Property Tycoon
Break down a listing, question a contract, and compare neighborhoods — out loud, in Spanish.
Latin American listings run on their own vocabulary — and it shifts by country. In Mexico an apartment is el departamento (or just el depa), a bedroom is la recámara, and a fitted kitchen is la cocina integral; in Argentina you'll read el depto, el dormitorio and el living comedor. For renting, the terms that decide everything are la renta mensual (monthly rent), el depósito en garantía (security deposit), los servicios incluidos (utilities included) and el contrato de arrendamiento (the lease). For buying: el crédito hipotecario (mortgage), la escritura (deed) — and in Mexico, el enganche, the down payment.
Below: the words for each stage — features, rooms, rental terms, buying — what Mexicans and Argentines actually call things, and a way to say it all out loud before you call an agent for real. No flashcards: you learn each term by using it in conversation.
The warm-up pack
The lines that get an apartment tour to actually go somewhere — not just define the rooms.
01 · Skip "piso" — say this instead
Buscamos un departamento con la terraza para tomar el sol.
We're looking for an apartment with a terrace to catch some sun.
Departamento, not piso, is what you'll hear across Mexico and most of Latin America — piso reads as Spain.
02 · Square meters, stated the local way
El penthouse tiene los metros cuadrados perfectos para nosotros.
The penthouse has exactly the square footage we need.
Metros cuadrados is how size gets discussed everywhere — no converting to square feet in your head.
03 · Semi-detached, not a stand-alone house
Preferimos una casa adosada en vez de un departamento.
We'd rather have a townhouse than an apartment.
Casa adosada is semi-detached or a townhouse — knowing it apart from a stand-alone casa changes what you're actually comparing.
04 · When "storage" saves the tour
Este estudio no tiene la bodega en la planta baja.
This studio doesn't have the storage room on the ground floor.
Bodega is the Mexican and Central American word for a storage room — ask about it before you assume there isn't one.
05 · The parking-space question
¿El departamento incluye el cajón de estacionamiento?
Does the apartment include the parking space?
Parking isn't automatically included — this one line upfront saves an awkward surprise at move-in.
06 · What Argentines call the living room
En Argentina le dicen el living comedor.
In Argentina they call it the living comedor.
Half English, half Spanish, and exactly how Argentines say 'living/dining room' — no need to translate it back.
07 · Sign here, in six weeks
Vamos a firmar el contrato de arrendamiento la próxima semana.
We're signing the lease agreement next week.
Contrato de arrendamiento is the formal term for a lease — you'll see it in writing before you ever say it out loud.
08 · What "all-inclusive" rent means
La renta mensual incluye todos los servicios.
The monthly rent includes all the utilities.
Renta mensual is the Mexican term for monthly rent — knowing what's bundled into it means one less bill to chase.
09 · Southern Cone for "mortgage"
El crédito hipotecario que pedimos tardó tres meses.
The mortgage we applied for took three months.
Crédito hipotecario is what gets said across the Southern Cone — la hipoteca alone works too, but this is the fuller, more common phrase.
10 · The seller's favorite three words
Está en buen estado.
It's in good condition.
Three words, and you've described the whole unit — no elaborate sentence needed.
11 · The listing's favorite line
¡Recién remodelado!
Recently renovated!
Sellers lean on this phrase constantly — trust it, but still ask exactly when the remodel happened.
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/property-tycoonRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| bedroom | la recámara | el dormitorio |
| monthly rent | la renta mensual | el alquiler mensual |
| parking space | el cajón de estacionamiento | la cochera |
| furnished | amueblado | amoblado |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
There are no flashcards in the Property Tycoon lessons and no word lists to memorize — you learn housing vocabulary by doing the housing talk. Olivia puts you inside the conversations where these words live: you call about a listing and ask about los metros cuadrados, la terraza and whether it comes amueblado; you go through a contract and question el depósito, los servicios incluidos and el aviso previo; then you weigh two neighborhoods against each other and defend your pick. Out loud, in Spanish, with someone answering back.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Property Tycoon is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
In most of Latin America it's el departamento — shortened to el depa in Mexico and el depto in Argentina and Uruguay. El piso is the Spain word; use your region's and stay consistent.
In Mexico, el enganche is the down payment — the initial chunk you put toward el crédito hipotecario (the mortgage). In the Southern Cone you'll hear the full phrase el crédito hipotecario rather than 'la hipoteca'.
It's the Mexican and Caribbean word for bedroom — a listing might offer la recámara doble. In Argentina and the Southern Cone the same room is el dormitorio or el cuarto.
Four things decide the deal: la renta mensual (monthly rent — el alquiler mensual in Argentina), el depósito (deposit), whether los servicios incluidos covers utilities and las cuotas de mantenimiento, and el aviso previo — the notice period and penalties for leaving early.
The condition words carry the listing: a estrenar (brand new), recién remodelado (recently renovated), para remodelar (needs work), en buen estado (good condition). Then the specs: los metros cuadrados, la bodega (storage room), el elevador (elevator — el ascensor outside Mexico and the Caribbean).
