇧 I absolutely disagree
• 🇪🇸 opino diferente – 🇬🇧 I have a different opinion
• 🇪🇸 me niego a aceptar – 🇬🇧 I refuse to accept
• 🇪🇸 estoy en contra / a favor de – 🇬🇧 I am against / in favor of
• 🇪🇸 no podría estar más de acuerdo – 🇬🇧 I couldn’t agree more
• 🇪🇸 encuentro absolutamente cierto / falso  – 🇬🇧 I find it absolutely correct / false

Phrases like these can really give shape to your essay and increase its formality level. This time, let’s verify it with views on education: 

🇪🇸 Opino que estudiando remotamente los jóvenes están perdiendo las habilidades sociales.  🇬🇧 In my opinion, remote schooling makes youngsters lose their social skills. 

🇪🇸 Dudo que esta decisión traiga verdaderos cambios para el sistema educacional en mi país.  🇬🇧 I doubt this change will bring any real changes to the educational system in my country. 

🇪🇸 Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con que todos deberían tener acceso a educación de calidad. 🇬🇧 I totally agree that everyone should have access to good quality education. 

🇪🇸 Estoy en contra de escuelas solo para niñas o solo para niños.  🇬🇧 I am against girls-only or boys-only schools. 

Pay attention to certain language differences between English and Spanish versions. The most common mistake that my students make is to say “ I am agree ” ❌ (direct translation from “ Estoy de acuerdo ”) instead of “ I agree ”✔️. 

Fancy Academic Verbs and Expressions for Essays in Spanish

Would you like to impress your professor with sophisticated academic vocabulary or get extra points on your DELE? Grab a pen and take notes:

• 🇪🇸 afirmar  – 🇬🇧 to state
• 🇪🇸 refutar – 🇬🇧 to refute, to reject
• 🇪🇸 argumentar – 🇬🇧 to argue that
• 🇪🇸 poner en duda  – 🇬🇧 to cast doubt
• 🇪🇸 poner en evidencia – 🇬🇧 to shed light 
• 🇪🇸 demostrar – 🇬🇧 to demonstrate
• 🇪🇸 concentrarse en – 🇬🇧 to focus on
• 🇪🇸 sostener – 🇬🇧 to sustain
• 🇪🇸 reflejar – 🇬🇧 to reflect
• 🇪🇸 considerando (que) – 🇬🇧 considering (that)
• 🇪🇸 siendo realista – 🇬🇧 realistically speaking
• 🇪🇸 de cierto modo – 🇬🇧 in a way
• 🇪🇸 en lo que se refiere a – 🇬🇧 with regards to
• 🇪🇸 en vista de – 🇬🇧 in view of
• 🇪🇸 de acuerdo a – 🇬🇧 according to
• 🇪🇸 no obstante – 🇬🇧 nevertheless

So many great words to work with! And some of them sound really similar to English, right? This is exactly why Spanish is such a good option when you want to learn a second language.

Let’s see how to make all these verbs and phrases work:

🇪🇸 Los resultados de los nuevos estudios ponen en duda la relación entre el consumo de huevos y altos niveles de colesterol.  🇬🇧 The recent study findings cast doubt on the relation between egg consumption and high cholesterol levels. 

🇪🇸 Los autores del estudio argumentan que los azucares y los carbohidratos juegan un rol importante en este asunto.  🇬🇧 The authors of the study argue that sugars and carbs play an important role in this topic. 

🇪🇸 En lo que se refiere al consumo de carne, este influye directamente los niveles de colesterol malo, sobre todo si es carne con mucha grasa. 🇬🇧 Regarding meat consumption, it directly influences the levels of “bad” cholesterol, especially in the case of greasy meat. 

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Writing an Essay in Spanish: Tips for a Great Essay

When learning Spanish, many students put all their energy into practicing speaking. They chat with classmates, engage in conversations with native speakers, and tune into Spanish TV shows or podcasts. But amidst this flurry of spoken practice, writing often gets pushed aside like yesterday's homework.

