El alquiler también tiene un problema: hay menos casas para alquilar. Entre 2018 y 2025, España perdió 393.000 viviendas en alquiler, un 43% menos. Además, los costes de construcción suben. En 2021 y 2022, la inflación fue muy alta por el Covid y la energía. El índice de costes de construcción crece un 4,8% al año. Todo esto hace que la vivienda sea un problema económico y social muy importante.
A2 · ElementaryAdapted from Expansión
Spain's Housing Crisis: Supply, Demand & Prices
La vivienda en España: oferta, demanda y precios
Nov 1, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio
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España tiene un problema grande con la vivienda. Entre 2018 y 2025, la población creció en 2,5 millones de personas. Pero solo se construyeron 700.000 viviendas. Así, hay más o menos un millón de casas de diferencia entre la oferta y la demanda. Por eso, los precios suben mucho.
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Watch out, English speaker
Spanish often uses 'se + third-person verb' for passive meaning, while English typically uses a passive form with 'be + past participle' or an active subject. For example, 'se construyeron 700.000 viviendas' means '700,000 homes were built,' not 'they built themselves.' English speakers might mistakenly add an agent or use a reflexive translation like 'built themselves,' which is incorrect here.
In Spanish, 'se' can also indicate an impersonal subject, similar to English 'one' or 'they' in a general sense. However, English learners may overuse 'they' or 'people' when the Spanish sentence has no explicit subject. For instance, 'Se dice que...' translates as 'It is said that...' rather than 'They say that...' in formal contexts, though both are possible. The key is to recognize that 'se' often removes the need for a subject altogether.
Key vocabulary
- viviendaf.
housing, dwelling
“España tiene un problema grande con la vivienda.”— Spain has a big problem with housing.
Pattern precio de la vivienda housing price
Compare casa f. house
Plural: viviendas
💡 From Latin vivenda, meaning 'a place where one should live'; related to vivir (to live).
- ofertaf.
supply
“Hay un millón de casas de diferencia entre la oferta y la demanda.”— There is a difference of one million homes between supply and demand.
Pattern ley de oferta y demanda law of supply and demand
Compare suministro m. supply
Plural: ofertas
💡 Note the distinction from oferta meaning 'deal'; here it refers to supply in economics.
- demandaf.
demand
“La demanda de vivienda es muy alta.”— The demand for housing is very high.
Pattern alta demanda high demand
Compare petición f. request
Plural: demandas
💡 From the verb demandar (to demand); in economics it is the opposite of oferta.
- preciom.
price
“Los precios suben mucho.”— Prices are rising a lot.
Pattern subir de precio to go up in price
Compare coste m. cost
Plural: precios
💡 Common collocation: a buen precio (at a good price).
- alquilerm.
rent, rental
“El precio del alquiler subió un 14,7%.”— The rental price went up by 14.7%.
Pattern precio del alquiler rental price
Compare renta f. rent
Plural: alquileres
💡 The verb alquilar means 'to rent out/to rent'; the noun alquiler refers to rent or the act of renting.
- construirv.
to build, construct
“Solo se construyeron 700.000 viviendas.”— Only 700,000 homes were built.
Pattern construir viviendas to build housing
Compare edificar v. to build
Indicative Present: construyo, construyes, construye...; Simple Past: construí, construiste, construyó...
💡 Note the irregular conjugation: construyo (I build).
- costem.
cost
“Los costes de construcción suben.”— Construction costs are rising.
Pattern costes de construcción construction costs
Compare costo m. cost (common in Latin America)
Plural: costes
💡 Coste is common in Spain; costo is common in Latin America.
- inflaciónf.
inflation
“La inflación fue muy alta por el Covid y la energía.”— Inflation was very high due to Covid and energy.
Pattern alta inflación high inflation
Compare aumento de precios rise in prices
Plural: inflaciones
💡 From Latin inflatio, meaning 'swelling'.
Grammar spotlight
Passive voice: se + third-person verb
A2In Spanish, 'se + third-person verb' is commonly used to express the passive voice, emphasizing the action itself without specifying the agent. For example: se construyeron 700.000 viviendas (700,000 homes were built).
“Solo se construyeron 700.000 viviendas.”— Only 700,000 homes were built.
⚠️ Make sure the verb agrees in number with the subject (700.000 viviendas), using the plural construyeron.
Sentence patterns to steal
España tiene un problema grande con la vivienda.
Spain has a big problem with housing.
某地 tiene un problema grande con + nounReplace 'la vivienda' with other nouns, such as el empleo (employment).Por eso, los precios suben mucho.
So, prices are rising a lot.
Por eso, + resultReplace the result part, e.g., 'la gente no compra' (people don't buy).Todo esto hace que la vivienda sea un problema económico y social muy importante.
All this makes housing a very important economic and social problem.
Todo esto hace que + noun + sea + adjectiveReplace the noun and adjective, e.g., 'el transporte sea caro' (transport is expensive).
Housing pressure in Spain
In recent years, rents in major Spanish cities such as Madrid and Barcelona have continued to rise, making it difficult for many young people to rent on their own. According to data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), rents increased by about 7% year-on-year in 2023, and housing has become an important social issue locally.
Source: 西班牙国家统计局（INE）2023年数据
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