Neighbours and your building in Spanish: the porter, the fees, the lift, the noise and the meeting in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Living in a Spanish-speaking building means small exchanges every day with people whose names you do not know. The man at the desk takes in your parcels, and the neighbour above you plays music late. This page has the words for the building and the people in it, the fees and the meetings, how to raise a complaint, and what the other person will say to you, with what changes between Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
The building and the parts of it
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The building | el edificio | |
| The flat, the apartment | el piso (Spain) / el departamento (Mexico, Argentina) / el apartamento (Colombia) | El apartamento is understood in all four |
| Block of flats | el bloque (Spain) / el conjunto (Colombia) / el complejo | Colombia says conjunto residencial |
| The entrance hall | el portal (Spain) / la entrada / el lobby | Colombia and Mexico use el lobby |
| The lift | el ascensor / el elevador (Mexico) | |
| The stairs | las escaleras | |
| The ground floor | la planta baja / el primer piso (Colombia) | See the note below |
| The roof terrace | la azotea / la terraza | |
| The car park | el garaje / el parqueadero (Colombia) / la cochera (Mexico, Argentina) / el estacionamiento | |
| The bins | el cuarto de basuras / el shut (Colombia) | Colombia calls the rubbish chute room el shut |
| The letterbox | el buzón | |
| The intercom | el telefonillo or el portero automático (Spain) / el interfón (Mexico) / el citófono (Colombia) / el portero eléctrico (Argentina) | Four different words for the same thing |
| The neighbour | el vecino / la vecina | |
| Upstairs neighbour | el vecino de arriba | |
| The landlord | el casero (Spain) / el arrendador / el dueño / el propietario |
People get caught out by floor numbers. In Spain, Mexico and Argentina the street level is la planta baja and the floor above it is the first. In Colombia the street level is usually el primer piso, so a Colombian segundo piso is a Spanish primera planta. In a lift, say the number and let them press it.
The person at the door
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What they are called | el portero, el conserje | el portero, la portera, el conserje | el portero, el vigilante, el celador | el encargado, el portero |
| Where they sit | la recepción | la portería | la portería or la celaduría | la portería |
Encargado is the Argentine word and worth learning on day one. The encargado of a Buenos Aires building takes deliveries, runs the rubbish, knows everything and is addressed by name.
In Colombia the person on the desk is usually a vigilante or celador from a security company, and portería is where everything arrives. In Spain a portero or portera works for the community and often lives in the building. In Mexico you can say either conserje or portero.
Call them señor or señora until you know the name, then use the name. Don and doña with the first name is warm and common in Mexico and Colombia: don Julio, doña Rosa.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning, how are you? | Buenos días, ¿cómo está? | usted is right here in all four |
| I’m in flat 3B | Vivo en el 3B. | |
| I’m expecting a parcel | Estoy esperando un paquete. | |
| Could you take it in for me? | ¿Me lo puede recibir? | |
| Could you leave it at the desk? | ¿Lo puede dejar en portería? | |
| Did anything come for me? | ¿Llegó algo para mí? | |
| Someone is coming to fix the boiler | Va a venir alguien a arreglar la caldera. | Spain, Argentina |
| Someone is coming to fix the water heater | Va a venir alguien a arreglar el bóiler. | Mexico. Colombia: el calentador |
| Let them up, please | Déjelo subir, por favor. | |
| I’ve locked myself out | Me quedé afuera, se me olvidaron las llaves. | Spain: me he quedado fuera, se me han olvidado las llaves |
| Do you have the spare key? | ¿Tiene la llave de repuesto? | |
| Thank you very much | Muchas gracias, muy amable. |
The fees and who runs the building
Four countries, four words for the money you pay every month.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The monthly fee | la cuota de mantenimiento | la comunidad or los gastos de comunidad | la administración | las expensas |
