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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