12.3 Household chores and responsibilities

Household chores are a key part of daily routines. In Spanish, we learn vocabulary for tasks like washing dishes, vacuuming, and doing laundry. We also explore how to describe responsibilities and express frequency and obligation.

Understanding household chores in Spanish helps us talk about our daily lives. We'll cover how to assign tasks, ask about chores, and discuss who's responsible for what. This knowledge is crucial for describing our home routines and family dynamics.

Household chores in Spanish

Key vocabulary

• lavar los platos (wash the dishes)
• poner la mesa (set the table)
• pasar la aspiradora (vacuum)
• sacar la basura (take out the trash)
• limpiar el baño (clean the bathroom)
• cortar el césped (mow the lawn)
• lavar la ropa (do laundry)
• planchar la ropa (iron clothes)
• cocinar (cook)
• hacer las camas (make the beds)

Describing responsibilities

• Responsibilities are described using infinitive verb forms
  • comprar comida (buy groceries)
  • cuidar a los niños (take care of the children)
  • regar las plantas (water the plants)
• Infinitive verbs allow for a general description of the task without specifying who performs it

Frequency and obligation

Adverbs of frequency

• siempre (always)
• a menudo (often)
• a veces (sometimes)
• rara vez (rarely)
• nunca (never)
• una vez a la semana (once a week)
• dos veces al mes (twice a month)

Expressing obligation

• Use tener que + infinitive to express "to have to do something"
  • "Tengo que lavar los platos" (I have to wash the dishes)
• Use deber + infinitive to express "should/must do something"
  • "Debo cortar el césped" (I should mow the lawn)
• Hay que + infinitive expresses an impersonal obligation
  • "Hay que sacar la basura" (The trash needs to be taken out)
  • This construction implies a general sense of obligation without specifying who is responsible

Household task division

Using possessive adjectives

• Indicate who is responsible for each task using possessive adjectives
  • mi (my)
  • tu (your)
  • su (his/her/their)
  • nuestro/a (our)
  • vuestro/a (your plural)
• Examples:
  • "Mi hermano pone la mesa" (My brother sets the table)
  • "Nuestra madre cocina la cena" (Our mother cooks dinner)
  • "Su padre lava la ropa" (His/Her father does the laundry)

Assigning tasks with "tocar"

• Use the verb tocar to assign tasks or indicate whose turn it is
  • "Me toca pasar la aspiradora" (It's my turn to vacuum)
  • "A mi hermana le toca limpiar el baño" (It's my sister's turn to clean the bathroom)
• Tocar is often used with indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) to specify the person

Asking about chores

Asking about frequency

• Use "¿Con qué frecuencia...?" (How often...?) followed by the verb in the present tense
  • "¿Con qué frecuencia lavas los platos?" (How often do you wash the dishes?)
• Respond with an adverb of frequency or a specific time expression
  • "Lavo los platos todos los días" (I wash the dishes every day)
  • "Pongo la mesa una vez a la semana" (I set the table once a week)

Asking who is responsible

• Use "¿Quién...?" (Who...?) followed by the verb in the present tense
  • "¿Quién saca la basura?" (Who takes out the trash?)
• Respond with a family member or personal pronoun
  • "Mi padre saca la basura" (My father takes out the trash)
  • "Yo saco la basura" (I take out the trash)