| The community of owners | el condominio | la comunidad de propietarios | la copropiedad | el consorcio |
| The manager | el administrador | el administrador de fincas | el administrador | el administrador |
| The meeting | la asamblea de condóminos | la junta de propietarios or la reunión de la comunidad | la asamblea de copropietarios | la asamblea de consorcio |
| The rules | el reglamento interno | los estatutos | el manual de convivencia | el reglamento de copropiedad |
Note the shortcuts people actually use. A Spaniard says pago 80 de comunidad. A Colombian says ya pagó la administración, using the same word for the fee and the office. An Argentine says subieron las expensas, which is a sentence you will hear constantly. A Mexican says la cuota or el mantenimiento.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| How much is the monthly fee? | ¿De cuánto es la cuota? | |
| Is the fee included in the rent? | ¿Las expensas están incluidas? | Argentina |
| Is the community fee included? | ¿La comunidad está incluida? | Spain |
| When do I pay? | ¿Cuándo se paga? | |
| Where do I pay? | ¿Dónde se paga? | |
| Who is the manager? | ¿Quién es el administrador? | |
| I want to report a problem | Quiero reportar un problema. / Quiero dar parte de una avería. (Spain) | |
| There’s a leak | Hay una fuga. (Spain, Mexico, Colombia) / Hay una gotera. (a leak from above) / Hay una pérdida de agua. (Argentina) | |
| The lift is out of order | El ascensor está averiado. (Spain) / está descompuesto (Mexico) / está dañado (Colombia) / no anda (Argentina) | |
| There’s no water | No hay agua. | |
| The light in the stairwell is out | Se fundió la luz de la escalera. (Spain) / se quemó la luz (Latin America) |
The meeting
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| When is the meeting? | ¿Cuándo es la asamblea? / ¿Cuándo es la junta? (Spain) | |
| Do I have to go? | ¿Hay que ir? | |
| I’m a tenant, not an owner | Soy inquilino, no propietario. | Tenants can usually attend without a vote |
| I can’t come, can I give a proxy? | No puedo ir, ¿puedo dar poder? | Spain says dar la representación |
| I agree | Estoy de acuerdo. | |
| I’d like to say something | Quisiera decir algo. | |
| Can we vote on it? | ¿Lo podemos votar? | |
| It was approved | Se aprobó. |
Building meetings are long and in fast Spanish, and the fee rise is decided there. If you rent, you can usually go and listen without a vote. If you own, the vote matters and the minutes, el acta, come round afterwards.
Noise, and how to complain
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sorry to bother you | Perdón que le moleste. | Open with this |
| Could I ask you a favour? | ¿Le puedo pedir un favor? | |
| I can hear the music through the wall | Se oye la música por la pared. | |
| It’s a bit loud | Está un poco fuerte. | Understating it is the strategy |
| Could you turn it down a bit? | ¿Podría bajarle un poquito? | |
| I have to get up early | Me tengo que levantar temprano. | |
| The baby is asleep | El bebé está durmiendo. | |
| Sorry, we had people over | Perdón, teníamos gente en casa. | Your line when it is you |
| It won’t happen again | No vuelve a pasar. | |
| We’re having work done | Estamos de obras. (Spain) / Estamos en remodelación. | Warn the neighbours before it starts |
| It’ll be two weeks | Son dos semanas. | |
| Your dog barks at night | El perro ladra de noche. | |
| Someone parked in my space | Alguien se estacionó en mi lugar. (Mexico) / aparcó en mi plaza (Spain) / parqueó en mi parqueadero (Colombia) / estacionó en mi cochera (Argentina) | |
| I’ll speak to the manager | Voy a hablar con la administración. | The escalation, and the polite one |
Knock before you complain, and complain about the noise rather than the person. In all four countries, perdón que le moleste, ¿le puedo pedir un favor? is most of what you need. Going straight to the porter or the administration over a first offence is read as cold in Spain and Argentina, where the expectation is that neighbours sort it out between themselves.
Quiet hours are set locally. In Spain the hours for building work in a flat are set by the town hall, and a loud party at night is what neighbours call the police about. In Argentina and Colombia, quiet hours are written into the reglamento or the manual de convivencia, so ask the encargado or the portería what the rules are in your building.