Yet, without honing those writing chops, achieving true fluency in Spanish—or any language for that matter—can be tough. That's why, in this article, we're jumping into writing an essay in Spanish, showing why it's not just a dreaded task but a great chance to boost your language skills. ¡Vamos!

Quick Tips on Writing in Spanish

Now that you're ready to tackle Spanish essay writing, let's make sure you're armed with some handy tips from our Spanish essay writer :

• Mind Your Spelling : Pay close attention to how words are spelled. Good spelling can make your writing look professional and help you avoid embarrassing mistakes.
• Use Transition Words : Incorporate transition words like 'sin embargo' (however), 'por lo tanto' (therefore), and 'además' (moreover) to connect your ideas and make your essay flow smoothly.
• Stick to Simple Sentences : Keep your sentences straightforward and easy to understand. Avoid using overly complicated phrases that might confuse your reader.
• Practice Grammar Regularly : Brush up on grammar rules to avoid common mistakes. Pay attention to verb conjugations, noun-adjective agreement, and sentence structure.
• Expand Your Vocabulary : Learn new Spanish words and phrases regularly to enrich your writing. Try using a Spanish-English dictionary or language-learning app to discover new vocabulary.
• Read Spanish Texts : Read books, articles, and essays written in this language to familiarize yourself with the language's structure and style. Pay attention to how sentences are constructed and how ideas are expressed.

With these quick tips in mind, let’s now check out a step-by-step guide to crafting an essay in Spanish.

Choose a Compelling Subject

When you start your essay, picking a compelling subject is your first step. Choose a topic that you care about. It will show in your writing, making it more engaging and lively.

Think about what excites you or what you want to know more about. Maybe there's a part of Spanish culture that fascinates you, like flamenco dancing or the traditional food of a specific region. Or perhaps you're intrigued by a historical figure or a current issue in Spanish-speaking countries.

Once you settle on a topic, dig into it. Look up articles, watch videos, and gather as much information as you can. This background work will not only beef up your knowledge but also give you plenty of material to draw from when you sit down to write your essay.

Generate Ideas

Brainstorming can really kick things into gear by helping you develop a deep and varied pool of thoughts related to your topic. Start by jotting down everything that comes to mind about your subject. Don't worry about organizing these ideas yet; the goal is to get all your thoughts out on paper. You might be surprised by what you come up with!

Use mind maps to help visualize the connections between different ideas. Draw a circle in the center of a page, write your main topic in it, and then branch out with related ideas, connecting them with lines to show how they relate to each other and to the central theme.

Asking questions can also spark more ideas. What? Who? Where? When? Why? How? These questions can lead you to consider different angles of your topic that you might not have thought about before.

Once you have a good list of ideas, look for patterns or themes that could form the backbone of your essay. Choose the ones that are most interesting to you, or that have plenty of information available, and you'll find your essay starts to take shape naturally from there.

Craft an Opening

The opening, or introduction, should not only introduce your topic but also pique the reader's curiosity. Here's how you can create an engaging introduction:

• Start with a hook : Begin with an intriguing statement, a surprising fact, or a provocative question related to your topic. For example, if you're writing about the influence of Spanish cinema, you might start with statistics about the international awards Spanish films have won.
• Provide some background : After grabbing the reader's attention, give a bit of background to place your topic in context. This doesn't have to be detailed but should provide enough information to understand the importance of the topic and why it's relevant.
• State your thesis : End your introduction with a clear thesis statement that will guide the rest of your essay, making sure it's specific and directly related to your topic.

Structure the Essay

A well-organized essay makes it easier for your readers to follow your arguments and understand the points you're making. As previously mentioned, your introduction should start with a hook to capture interest, provide some background information to set the scene and conclude with a strong thesis statement that outlines your main argument or perspective.

As for the body section, start each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This sentence should link back to your thesis statement and indicate how this paragraph will support your overall argument. Then, follow the topic sentence with evidence, examples, and explanations to flesh out your argument.

Lastly, begin your conclusion by briefly summarizing the key points you have discussed. Then, reinforce your thesis statement with a fresh rephrasing, showing how the body of your essay has supported it throughout.

