Moving Day Vocabulary in Spanish: Pack Up Your House!

Ready to learn all about moving in Spanish? 

Moving to a new house, city, or country can be stressful—don’t let the language barrier pile up on it! 

After reading and practicing the contents of this post, you will be able to:

• Communicate with others about your needs and feelings
• Give directions and locations
• Ask for help
• Tell people where you are moving to
• Use basic phrases such as “I am moving” in Spanish

What’s more, you’ll find useful definitions, vocabulary, and example sentences to use on your moving day. 

I also offer some tips on how to conjugate the verb “to move” (mudar) so you can tell your Spanish-speaking friends how it’s going in present tense or how it was in past tense. 

¡Vamos a mudarnos!
Let’s move!

Moving in Spanish Basic Vocabulary 

Here is vocabulary to communicate instructions or to hire someone to help you with moving in Spanish. 

Practice the translation into Spanish of these words, as well as the example sentences designed to help you with this task. 

Parts of a House in Spanish

Here is a list of the most common parts in a house. It will come in handy to give indications to the movers, to label your boxes, or to ask for pricing on moving services. 

Spaces

English	Spanish
attic	el ático, el desván
basement	el sótano
bathroom	el baño
bedroom	la recámara, la habitación
dining room	el comedor
garage	la cochera, el garaje
garden	el jardín
house	la casa
kitchen	la cocina
laundry room	la lavandería, el cuarto de lavado
living room	la sala
porch	el pórtico, el porche
rooftop	la azotea, el techo
study	el estudio

Furniture

English	Spanish
bed	la cama
chairs	las sillas
couch	el sofá
door	la puerta
furniture	los muebles
keys	las llaves
stairs	las escaleras
table	las mesas

Example Sentences

Puse todas las sillas en la cochera para que no estorben. 
I put all the chairs in the garage so they won’t get in our way.

No encuentro las llaves de la casa. ¿Me ayudas a buscarlas en la cocina y en la sala?
I can’t find the house keys. Can you help me look for them in the kitchen and in the living room?

John dejó unas cajas en el porche junto a la puerta de entrada. ¿Puedes pasar por ellas?
John left some boxes on the porch, by the front door. Can you pick them up?

Todos los muebles ya están en el jardín.
All of the furniture is already out in the garden. 

Todo es un desorden; el sofá está en el comedor y la cama está al pie de las escaleras.
Everything is a mess; the couch is in the dining room, and the bed is at the bottom of the staircase.

El ático y el sótano están por fin vacíos. 
The attic and the basement are finally empty.

Materials, Packing, and Moving

In addition to the previous list, here is some vocabulary for your packing materials and labels. 

House Items

English	Spanish
address	la dirección
bath accessories	los artículos de baño
bedware	ropa de cama
books	los libros
clothes	la ropa
cookware	los utensilios de cocina
decorations	las decoraciones
fragile	frágil
tableware	la vajilla
things, stuff	las cosas
vases	los floreros

Moving Material

English	Spanish
adhesive tape	la cinta adhesiva
bags	las bolsas
boxes	las cajas
bubble wrap	el envoltorio (plástico) de burbujas
cardboard boxes	las cajas de cartón
labels	las etiquetas
markers	los plumones, los marcadores
moving truck	el camión de la mudanza
plastic bubbles	las burbujas de plástico

Example Sentences

Hay que envolver los floreros con envoltorio de burbujas. 
We must use bubble wrap for the vases.

¿Cuál es nuestra nueva dirección? Aún no la sé.
What is our new address? I haven’t learned it yet. 

Compraré cajas de cartón, cinta adhesiva y plumones negros. 
I will buy cardboard boxes, adhesive tape, and black markers.

Escribe “frágil” en las cajas que contienen decoraciones.
Write “fragile” on the boxes that contain decorations. 

Ninguna de las cajas con utensilios de cocina, vajilla y artículos de baño tiene etiquetas.
Neither of the boxes that contain the cookware, crockery and bathroom accessories have labels on them. 

Necesitamos más cajas para los libros; no podemos colocarlos en bolsas.
We need more boxes for the books; we can’t place them in bags.

