Talking about Where you Live

Basics and Types of Houses

Understand the basics: Begin by ensuring you are comfortable with the basics.
Recognising and saying different types of houses (la casa, el apartamento).

Locations and Descriptions

Learn about locations: Familiarise yourself with common phrases that describe where your home is located like - “cerca de” (near), “lejos de” (far from), “junto al/a la” (next to).
Descriptions of your home: It’s also important to be able to describe your home - learn adjectives like “grande” (big), “pequeño” (small), “viejo” (old) and “nuevo” (new).
Talk about how many rooms you have “dos habitaciones” (two rooms), or if you have a garden, “tiene un jardín”.

Local facilities and Activities

Local facilities: Learn how to describe the facilities and places in your local area like schools (la escuela), parks (el parque), shops (las tiendas), and the library (la biblioteca).
Activities: Being able to talk about the activities you can do in your area is also crucial. Make sure you can construct sentences saying what you can do (e.g. “Puedo ir al cine”).

Expressing Opinions

Opinion: Be ready to express your opinions about your town, both positive and negative. Practice phrases such as “me gusta porque…” (I like it because…) or “no me gusta porque…” (I don’t like it because…).

Weather Conditions

Weather: The weather is often linked to where you live, so remember vocabulary like “hace sol” (it’s sunny), “llueve” (it’s raining), and “está nublado” (it’s cloudy).

Practice and Time Tenses

Practice: Practice makes perfect, so review sentences and questions regarding “where you live”. Speak out loud, have a conversation with someone, or record yourself.
Future Tense: Include where you would like to live in the future, “Me gustaría vivir en…” (I would like to live in…).
Past tense: Be prepared to talk about where you lived in the past, or how your town has changed. This can demonstrate a higher level of language ability.

Active Revision Techniques

Remember, revision is most effective when it is active. Always try to use active methods such as making flashcards, doing exercises, and doing practise conversations.