Recap the Content

Now that you've laid out your arguments in the body of your essay, it's time to recap. Briefly go over the main points from each section of your essay. This reminds the reader of what you've discussed and how it all connects. Then, tie each point back to your thesis statement. Also, mention any particularly strong evidence or insightful observations again, reinforcing their importance.

Ensure Coherence and Relevance

Once you've recapped the content of your writing, it's essential to ensure coherence and relevance throughout. You can do this by reviewing the transitions between paragraphs and sections, ensuring they flow smoothly and logically from one idea to the next.

Also, look for any redundant or repetitive information. Remove anything that doesn't add value to your argument or that repeats points you've already made. It's also important to avoid going off on tangents or introducing unrelated information.

Lastly, before finalizing your essay, ask yourself if every part of it is relevant to your main argument. If not, consider revising or removing those sections to maintain focus.

Review for Clarity and Style

Once you've ensured coherence and relevance in your writing, it's time to review for clarity and style. Break down long or convoluted sentences into shorter, more straightforward ones. This helps prevent confusion and keeps your writing clear. You can also read your essay aloud to yourself or have someone else read it to you. This can help you identify awkward phrasing or unclear passages that may need revision.

Edit for Errors

Finally, it's time to edit your essay for errors. This step is crucial for ensuring that your writing is polished and professional. Using a spellchecker or asking a native speaker to proofread your essay for you is usually a good idea. Then, double-check your formatting, including margins, font size, and spacing. Make sure your essay follows any specific formatting guidelines provided by your instructor.

By thoroughly editing your essay for Spanish language errors, you ensure that your final product is polished and ready to impress your readers. Take your time with this step to catch any mistakes and make the necessary revisions for a flawless finish.

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Describing a House in Spanish: SER + Adjectives

Hola and welcome! In our previous lesson, we covered the most common vocabulary for rooms and parts of the house , “habitaciones y partes de la casa”, as well as how to use the verbs HABER, TENER and ESTAR.  In this lesson, we will learn more about how to use SER with common adjectives to make grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs to describe a house in Spanish and the rooms or areas it has. Apart from reviewing the verbs and vocabulary for this topic, we will also talk a little about likes and dislikes, this time applied to the things we like or dislike about the house in Spanish. Let’s begin…

Vocabulary review: The House in Spanish – La casa

First, we will review the vocabulary related to rooms and parts of the house in Spanish by looking at the picture below. Below each picture, there is a simple description using SER with adjectives (the words in magenta), besides other important verbs we will study in the lesson. Generally speaking, people will use SER with adjectives to describe things or people, e.g. BONITO (beautiful) and DE TEJAS (made with tiles). The examples in the picture also make use of other verbs that are very useful when talking about the house, such as HABER, TENER and ESTAR.

How to Describe a House in Spanish: SER with adjectives

Common spanish adjectives for the house.

Let’s start by learning some  basic adjectives to describe a house in Spanish and the rooms in it . We could use many adjectives, but possibly the ones that best fit for house descriptions in Spanish are those shown in the image below, some of which can be used to describe the house in general or specific rooms, as shown in the examples at the bottom of the image.

One of the main differences when compared to English adjectives is that Spanish adjectives will be placed after the noun we are describing , not before in most cases. For example, to describe a big house in Spanish, we could say “ Yo tengo una casa grande” (I have a big house) not “ Yo tengo una grande casa” . In this sentence, the word GRANDE is the main adjective describing the house in Spanish.

Key verbs to describe houses in Spanish

One of the simplest ways to describe things, particularly for describing a house in Spanish is by using  the verb SER (a form of “to be”) and the grammatical structures:

• Subject + verb + adjective e.g. La casa es hermosa.
• Pronoun + verb + noun + adjective e.g. Esta es una casa hermosa.

