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House Guest

House Guest

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How to be a good house guest in Spanish

Ask about the house rules, offer real help, and thank your host properly — out loud.

CONVERSATION PACK · 5 LESSONS · B1

Three moves make you the guest who gets invited back. Arrive warm: gracias por recibirme, tu casa es muy acogedora, then ¿dónde puedo dejar mis cosas? — and hand over a small gift, traje algo para ti como agradecimiento (in Spain, un detallito). Learn the routine without interrogating — ¿hay algo que deba saber sobre la casa?, with follow-up questions spaced through the day — and volunteer for one concrete task daily: déjame fregar los platos, voy al supermercado, ¿necesitas algo?. And when your host says estás en tu casa ('make yourself at home'), take it as warmth, not a waiver — still ask about the shoes.

Below: the phrases for arrival, house rules, helping out and the goodbye, the awkward moments handled gracefully — and a way to rehearse a whole stay out loud before you're on someone's doorstep.

Say this

The phrases that carry the conversation

Arriving and settling in

  • ¿Dónde puedo dejar mis cosas?Where can I put my things?
  • Gracias por recibirme, tu casa es muy acogedora.Thanks for having me, your home is very welcoming.
  • ¿Hay algo que deba saber sobre la casa?Is there anything I should know about the house?
  • ¿Te importa si uso esta toalla?Do you mind if I use this towel?

Offering help and being considerate

  • ¿Necesitas ayuda con la cena?Do you need help with dinner?
  • Déjame fregar los platos, es lo mínimo.Let me wash the dishes, it's the least I can do.
  • Yo compro el desayuno mañana, invito yo.I'll buy breakfast tomorrow, my treat.
  • ¿Te molesta si pongo música bajita?Do you mind if I play quiet music?

Saying goodbye and thanking the host

  • Muchas gracias por todo, me sentí como en casa.Thank you so much for everything, I felt at home.
  • Dejé la habitación recogida y las toallas en el baño.I left the room tidy and the towels in the bathroom.
  • La próxima vez te toca visitarme a ti.Next time it's your turn to visit me.
  • Te mando un mensaje cuando llegue.I'll text you when I arrive.

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

  1. Being too passive and never offering helpVolunteer for at least one task per day (déjame fregar, yo cocino hoy)
  2. Asking too many questions at onceSpace questions naturally throughout the day, not all at arrival
  3. Generic thank-yousBe specific about what you enjoyed (me encantó la cena del viernes, tu terraza es increíble)

The part no phrase list can do

Rehearse it before it's real

Isabella, &Be conversation teacher

Isabella

Your conversation teacher for this pack

In the House Guest pack, the final lesson is a live stay — and Isabella plays your host: an old friend from a year abroad, putting you up in her Madrid apartment for a long weekend. Warm, generous, secretly fond of order — she says estás en tu casa, lo que quieras and will never mention the no-shoes rule, but she'll appreciate it if you ask. She offers you food before your bag is even down. Across the stay you settle in, learn the routines, offer to help — and on day two you break a glass and have to say so gracefully. Out loud. And she talks back:

  • Isabella says 'estás en tu casa, lo que quieras' but the student picks up subtle cues about a no-shoes rule — must ask politely using '¿hay alguna norma con los zapatos?'
  • On day two, the student accidentally breaks a glass — must apologize gracefully and offer to replace it using 'perdona, rompí un vaso sin querer'
  • Isabella has plans the student wasn't expecting and offers them the apartment alone — student must thank her and ask about keys/wifi/access without overreaching

Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.

Finish the 5 lessons and House Guest is yours — earned, not given.

Download on the App Store First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What do you say when you arrive at someone's home in Spanish?

Lead with thanks: gracias por recibirme, tu casa es muy acogedora, then get practical — ¿dónde puedo dejar mis cosas?. A small gift lands well: traje algo para ti como agradecimiento.

What does 'estás en tu casa' mean?

'Make yourself at home' — the standard Spanish welcome. It's warmth, not a rulebook waiver: still ask before assuming, e.g. ¿hay alguna norma con los zapatos dentro de casa? or ¿te importa si uso esta toalla?.

How do I offer to help around the house in Spanish?

¿Necesitas ayuda con la cena?, déjame fregar los platos, es lo mínimo (let me wash the dishes, it's the least I can do), or voy al supermercado, ¿necesitas algo?. To treat them: invito yo — my treat. In Spain, helping out is echar una mano.

How do I apologize for breaking something in Spanish?

Perdona, rompí un vaso sin querer — sorry, I broke a glass by accident; sin querer is what makes it graceful. In Spain you'll hear the soft exclamation ay, jolín right before the apology.

How do you thank a host after staying at their home in Spanish?

Be specific, not just gracias: muchas gracias por todo, me sentí como en casa, ha sido un placer, de verdad. Promise the return match — la próxima vez te toca visitarme a ti — and follow up: te mando un mensaje cuando llegue.