Verbs Related to Moving in Spanish

Moving in Spanish might feel like a daunting task, but after mastering these vocabulary lists you will feel more comfortable and relaxed. Here are some verbs you will use throughout the moving process. 

Verbs You Use Before Moving

English	Spanish
to clean	limpiar
to dismantle	desarmar
to give away	regalar
to hire	contratar
to pack	empacar
to pick up	recoger
to sell	vender
to throw away	tirar
to wrap with plastic	emplayar

Verbs You Use During and After Moving

English	Spanish
to accomodate	acomodar
to carry	cargar
to help	ayudar
to keep (also, to put away, and to save)	guardar
to load	cargar
to move	mudar, also mover
to settle in	instalarse
to transport	transportar
to unpack	desempacar, desempaquetar, deshacer, sacar

Example Sentences with Verbs Mudarse, Mover, and Cargar

Before showing you example sentences, you probably noticed the verb “to move” has two meanings (mudarse, mover), and the verbs “to load” and “to carry” (cargar) have the same translation into Spanish.

Mudarse vs Mover

Después de mover todas mis cosas por fin me voy a mudar. 
After moving all of my stuff around I am finally moving out.

Por favor mueve esta caja lejos de la entrada; alguien se puede tropezar.
Please move these boxes away from the entrance; someone might trip.

Quisiera mudarme este fin de semana; cuánto antes mejor.
I would like to move this weekend; the sooner the better

Learn more: Mover vs Mudar: What’s the Difference Between These Two Spanish Verbs?

Cargar

The definition of “to load” as in “to load a truck” translates to cargar un camión, and “to carry” as in “to carry those boxes” translates to cargar esas cajas. The verb in Spanish has two different translations depending on the context.

Esas bolsas están muy pesadas; no las puedo cargar. 
These bags are too heavy; I can’t carry them.

Ya terminé de cargar el camión y ya estamos listos para irnos.
I already finished loading the truck, and we are ready to go now.

More Example Sentences Using Verbs From Above

Empezaré a desempacar una vez me instale.
I will start unpacking once I settle in. 

No tires tus cosas; conozco a alguien a quien se las puedes regalar.
Don’t throw away your stuff; I know someone you can give them to. 

Quiero limpiar todo antes de acomodarlo en su lugar.
I want to clean everything up before I put it in its place.

Ayúdame a desarmar esta mesa y recoge tus cosas del piso.
Help me dismantle this table and pick up your things from the floor.

Necesito contratar a alguien para que yo no tenga que empacar y transportar mis cosas.
I need to hire someone so that I don’t have to pack and transport my stuff myself.

¿Te vas a quedar con eso o lo vas a vender?
Are you keeping or selling that?

Feelings About Moving in Spanish

When you want to express that you are moving in Spanish, sometimes you want to accompany your words with feelings. Some find it a joyous occasion, others feel nostalgia. Since it is natural to have mixed feelings over this big change, here are some translations to Spanish so you can include them in your sentences:

English	Spanish
anxiety	la ansiedad
excitement	la emoción
happiness	la felicidad
joy	la alegría
nostalgia	la nostalgia
optimism	el optimismo
ready	estar listo
relief	el alivio
sadness	la tristeza
tiredness	el cansancio

Example Sentences

Me siento cansada después de mudarnos, pero estoy feliz de que se acabó.
I feel tired after moving, but I am happy that it is over.

Sentí nostalgia mientras empacaba, pero también emoción por esta nueva aventura. 
I felt nostalgic while I was packing, but also excited about this new adventure. 

Qué alivio sentí cuando viniste a ayudarme; me estaba poniendo ansiosa.
Such a relief I felt when you came to help me; I was getting anxious.

Es un poco triste por que nos estemos mudando, pero nada se compara con la alegría de estar más cerca de nuestros nietos. 
I am a bit sad that we are moving, but nothing compares to the joy of being closer to our grandkids.

¡Gracias por tu optimismo! Espero que acabemos de mudarnos pronto.
Thank you for your optimism! I hope we finish moving soon.

Estamos listos para mudarnos; ya todo está en cajas.
We are ready to move; everything is in boxes now. 

Where Are You Moving To? (¿A dónde te mudas?)

