01 · The arrival line
¿Dónde puedo dejar mis cosas?
Where can I put my things?
Said the second you're through the door — it starts you off useful, not standing around waiting to be told what to do.
andbefluent.com/spanish/house-guest
House Guest
Ask about the house rules, offer real help, and thank your host properly — out loud.
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.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that get you through a stay gracefully — from the door to the goodbye.
01 · The arrival line
¿Dónde puedo dejar mis cosas?
Where can I put my things?
Said the second you're through the door — it starts you off useful, not standing around waiting to be told what to do.
02 · Say something real about the place
Gracias por recibirme, tu casa es muy acogedora.
Thanks for having me, your home is very welcoming.
A specific compliment lands better than a plain gracias — acogedora is the word that makes it sound like you mean it.
03 · Ask without sounding like an interrogation
¿Hay algo que deba saber sobre la casa?
Is there anything I should know about the house?
One open question covers everything you'd otherwise have to ask piece by piece — let the host decide what matters.
04 · Ask permission for the small stuff
¿Te importa si uso esta toalla?
Do you mind if I use this towel?
Te importa si is the pattern for every tiny ask during a stay — swap in la ducha, la cocina, whatever you need next.
05 · The rule nobody states out loud
¿Hay alguna norma con los zapatos dentro de casa?
Is there a rule about shoes inside the house?
Shoes-off is rarely announced. Asking shows you noticed, which lands better than guessing wrong in front of your host.
06 · Learn the rhythm of the house
¿A qué hora suelen desayunar?
What time do you usually have breakfast?
Suelen is doing the work here — you're asking about their routine, not demanding a schedule built around you.
07 · Offer before you're asked
¿Necesitas ayuda con la cena?
Do you need help with dinner?
Offering first, unprompted, is what separates a good guest from someone waiting around to be served.
08 · Insist, don't just offer once
Déjame fregar los platos, es lo mínimo.
Let me wash the dishes, it's the least I can do.
Déjame plus the task is firmer than a question — it's the line that actually gets you to the sink instead of waved off.
09 · When something goes wrong
Perdona, rompí un vaso sin querer.
Sorry, I accidentally broke a glass.
Sin querer is doing the softening. Say it fast and plainly, then offer to replace it — don't spiral into over-apologizing.
10 · Ask for space without it being awkward
Necesito un rato a solas, si no te importa.
I need some time alone, if you don't mind.
A close friend would rather hear this directly than watch you fake being fine for another hour.
11 · The thank-you that isn't just "gracias"
Muchas gracias por todo, me sentí como en casa.
Thank you so much for everything, I felt at home.
Como en casa is the specific detail that makes it land — a plain gracias gets forgotten, this gets remembered.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/house-guestRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
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:
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.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
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.
'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?.
¿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.
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.
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.