In our final lesson of Unit 7, you'll learn to talk about household chores — cleaning, washing, sweeping, and more. You'll also learn an important grammar point about adjective placement: some adjectives go before the noun and some go after, and it can change the meaning! This is a great way to wrap up the home unit with practical, everyday vocabulary.
Learning tips
- Most chore verbs are regular -ar verbs (limpiar, barrer, lavar, planchar) — conjugation is predictable!
- 'Sacar la basura' is a multi-word expression — learn it as a chunk, like you would 'take out the trash.'
- Notice that 'buen/bueno' and 'gran/grande' have short forms that go BEFORE the noun and long forms that go AFTER.
- Try describing your weekly chore routine in Spanish: 'Los lunes limpio la cocina. Los martes lavo la ropa.'
Warm-up & Active Recall
Recap: In Lesson 7.5, you learned comparatives: más… que (more than), menos… que (less than), tan… como (as… as). Irregular comparatives: mejor (better), peor (worse).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| grande | big |
| pequeño | small |
| cómodo | comfortable |
| limpio | clean |
| sucio | dirty |
| oscuro | dark |
| claro | bright |
| más | more |
| menos | less |
| que | than |
Dialog
Valentina and Andrés divide household chores. Notice all the chore verbs: 'limpiar' (to clean), 'barrer' (to sweep), 'lavar' (to wash), 'planchar' (to iron), 'sacar la basura' (to take out the trash), 'ordenar' (to tidy up), 'arreglar' (to fix/make), and 'ayudar' (to help). Also pay attention to adjective placement: 'un buen compañero' (a good companion) uses the shortened 'buen' before the noun, while 'el apartamento limpio' has the adjective after.
Valentina
Andrés, necesitamos limpiar el apartamento. Está muy sucio.
(Andrés, we-need to clean the apartment. Is very dirty.)
Andrés, we need to clean the apartment. It's very dirty.
Andrés
Tienes razón. Yo voy a barrer la sala y el comedor.
(You-have reason. I go to sweep the living-room and the dining-room.)
You're right. I'll sweep the living room and the dining room.
Valentina
Bien. Yo voy a lavar los platos y la ropa.
(Good. I go to wash the plates and the clothes.)
Good. I'll wash the dishes and the clothes.
Andrés
¿Y quién va a planchar la ropa? Yo no soy bueno planchando.
(And who goes to iron the clothes? I not am good ironing.)
And who is going to iron the clothes? I'm not good at ironing.
Valentina
Yo puedo planchar. ¿Puedes sacar la basura, por favor?
(I can iron. Can-you take-out the trash, please?)
I can iron. Can you take out the trash, please?
Andrés
Claro. También voy a ordenar el cuarto y arreglar la cama.
(Of-course. Also I-go to organize the bedroom and fix the bed.)
Of course. I'll also tidy up the bedroom and make the bed.
Valentina
Perfecto. Las tareas del hogar son más fáciles cuando ayudamos juntos.
(Perfect. The tasks of-the home are more easy when we-help together.)
Perfect. Household chores are easier when we help together.
Andrés
Es verdad. Un buen compañero de hogar siempre ayuda con las tareas.
(Is true. A good companion of home always helps with the tasks.)
That's true. A good housemate always helps with the chores.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| limpiar | /lim.ˈpjaɾ/ | to clean | Regular -ar verb: limpio, limpias, limpia |
| barrer | /ba.ˈreɾ/ | to sweep | Regular -er verb: barro, barres, barre |
| lavar | /la.ˈβaɾ/ | to wash | Regular -ar verb; 'lavar los platos' (wash dishes), 'lavar la ropa' (do laundry) |
| planchar | /plan.ˈtʃaɾ/ | to iron | Regular -ar verb: plancho, planchas, plancha |
| arreglar | /a.re.ˈɣlaɾ/ | to fix, to tidy up, to make (the bed) | 'Arreglar la cama' = to make the bed (very Colombian) |
| sacar la basura | /sa.ˈkaɾ la ba.ˈsu.ɾa/ | to take out the trash | Multi-word expression — learn as a chunk |
| ordenar | /oɾ.ðe.ˈnaɾ/ | to organize, to tidy up | Regular -ar verb; 'ordenar el cuarto' = tidy up the room |
| ayudar | /a.ʝu.ˈðaɾ/ | to help | Regular -ar verb; 'ayudar con' = to help with |
| el hogar | /o.ˈɣaɾ/ | the home, the household | 'El hogar' is more formal/warm than 'la casa' — think 'home' vs. 'house' |
| la tarea | /ta.ˈɾe.a/ | the task, the chore | 'Las tareas del hogar' = household chores; also means 'homework' in school context |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| trapear | /tɾa.pe.ˈaɾ/ | to mop | |
| aspirar | /as.pi.ˈɾaɾ/ | to vacuum | |
| secar | /se.ˈkaɾ/ | to dry | |
| la escoba | /es.ˈko.βa/ | the broom | |
| el detergente | /de.teɾ.ˈxen.te/ | the detergent | |
| el trapo | /ˈtɾa.po/ | the rag, the cloth |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| sacar la basura | to take out the trash |
| tareas del hogar | household chores |
Pronunciation: The word 'planchar' has the 'ch' sound, which is the same as English 'ch' in 'church': plan-CHAR. The word 'limpiar' has a stress on the last syllable: lim-PYAR. Practice both: plan-CHAR, lim-PYAR. Spanish pronunciation is very regular — if there's no accent mark, words ending in a consonant (except n or s) stress the last syllable.
Grammar: Adjective placement — before the noun vs. after; review of present progressive with household activities
| Placement | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| After (most adjectives) | description | una casa limpia, un cuarto oscuro |
| After | color / shape | la puerta blanca, la mesa redonda |
| Before (shortened) | gran (grande) | una gran casa (a great house) |
| Before (shortened) | buen (bueno) | un buen vecino (a good neighbor) |
| Before (shortened) | mal (malo) | un mal día (a bad day) |
| Before | meaning changes | un gran hombre (great) vs. un hombre grande (big) |
Adjective placement in Spanish follows clear rules, but there are some subtleties.
Most adjectives go AFTER the noun (this is the default):
- una casa limpia (a clean house)
- un cuarto oscuro (a dark room)
- una cocina grande (a big kitchen)
Some adjectives go BEFORE the noun and get shortened:
- bueno → buen (before masculine singular): un buen vecino (a good neighbor)
- malo → mal (before masculine singular): un mal día (a bad day)
- grande → gran (before any singular): una gran casa (a great house)
Meaning can change with placement:
- un hombre grande = a big/tall man (physical size)
- un gran hombre = a great man (character/importance)
- una casa vieja = an old house (age)
- una vieja amiga = an old/long-time friend (duration of friendship)
Review — Present progressive with chores:
- Estoy limpiando la cocina. (I'm cleaning the kitchen.)
- Ella está planchando la ropa. (She's ironing the clothes.)
- Estamos barriendo el piso. (We're sweeping the floor.)
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct chore verb.
- Voy a el piso de la cocina.(to sweep)
- Necesito la ropa sucia.(to wash)
- ¿Puedes la basura, por favor?(to take out — from 'sacar la basura')
- Tengo que el cuarto. Está desordenado.(to organize or tidy up)
- Las del hogar son importantes.(chores — plural noun)
Grammar Application
Place the adjective correctly (before or after the noun) and use the shortened form if needed.
- bueno + vecino → un vecino(shortened form of 'bueno' before masculine noun)
- grande + casa → una casa (meaning: great)(shortened form of 'grande' before noun, meaning 'great')
- limpio + cocina → una cocina (descriptive adjective goes after, must agree in gender)
- malo + día → un día(shortened form of 'malo' before masculine noun)
- oscuro + cuarto → un cuarto (descriptive adjective goes after the noun)
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- I am cleaning the kitchen.
- Can you help with the household chores?
- I'm going to wash the dishes and sweep the floor.
- She is ironing the clothes.
- It's a good apartment. It's clean and organized.
Creative Construction
Describe a cleaning day at home. Use at least 4 chore verbs and include adjective placement (before or after the noun).
Takeaway
Most adjectives go after the noun (casa limpia, cuarto oscuro). Some shorten before singular nouns: buen/bueno, mal/malo, gran/grande. Placement can change meaning: 'un gran hombre' (great man) vs. 'un hombre grande' (big man).
Culture note: In Colombian households, cleaning is taken very seriously. Many Colombian families hire domestic help — a 'empleada doméstica' or 'señora del servicio' — who comes once or twice a week to help with cleaning, laundry, and sometimes cooking. In Bogotá, it's common for middle-class families to have this help. When sharing an apartment, Colombians often create a schedule for 'las tareas del hogar.' The phrase 'arreglar la cama' (to make the bed) is quintessentially Colombian — in Spain, they say 'hacer la cama.' In Colombia, keeping a tidy home is a point of pride, and guests are always welcomed into a clean space.
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