A2 · ElementaryAdapted from Expansión

Are House Prices Going Up or Down?

¿Suben o bajan los precios de las casas?

Aug 30, 20261 min readGraded Spanish · word-by-word audio

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Cada vez hay menos compradores que pueden pagar los precios actuales de las casas. Por eso, las ventas han bajado un poco.

En las grandes ciudades, el precio del alquiler también está bajando. Esto es una buena noticia para los inquilinos. Pero los dueños de pisos no están contentos.

Este año, el mercado de la vivienda está cambiando. Si quieres comprar una casa, quizás puedes encontrar una oportunidad. Pero es importante comparar y pensar bien.

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Watch out, English speaker

English speakers often use the simple past (bajaron) for recent events, but Spanish requires the present perfect (han bajado) when the time frame is still open or connected to now, especially with words like ya, todavía, or este año. Think of it as 'they have gone down' rather than 'they went down.' English uses the present progressive (is going down) for actions in progress, and Spanish does too with estar + gerund (está bajando). But be careful: Spanish does not use this form for future plans as often as English does (I'm going tomorrow → estoy yendo mañana is wrong; use ir a + infinitive). Spanish vocabulary can be tricky: 'alquiler' means both 'rent' (the payment) and 'rental' (the act), while English distinguishes them. Also, 'inquilino' is a tenant, not a landlord—'dueño' is the owner or landlord. Don't mix them up!

Key vocabulary

compradorm./f.
buyer
“Hay menos compradores en el mercado.”— There are fewer buyers in the market.
Pattern comprador potencial potential buyer
Compare cliente customer
Plural forms are compradores/compradoras
💡 Formed from the verb comprar (to buy) plus the suffix -dor, indicating a person who performs the action.
preciom.
price
“El precio de la casa es muy alto.”— The price of the house is very high.
Pattern precio razonable reasonable price
Compare valor value
Plural form is precios
💡 Cognate with English price; note that the 'c' in Spanish 'precio' is pronounced like 's'.
ventaf.
sale, sales
“Las ventas de coches han subido.”— Car sales have gone up.
Pattern en venta for sale
Compare comercialización commercialization
Plural form is ventas
💡 Derived from the verb vender (to sell); note it contrasts with 'compra' (buy).
bajarv.
to go down, to lower
“Los precios bajan en verano.”— Prices go down in summer.
Pattern bajar de precio to lower the price
Compare descender to descend
Regular -ar verb, conjugation: bajo, bajas, baja, bajamos, bajáis, bajan
💡 Antonym is subir (to rise); be careful to distinguish 'bajar' from 'bajo' (short).
alquilerm.
rent, rental
“El alquiler de mi piso es caro.”— The rent for my apartment is expensive.
Pattern pagar el alquiler to pay the rent
Compare renta rent
Plural form is alquileres
💡 Same root as the verb alquilar (to rent); note that 'alquiler' is a noun and 'alquilar' is a verb.
inquilinom./f.
tenant
“Los inquilinos pagan cada mes.”— Tenants pay every month.
Pattern inquilino de piso apartment tenant
Compare arrendatario tenant
Feminine form is inquilina, plural forms are inquilinos/inquilinas
💡 Related to 'arrendar' (to rent), but more commonly used; note it contrasts with 'dueño' (landlord).
dueñom./f.
owner, landlord
“El dueño del piso es muy amable.”— The owner of the apartment is very friendly.
Pattern ser dueño de to own
Compare propietario owner
Feminine form is dueña, plural forms are dueños/dueñas
💡 Note the pronunciation of 'ñ', similar to English 'ny', as in 'canyon'.
mercadom.
market
“El mercado de trabajo está cambiando.”— The job market is changing.
Pattern mercado inmobiliario real estate market
Compare plaza square (market)
Plural form is mercados
💡 Cognate with English market; note that 'c' before 'e' is pronounced like 's'.

Grammar spotlight

Present perfect: haber + past participle

Used to describe recent actions or states, often with words like 'ya', 'todavía', or 'este año'. For example, 'han bajado' means 'have gone down'.

“las ventas han bajado un poco”— Sales have gone down a little.

⚠️ Don't confuse it with the simple past; the present perfect emphasizes a connection to the present.

estar + present participle (progressive)

Used to describe an action in progress. For example, 'está bajando' means 'is going down'.

“el precio del alquiler también está bajando”— The rent price is also going down.

⚠️ Note that the participle must agree with the subject, but here the singular form is used.

Sentence patterns to steal

Cada vez hay menos compradores que pueden pagar los precios actuales de las casas.
There are fewer and fewer buyers who can afford current house prices.
Cada vez hay menos + noun + que + verbThe noun can be replaced with 'estudiantes', 'turistas', etc., and the verb changes accordingly.
Es una buena noticia para los inquilinos.
It is good news for tenants.
Es una buena/mala noticia para + personThe adjective and the person can be replaced.
Es importante comparar y pensar bien.
It is important to compare and think carefully.
Es importante + infinitiveThe infinitive can be replaced with 'estudiar', 'descansar', etc.

Renting Culture in Spain

In Spain, many young people choose to rent rather than buy, especially in big cities like Madrid and Barcelona. In recent years, rising rents have become a hot topic in society, and the government has introduced some rent control measures.

Source: Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) and news reports

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