Designing a Spanish House: Lesson Plan with a Vocabulary Word List

Upstairs, Downstairs, Inside and Out

The main purpose of this lesson is to enhance Spanish vocabulary and to improve Spanish speaking and writing skills. It can also help

to give students a better understanding of Spanish culture as well as help develop their design skills.

A house or a home is something most of us are familiar with, so it is a good place to start expanding your vocabulary from. The first thing to do is to make a list of house-related words –

Outer parts of the house like a roof, chimney, veranda, patio or balcony
Inner parts of the house like rooms, stairway, doorways, doors, entrances, windows, ceilings, fireplaces, flooring, tiling
Specific rooms in the house like kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, pantry, library, study, sitting room, dining room, living room, attic, etc.
Number of rooms
Location of rooms in relation to eachother
Furniture like bed, sofas table, chairs, stools, counters, shelves, cabinets, cupboards
Shape and size of furniture
Material of furniture like wood, iron steel, plastic, etc.
Design related words
Colors and textures
Electricity and lighting accessories like lamps, bulbs, tubes, etc.
Plumbing and bathroom accessories like baths, washbasins, toilets, bidets, showers, etc.
Household equipment like telephone, washing machine, dish washer, microwave oven, gas cooker, mixer, solar panels and so on
Household utensils like plates, cups, dishes, spoons and forks, etc.
Garden and plants
The front yard and the back yard
People that would be involved in the building of the house, like architects, interior designers, contractors, engineers, workmen, electricians, plumbers, gardeners and so on

Fleshing Out the Vocabulary Lesson

Once the vocabulary is ready, it can be fleshed out to explain the design process. Students need to –

Research Spanish house designs
Research what makes Spanish designs stand out from other Western designs – use of bold colors is one thing
Research use of space and light and colors. Spanish design styles usually use vibrant and bold colors, with neutrals for backgrounds.
Research Spanish furniture. Many Spanish design styles seem to be inclined towards casual and comfortable dark wood furniture.
Consider size and area of the house
Consider who is going to live in the house, what the occupants would require and what they would like
Consider how the design could make household chores easier to carry out

Let students find a house plan, or pick one yourself. Copy it and pass it out to your students. First, have them label the parts of the house in Spanish, and then fill in their plan with furnishings. Then every student should write a description of their house, in detail, describing rooms and how they furnished their house. Have them put in details from the questions they considered in their research about Spanish houses. Students will need to review Spanish grammar to get sentence structures right. Try making sentences using the present progressive tense and possessive and demonstrative adjectives. Have the students read aloud what they have written and have a class discussion about correct word usage, sentence construction and pronunciation.

Vocabulary for Designing a House

Here's a House-related Spanish vocabulary list that can used as a starter –

Outer Parts of the House –

Roof – Azotea
Chimney -Chimenea
Veranda -Veranda
Patio -Patio
Balcony -Balcón

Inner Parts of the House –

Rooms – Cuartos
Stairway – Escalera
Doorway – Puerta
Door – Puerta
Entrance -Entrada
Window – Ventana
Ceiling -Techo
Fireplace – Chimenea
Flooring -Solando
Tiles – Azulejos

Specific Rooms in the House –

Kitchen – La cocina
Bedroom – Dormitorio
Bathroom – Cuarto de baño
Pantry – Despensa
Library – la Biblioteca
Study – Estudio
Sitting room – Salón
Dining room – comedor
Living room – sala de recibo
Attic – Atico

Number of rooms –

One – Uno
Two – Dos
Three – Tres
Four – Cuatro
Five – Cinco
Six – Seises
Seven – Siete
Eight – Ocho
Nine – Nueve
Ten – Diez

Location of rooms in relation to each other –

Next to – Al lado de
Close to – Cerca de
Beside – Al lado de
Over – Sobre
Under – Debajo
Behind – Detrás de
In front of – Delante de
Down – Abajo

Furniture –

Bed – La cama
Sofa – Sofá
Table – Mesa/Tabla
Chair – Silla
Stools – Taburetes
Shelves – Estantes
Cabinets – Gabinetes/armarios
Cupboards – Alacenas

Shape and size of furniture –

Square – Cuadrado
Round – Redondo
Rectangle – Rectángulo
Oval – Ovalo
Large – Grande
Small – Pequeño

Material of furniture –

Wood – Madera
Iron – Hierro
Steel – Acero
Plastic – Plástico

Colors and textures –

White – Blanco
Blue – Azul
Green – Verde
Yellow – Amarillo
Orange – Naranjo
Pink – Rosa
Red – Rojo
Brown – Marrón
Cream – crema
Rough – Aspero
Smooth – Liso
Soft – Suave
Hard – Duro

Electricity and lighting accessories –

Lamps – Las lámparas
Electric bulb – Bulbo eléctrico
Electric Tube – Tubo eléctrico

Plumbing and bathroom accessories –

Bath – Baño
Washbasin – Lavabo
Toilet – Tocador
Bidet – Bidé
Shower – Ducha/Chaparrón
Tap – Golpecito/Utiliza

Household equipment –

Telephone – Teléfono
Washing machine – La lavadora
Dish washer – arandela de Plato/Lavaplatos
Microwave oven – Horno microondas
Gas cooker – Cocina de gas
Mixer – Mezclador
Solar panels – Los paneles Solares

Household utensils –

Plate – Plato/Placa
Cup – Taza
Dish – Plato
Spoon – Cuchara
Fork – Bifurca/Bifurcación

Garden and plants – El jardín y plantas

The front yard and the back yard – La yarda delantera y el traspatio/el patio trasero

People that would be involved in the building of the house

Architect – Arquitecto
Interior designer – Diseñador interior/ interiorista
Contractor – contratista
Engineer – Ingeniero/Dirige
Workmen – trabajadores
Electrician – Electricista
Plumber – Plomero/Fontanero
Gardener – Jardinero

Check the following sites for samples of Spanish house plans: