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Lesson 192 of 238

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Free Spanish CourseLesson 192 of 238

Who fixes things in Spanish

Justin is finally viewing an apartment in El Laurel, and the landlord has the contract ready. Before signing anything, Justin asks the questions every renter should know.

By the end of this lesson, you'll ask about the length of the lease, repairs, notice, extra fees, and applications, all in polite Spanish.

By the end of this lesson

Ask about the lease, repairs, notice, extra fees, and applications.

  • ¿Por cuánto tiempo es el contrato?How long is the lease?
  • ¿Quién se encarga de las reparaciones?Who handles repairs?
  • ¿Puedo ver una copia del contrato antes de firmar?Can I see a copy of the lease before I sign?
  • ¿Con cuánto tiempo tengo que avisar si me voy?How much notice if I move out?
  • ¿Hay cargos extra?Are there extra fees?
  • Quisiera llenar una solicitudI'd like to fill out an application

Scene — the apartment visit

Saturday afternoon in El Laurel. Justin is standing in an empty apartment while the landlord, a friendly man with a folder under his arm, shows him around.

The kitchen faucet drips a little, which turns out to be useful for one of Justin's questions.

A printed contract sits on the counter between them.

A friendly landlord with a folder shows Justin around a bright empty apartment with a contract on the counter, while Yako sits nearby on two chairs.

Learn — lease questions

Six questions that protect you before you sign anything: how long, who fixes, can I read it, how much notice, extra fees, and the application.

Learn them as whole pieces; they'll come out fast when you need them.

  1. Justin holds up a hand and asks the landlord how long the lease is.

    ¿Por cuánto tiempo es el contrato?

    How long is the lease?

    When to use it: Ask this before signing any rental agreement.

    Contrato means contract, and here it's the lease.

  2. Justin points at the dripping kitchen faucet and asks who handles repairs.

    ¿Quién se encarga de las reparaciones?

    Who handles repairs?

    When to use it: Ask who is responsible for fixing things in the place.

    Se encarga de means handles or takes care of.

  3. Justin picks up the contract from the counter, asking to read it before signing.

    ¿Puedo ver una copia del contrato antes de firmar?

    Can I see a copy of the lease before I sign?

    When to use it: Say this when you want to read paperwork before committing.

    Antes de firmar means before signing.

  4. Justin, contract in hand, asks how much notice he must give if he moves out.

    ¿Con cuánto tiempo tengo que avisar si me voy?

    How much notice if I move out?

    When to use it: Ask this to learn how much warning you must give to leave.

    Avisar means to give notice, and it's an infinitive after tengo que.

  5. Justin raises a cautious finger and asks whether there are extra fees.

    ¿Hay cargos extra?

    Are there extra fees?

    When to use it: Ask this about hidden costs like deposits or service charges.

    Cargos extra means extra charges.

  6. Justin, smiling and holding a pen, says he would like to fill out an application.

    Quisiera llenar una solicitud

    I'd like to fill out an application

    When to use it: Say this politely to start an application process.

    Quisiera softens a request, like I'd like.

    Say it: kee-SYEH-rah

Story — reading before signing

Watch Justin work through the contract before he signs anything. The highlighted lines are the questions you just learned.

Turn on Show English if the landlord's answers go by too fast.

  1. Saturday afternoon. An empty apartment in El Laurel, and a dripping kitchen faucet.
  2. The landlordBuenas tardes. Pase, este es el departamento.Good afternoon. Come in, this is the apartment.
  3. JustinBuenas tardes. ¿Por cuánto tiempo es el contrato?Good afternoon. How long is the lease?
  4. The landlordDoce meses. Después puede renovar si quiere.Twelve months. After that you can renew if you'd like.
  5. Justin¿Quién se encarga de las reparaciones?Who handles repairs?
  6. The landlordYo me encargo de todo, menos los focos.I handle everything, except light bulbs.
  7. Justin points at the dripping faucet, and the landlord nods, sheepish.
  8. Justin¿Puedo ver una copia del contrato antes de firmar?Can I see a copy of the lease before I sign?
  9. The landlordClaro. Le mando el documento hoy por correo.Of course. I'll send you the document today by email.
  10. Justin¿Con cuánto tiempo tengo que avisar si me voy?How much notice do I have to give if I move out?
  11. The landlordUn mes antes. Es lo normal aquí.One month before. That's normal around here.
  12. Justin¿Hay cargos extra?Are there extra fees?
  13. The landlordSolo el depósito y el primer mes.Just the deposit and the first month.
  14. Justin¿Cuánto cuesta la renta?How much is the rent?
  15. The landlordNueve mil pesos al mes, con agua incluida.Nine thousand pesos a month, water included.
  16. JustinSuena bien. Quisiera llenar una solicitud.Sounds good. I'd like to fill out an application.
  17. The landlordPerfecto. Le traigo el formato y arreglamos esa llave.Perfect. I'll bring the form, and we'll fix that faucet.

Practice — ask it yourself

Ten exercises are waiting here: listening, matching, filling gaps, and building lines yourself.

They move from easy to hard, and each one rehearses a question you'd really ask a landlord.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    ¿Puedo ver una copia del contrato antes de firmar?Drop the English here
    ¿Hay cargos extra?Drop the English here
    ¿Cuánto cuesta la renta?Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Spanish, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    The shower in the apartment you're viewing is broken. Ask the landlord who takes care of things like that.

  4. Fill the gap

    How much notice if I move out?

    ¿Con cuánto tiempo tengo que ____ si me voy?

  5. What does it mean?

    Quisiera llenar una solicitud

  6. Swap the word

    Don't ask when you have to leave today. Ask how much notice you must give before moving out.

    ¿Con cuánto tiempo tengo que ____ si me voy?

  7. What do you say?

    The landlord has a printed contract with him, but you want to sit down and read it before you commit to anything.

  8. True or false?

    You ask this to find out the monthly cost of living in a place.

  9. True or false?

    You say this when you want to fill out an application.

  10. Build the line

    I'd like to fill out an application

    Tap the words in order.

Say it — your turn with the landlord

Now you're Justin, visiting the apartment. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and ask the landlord your question.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the model line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. The landlordBuenas tardes. Este es el departamento.Good afternoon. This is the apartment.
  2. Justin (you)Ask how long the lease is.

    ¿Por cuánto tiempo es el contrato?

    How long is the lease?

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
¿Por cuánto tiempo es el contrato?How long is the lease?
¿Quién se encarga de las reparaciones?Who handles repairs?
¿Puedo ver una copia del contrato antes de firmar?Can I see a copy of the lease before I sign?
¿Con cuánto tiempo tengo que avisar si me voy?How much notice if I move out?
¿Hay cargos extra?Are there extra fees?
Quisiera llenar una solicitudI'd like to fill out an application
Next: lesson 193The shower's broken

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these lease questions handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your apartment questions ready before you sign anything.

Open Yak Cards