Buildings and premises in Spanish
21 words in Spanish on the topic “buildings and premises”: el parque — park, la biblioteca — library, el museo — museum, el teatro — theater. 21 words can be played from recordings.
21 words on the topic
- el parqueparkMasculine even ending in -e. El parque de atracciones — an amusement park
- la bibliotecalibraryThe false friend in reverse: la librería is a bookshop, not a library
- el museomuseumMasculine. Many Spanish museums are free at set hours: entrada gratuita
- el teatrotheaterThe building and the art form. Hacer teatro figuratively means to put on an act
- el cinecinemaBoth the movie house and film as art. Ir al cine — to go to the movies
- la iglesiachurchThe building and the church as an institution. A big cathedral is la catedral
- el estadiostadiumMasculine. The same word means a stage of a process, though in that sense etapa is more usual
- la embajadaembassyThe consulate is a separate word: el consulado, masculine
- la comisaríapolice stationLiterally a 'commissariat'. This is where you go to file a theft report
- el ayuntamientocity hallThe building and the city government alike. The mayor is el alcalde
- la estación de autobusesbus stationThe intercity kind; a city bus stop is la parada. In Mexico the same place is la central camionera
- el embarcaderopierWhere you board a small boat. A real port with ships is el puerto
- la casa de cambiocurrency exchangeLiterally a house of exchange. On the sign it's usually the single word Cambio, no article
- el zoozooIn Spain the short el zoo; in Latin America the full el zoológico is more common
- el circocircusWorks for a mess too, just like in English: que circo! — what a circus!
- el parque de bomberosfire stationParque here is not a park but where the trucks park. The firefighters themselves are los bomberos, from la bomba, a pump
- el lavadero de cochescar washIn Latin America el lavadero de autos; Mexico collapses it into one word, el autolavado
- la agencia de viajestravel agencyLiterally an agency of trips: the word turístico never appears in the name
- la calle principalmain streetPrincipal as in most important. Calle Mayor means the same, but there it's a proper name
- la taquilla de billetesticket officeThe same word as a locker in a changing room, which is why at stations they add de billetes. A shop's till is la caja
- la salahallA big room for people: la sala de espera, la sala de conciertos. The living room at home is el salón, a gym is el gimnasio
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
el parque — park. Masculine even ending in -e. El parque de atracciones — an amusement park.
la biblioteca — library. The false friend in reverse: la librería is a bookshop, not a library.
el museo — museum. Masculine. Many Spanish museums are free at set hours: entrada gratuita.
el teatro — theater. The building and the art form. Hacer teatro figuratively means to put on an act.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is el parque — park.
- What is this word?
It is la iglesia — church.
- What is this word?
It is la estación de autobuses — bus station.
- What is this word?
It is el parque de bomberos — fire station.
- What is this word?
It is la sala — hall.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “park” in Spanish?
Masculine even ending in -e. El parque de atracciones — an amusement park
- How do you say “church” in Spanish?
The building and the church as an institution. A big cathedral is la catedral
- How do you say “bus station” in Spanish?
The intercity kind; a city bus stop is la parada. In Mexico the same place is la central camionera
- How do you say “fire station” in Spanish?
Parque here is not a park but where the trucks park. The firefighters themselves are los bomberos, from la bomba, a pump
- How do you say “hall” in Spanish?
A big room for people: la sala de espera, la sala de conciertos. The living room at home is el salón, a gym is el gimnasio
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Where to go and what is done there. These words are read off a sign more often than they are spoken.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “park” in Spanish?
«el parque». Masculine even ending in -e. El parque de atracciones — an amusement park. It is one of 21 words in the set “buildings and premises” — the rest are in the table above.
How many words for buildings and places do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 21 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 21 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.