SER is an irregular verb , and it will be used as “ES” for a single object like CUARTO (room) and “SON” when referring to several objects like CUARTOS. This way, we can create simple sentences using “SER” along with adjectives such as:

• “La casa es pequeña” (the house is small)
• “La sala es cómoda” (the living room is comfortable)
• “Las ventanas son viejas” (the windows are old)

Another way to describe the house in Spanish is with the verb LUCIR (to look). LUCIR will be conjugated as LUCE for a single object and LUCEN for several, as in the sentences:

• “La casa luce pequeña” (the house looks small)
• “Las habitaciones lucen espaciosas” (the rooms look spacious)

It is very common regular house description in Spanish, we will also find the verbs HAY and TENER to talk about the things in a room . Both verbs are useful for talking about things in a room. Pay attention to the examples in the following image.

Lastly, we will use the verb ESTAR along with prepositions of place to indicate the location of rooms or any object in the house.

Examples of House Descriptions in Spanish – Descripciones de casas

It is time to see how all these things work together in real descriptions. Pay attention to how the vocabulary for the house in Spanish, besides all the things we have discussed, can be used in meaningful sentences. Some of the sentences in these paragraphs will be using “Me gusta + an object” to say what someone likes and “No me gusta + an object” for the opposite.

Example No. 1: Describiendo mi casa

Yo tengo una casa pequeña. Hay cuatro cuartos, una sala, una cocina y cuatro baños. Los baños son pequeños. La sala es espaciosa. La sala tiene un televisor grande y muchos objetos más. La cocina luce pequeña pero en realidad es grande. La cocina está junto a la sala. Cada cuarto tiene baño y una ventana. Hay un pasillo pero es angosto. Me gustan la sala y la cocina de la casa.

Example No. 2: Casa en venta

Vendemos una casa. Tiene 6 habitaciones en el primer piso y 6 habitaciones en el segundo. Tiene garaje y sótano. Hay un jardín en frente. La casa tiene varias ventanas, es cómoda, espaciosa y fresca. Los baños, el techo, las paredes y todas las partes de la casa están en buen estado. La sala tiene una chimenea para que la casa se caliente durante el invierno. La casa luce antigua pero está muy bien cuidada. Hay suficiente espacio para construir aún más. Es bonita y ubicada en un lugar seguro.

Listening Activity: Talking about the house in Spanish

Key expressions in the conversation:.

• “ ¿Qué le/te parece? ” means “What do you think about it?”
• “ ¡Eso me gusta! ” means “I like that!”

Extra Practice: Describing the houses in Latin America in Spanish

Write a paragraph describing your house in Spanish and say what you like and dislike about it. Then compare your paragraph with the examples provided in this lesson. Thanks for joining us. 

Related Spanish Worksheets:

• The House and Prepositions of Place – Spanish Worksheet PDF
• Rooms and Parts of the House in Spanish: PDF Worksheet
• Describing Houses and Apartments – Spanish Dialogues in PDF

7 thoughts on “Describing a House in Spanish: SER + Adjectives”

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Thanks you very much! It’s cool to know you like what we do. Seguiremos trabajando en hacerlo cada vez mejor. Muchas gracias 😉

hola alex yo soy kavya , mi estudia en singapura, this is a really very useful link to improve spanish but i would like you to remove the background music because its very disturbing and hence i am not bale to concentrate on the main part it would be a great help if you improve that thanks a lot kavya ?

No problem Kavya. We’ll definitely work on that as it is a common request. Saludos hasta Singapur

no THIS WEBSITE IS BAD

maybe ur bad kiester

It is really helpful!!

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Spanish GCSE my town & area: mi barrio - where I live reading comprehension & translation

Subject: Spanish

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

16 February 2024

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El barrio de Juan.

This worksheet includes a reading comprehension & translation practice on the topic of town & local area. Pupils have a gap-fill activity, true/false comprehension question and vocabulary hunt to complete. There are then also translation tasks recycling key vocabulary into English & Spanish. The resources will help pupils to talk about their own town and area.

Suggested answers included.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 78%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

GCSE Spanish Mi barrio : home and area bundle

Save 78% with this bundle of 19 resource packs to help pupils to write and to speak about their town, region and where they live. This comprehensive bundle of resources will support pupils with learning to talk and write about their town and area in Spanish. There are enough resources for a series of lessons/ the whole unit, including vocabulary, grammar, reading, translation and writing exercises.

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