30 Words and Phrases to Discuss Chores in Spanish

Nobody enjoys chores, but we all have to do them—and sometimes talk about them. In fact, learning to talk about chores in Spanish is one of those things that will take you out of “basic survival” and into real communication.

If you get invited to a Spanish speaker’s house, for instance, imagine how great it’ll feel when you can offer to help your host wash the dishes. Read on to learn how to talk about chores in Spanish.

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Vocabulary for Chores in Spanish

There are a few basic ways to say “chores” in Spanish:

los quehaceres (chores)

las tareas domésticas (chores, or housework)

And here are some Spanish phrases for the most common household chores:

Spanish	English
cocinar	to cook
poner la mesa	to set the table
lavar los platos	to wash the dishes
vaciar el lavavajillas	to empty the dishwasher
sacar la basura	to take out the trash
barrer el piso	to sweep the floor
fregar el piso / trapear el piso	to mop the floor
pasar la aspiradora	to vacuum
limpiar el polvo	to dust
arreglar la casa	to tidy the house
limpiar	to clean
ordenar	to organize
lavar la ropa	to wash the clothes/do the laundry
planchar la ropa	to iron the clothes
cambiar las sábanas	to change the bedsheets
limpiar las ventanas	to wash/clean the windows
regar las plantas	to water the plants
cortar el césped	to mow the lawn
lavar el coche / lavar el auto	to wash the car

Spanish Chore Phrases with Irregular Verbs

There are also many chore phrases that use of common Spanish verbs such as hacer  (to do/to make), dar  (to give) and ir  (to go).

All three of these verbs are irregular, so you’ll want to take some extra time to learn their conjugations.

Here are a few phrases that use these three common irregular verbs:

Spanish	English
hacer la colada (Spain)	to do the laundry
hacer la cama	to make the bed
hacer la cena	to make dinner
hacer la compra	to do the shopping
ir de compras	to go shopping
ir al banco	to go to the bank
dar de comer a las mascotas	to feed the pets
dar un baño a las mascotas	to give the pets a bath

Using Chore Phrases in a Sentence

So, what do these chore phrases look like in a sentence?

They’ll change slightly depending on how you use them. You’ll have to conjugate your verbs in one of a few different ways.

Questions

To ask someone if they did a chore in the past, use the preterite form of the verb.

For example:

¿Cortaste el césped?
(Did you mow the lawn?)

To ask someone if they will do a chore in the future, conjugate the verb in the simple future tense, like so:

¿Sacarás la basura?
(Will you take out the trash?)

You can also use the verb poder (can/be able to) plus the infinitive to ask if someone will do a chore:

¿Puedes cambiar las sábanas?
(Can you change the bedsheets?)

And of course, you can be polite with your request by adding “please” to your question:

¿Puedes limpiar la cocina, por favor?
(Can you clean the kitchen, please?)

The Present Tense

Use the simple present tense to talk about doing a chore on a regular basis.

For example:

Yo paso la aspiradora todos los días.
(I vacuum every day.)

Yo siempre lavo la ropa.
(I always do the laundry.)

To talk about what someone else is doing, use the appropriate present tense ending:

Nosotros sacamos la basura.
(We take out the trash.)

Mi amigo siempre plancha la ropa.
(My friend always irons his clothes.)

On the other hand, to talk about a chore that you’re in the process of doing, use the present progressive tense:

Yo estoy sacando la basura ahora.
(I’m taking out the trash now.)

Ellos todavía están arreglando la casa.
(They are still tidying the house.)

The Imperative

Use verbs in the imperative form to tell someone else to do something.

This is very useful when talking about household chores, especially if you don’t feel like doing them!

¡Saca la basura!
(Take out the trash!)

¡Lava los platos!
(Wash the dishes!)

Remember, you can use the imperative while still being polite. It’s all about tone and minding your manners:

Mamá, por favor, cocina para nosotros.
(Mom, please cook for us.)

The Infinitive

Verbs are used in their infinitive form when they’re used with another verb.

You can use the infinitive to talk about likes and dislikes, for example:

Me gusta arreglar la casa.
(I like to tidy the house.)

No me gusta limpiar las ventanas.
(I don’t like to wash the windows.)

Le gusta barrer el piso.
(He likes to sweep the floor.)

You can also use it to talk about future tasks:

Pedro va a dar de comer a las mascotas.
(Pedro is going to feed the pets.)

Yo voy a poner la mesa.
(I am going to set the table.)

Yo voy a limpiar el polvo.
(I am going to dust.)

Tips for Learning and Practicing Chores in Spanish

Because chores are a big part of daily life, you’ll have many opportunities to use these vocabulary words. And the more you use them, the better you’ll remember them.

Try one or more of the following ways to practice.

Use Chore Words Around the House

This is a great method for those learning Spanish independently.

Label common household items to help you remember what they are. Put one on the vacuum cleaner, the door of the oven, the dish soap on the kitchen counter… Anywhere!

Insert chore phrases into conversation whenever possible. (“Don’t worry, Mom! I’m going to hacer la cama right now.”)

As a bonus, your family members or roommates may end up learning a few Spanish chore phrases with you!

Play a Game

Do you like to draw? Do you have friends who also want to practice their Spanish?

Play a game of Pictionary! It’s a great way to review—having fun will help the words stick.

For Pictionary, create a stack of index cards with the Spanish chore words written on them. Divide into teams.

Take turns picking a card and drawing a picture of the phrase on a whiteboard. (Remember: No words!) The drawer’s team member(s) will try to guess the correct phrase. Correct guesses get a point.

If you don’t like drawing, try a game of Charades instead. Team members must act out the chore instead of drawing it. (No verbal clues!)

Use Online Study Sites

Websites and apps give you access to Spanish vocabulary practice right on your favorite device. Get started with:

• SpanishDict. With the Household Chores vocabulary list, you can practice with flashcards and accompanying audio to help with proper pronunciation. There are also options for multiple-choice or free-response quizzes.
• StudyStack. Review Spanish chores with this pre-made flashcard deck. You can organize the cards based on those you know and those you need more practice with.
• Sporcle. This site has a wide selection of quizzes, including this quiz on Spanish chores. Type the correct Spanish phrase for the given English terms before time runs out. Best of all, you can practice as many times as you need to.
• Purpose Games. In this quiz about Spanish chores, match the Spanish phrase with the correct English translation. You can also practice using chore vocabulary in sentences.
• FluentU. The house vocabulary flashcard deck is linked to the language program’s library of Spanish movie trailers and other media clips, so you can learn directly from native speakers.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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With just a little instruction and practice, you can be well on your way to talking about those pesky but necessary quehaceres.

Happy learning!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)