What your neighbours will say
| What you hear | Where | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Buenas. | Everywhere | Hello, at any hour. The lift greeting |
| ¿Sube? / ¿Baja? | Everywhere | Going up? Going down? Answer sí or voy para abajo |
| ¿Qué piso? / ¿A qué planta? | Latin America / Spain | Which floor? They will press it for you |
| Con permiso. | Mexico, Colombia | Excuse me, said when squeezing past or leaving the lift |
| Siga, siga. | Colombia | Go ahead, after you, come in |
| Pase usted. | Spain, Mexico | After you |
| Que esté muy bien. | Colombia | Have a good one |
| Que descanse. | Everywhere | Rest well, said in the evening |
| Hasta luego. | Spain | Said on leaving a lift, a shop, anywhere |
| ¿Es usted el del tercero? | Spain | Are you the one from the third floor |
| ¿Usted es nuevo en el edificio? | Colombia, Mexico | Are you new in the building |
| Cualquier cosa, me avisa. | Colombia, Mexico | Anything you need, tell me |
| Cortaron el agua. / Se fue el agua. | Everywhere / Mexico | The water has been cut off |
| Mañana cortan la luz. | Everywhere | The power is off tomorrow |
| Hay asamblea el jueves. | Latin America | There is a meeting on Thursday |
With neighbours, Spaniards use tú from the first hello and Argentines use vos. Colombians stay with usted, including with a neighbour they like. Mexicans start at usted with anyone older and move to tú when that person does.
Greeting in the lift is not optional in any of the four. Getting in and saying nothing is noticed.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Buenos días, vivo en el 3B, ¿llegó algo para mí? Good morning, I live in 3B, did anything come for me?
- ¿Me lo puede recibir si llega en la tarde? Could you take it in if it arrives this afternoon?
- ¿De cuánto son las expensas? How much is the monthly fee? (Argentina)
- ¿La comunidad está incluida en el alquiler? Is the community fee included in the rent? (Spain)
- Ya pagué la administración de este mes. I’ve paid this month’s fee. (Colombia)
- El elevador está descompuesto otra vez. The lift is out of order again. (Mexico)
- Perdón que le moleste, ¿podría bajarle un poquito a la música? Sorry to bother you, could you turn the music down a bit?
- Estamos de obras dos semanas, perdón por el ruido. We’re having work done for two weeks, sorry about the noise. (Spain)
- ¿Cuándo es la asamblea? ¿Hay que ir? When is the meeting? Do I have to go?
- Buenas. ¿Sube? Al quinto, gracias. Hello. Going up? Fifth floor, thanks.
Questions people ask
What do I call the porter? Portero or conserje in Spain and Mexico, vigilante or celador in Colombia, encargado in Argentina. Use señor or señora until you know the name, then the name, or don and doña with the first name in Mexico and Colombia.
What are “expensas”? The monthly building charge in Argentina, covering the encargado, cleaning, lifts and repairs. It is separate from rent and often large, so ask ¿las expensas están incluidas? before signing anything.
Why do Colombians say “administración” for money? Because the fee is named after the office that collects it. Pagar la administración means paying the monthly charge, and hablar con la administración means speaking to the manager.
Is the first floor the ground floor? In Colombia, usually yes. In Spain, Mexico and Argentina the ground floor is la planta baja and the first floor is above it.
How do I ask a neighbour to take a parcel? ¿Le puedo pedir un favor? ¿Me puede recibir un paquete mañana? In buildings with a desk, the parcel goes to portería and nobody needs asking.
Do I have to go to the building meeting? Owners should. Tenants usually may attend without voting. The fee rise and the repairs are decided there, so on that one evening a year your bills are decided.
How do I complain about noise politely? Knock, open with perdón que le moleste, name the noise and not the neighbour, and ask small: ¿podría bajarle un poquito? Escalate to the administration only if it repeats.
What is a “conjunto”? In Colombia, a gated group of residential blocks with shared security, a conjunto residencial. In Spain something similar is una urbanización, and in Mexico un fraccionamiento for the housing-estate version.
Practise these words
vecino, edificio, piso, portero, ascensor, escalera, llave, paquete, ruido, molestar, cuota, reunión, arreglar. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.