Your Landlord Won't Answer: Spanish Speaking Practice (B1)
Speaking practice you do out loud — read the situation, take each prompt, and SAY your answer before you open the model one. Nobody's listening; that's the point of the rehearsal.
Read the conversation first — a full repair call with the English under every line. Then come back here: these six prompts put you on that phone, without a script in front of you.
This is B1 territory because the situation demands it: courtesy under pressure runs on the conditional ("podría estar en casa", "¿le vendría bien?", "preferiría no llegar a eso") and on the subjunctive ("aunque lo encienda", "cuando pueda", "ojalá no haya que…"). The register is usted throughout — firmness and formality are teammates in Spanish, not opposites. Say each answer out loud before opening the model one; the pause you feel before prompt five is exactly the muscle this page trains.
Make it real
The written-world version of this fight — contracts, deposits, what the owner must pay — is our guide to Spanish for renting an apartment, and the ghost-landlord case study (with a happier ending) is the story El casero fantasma. If phone calls themselves are the scary part, start with Spanish for phone calls.
Your turn — say it out loud
Leave a voicemail: say who you are, what's broken and since when, and ask for a call back.
Buenas tardes, soy la inquilina del quinto piso. Lo llamo porque la calefacción no funciona desde el lunes. Le agradecería que me devolviera la llamada cuando pueda.
He picks up. Describe the problem and what you already tried.
El radiador no calienta aunque lo encienda varias veces al día. Ya lo purgué y nada.
Negotiate the repair visit around your work schedule.
Por la mañana trabajo, pero podría estar en casa a partir de las cinco. ¿Le vendría bien al técnico a esa hora?
Confirm who pays — politely, but leaving no room for doubt.
Quisiera confirmar que el arreglo corre por cuenta del propietario, como corresponde.
The repairman didn't show up. Push, with a consequence on the table.
El técnico no vino el jueves. Si mañana no viene, tendría que descontarlo del alquiler. Preferiría no llegar a eso.
It's fixed. Close the conversation warmly — you still live in his building.
Ya funciona perfecto. Gracias por ocuparse. Ojalá no haya que llamar al técnico en mucho tiempo.
Glossary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el inquilino / la inquilina | the tenant |
| devolver la llamada | to call back |
| purgar el radiador | to bleed the radiator |
| el arreglo | the repair |
| correr por cuenta de | to be paid for by |
| descontar del alquiler | to deduct from the rent |
You've rehearsed it. Now say it to a person.
Prompts build the reflex; conversation builds the speaker. Live classes with native teachers are where your answers meet real replies.
Practice It Live