In English you use the verb “to move” next to different prepositions according to what you are trying to say.

• She is moving to Mexico.
• I am moving into a huge apartment.
• You are moving out of your house. 

It works similarly in Spanish, most of its uses translate into mudarse a, mudarse de, mudarse fuera de.

Example Sentences

Ella se está mudando a México. 
She is moving to Mexico.

Me estoy mudando a un departamento enorme. 
I am moving into a huge apartment.

Te estás mudando fuera de tu casa.
You are moving out of your house. 

Se está mudando de Texas.
He’s moving from Texas.

Telling Someone You Are Moving in Spanish

We will not delve into the moving in Spanish conjugation in this lesson, but you can check out this article about mudar vs mover. Rather, we will see some present, future, and past tense examples of how to tell someone you are moving.

Future Tense

Voy a mudarme en un mes.
I will move out in a month.

Ya no podré venir después porque me mudaré pronto.
I won’t be able to come later because I will be moving soon. 

Me mudaré en cuanto pueda.
I will move out as soon as I can.

Present Tense

No puedo ayudarte porque hoy me mudo.
I can’t help you because I’m moving today.

Me estoy mudando justo ahora; ¿le puedo regresar la llamada?
I am moving in right now; can I call you back?

Nos estamos mudando de casa, así que no podremos ir a tu fiesta. 
We are moving houses, so we will not be able to attend your party.

Past Tense

Me mudé la semana pasada pero no le dije a nadie. 
I moved last week, but didn’t tell anyone. 

Nos mudamos hace un mes pero todavía no me acostumbro a mi vecindario.
We moved a month ago, but I still haven’t gotten used to my neighborhood.

Te mudaste hace mucho tiempo.
You moved a long time ago.

Asking for Help and Hiring

If you live in a Spanish-speaking country and need to move, you might be needing some help. Practice these examples so you can hire the correct service and continue this lesson on moving in Spanish. 

¿Puedes ayudarnos con la mudanza?
Can you help us move?

¿Me ayudas con estas cajas? Pesan mucho.
Can you help me with these boxes? They are very heavy.

¿Puedes venir a ayudarnos con la mudanza el viernes?
Can you come and help us with the move on Friday?

Necesito contratar un agente de mudanzas.
I need to hire a mover.

Hola; quisiera contratar su servicio de mudanzas.
Hello, I would like to hire your moving service.

¿Cuánto me cobra por una mudanza de la Ciudad de México a Monterrey?
How much do you charge for moving from Mexico City to Monterrey?

¿El servicio incluye acomodo de muebles?
Does the service include furniture arrangement?

¿Puede enviarme un presupuesto por correo (electrónico)?
Can you send me a quote by email?

Voy a mudarme el veintiséis de agosto. ¿Puede atenderme ese día?
I will move on August 26; can you provide me your services that day?

¿Cuánto cuesta la mudanza de una recámara completa king size, un comedor y una sala? Son quince piezas en total, más nueve cajas. 
How much does a full moving of a king size bedroom, dining room, and living room move cost? There are fifteen pieces in total, plus nine boxes. 

¿A qué cuenta le transfiero el pago por el servicio?
To which account do I transfer the payment for the service?

¿Hay que pagar algún anticipo?
Do I have to pay in advance?

¿Puedo pagarle el día de la mudanza?
Can I pay you on moving day?

¿Acepta tarjeta de crédito?
Do you accept credit cards?

Giving Directions

It’s happening, it’s move-in day! Now all you have to do is make sure you’re not leaving anything behind and to give instructions for furniture arrangement. Here is a small guide of some phrases you might need today.  

Necesito que suba la cama al segundo piso.
I need you to take the bed to the second floor.

¿Podría acomodar los muebles en la sala?
Can you arrange the furniture in the living room?

Esa silla va en el otro cuarto.
That chair goes in the other bedroom.

Por favor lleve estas cajas al fondo del pasillo.
Please take these boxes to the end of the hallway. 

Ponga todas las cajas en la entrada; yo las acomodo después.
Leave all the boxes at the doorway; I will arrange them later.

Todo lo que diga “estudio” va en el sótano.
Everything with “study” on it goes in the basement. 

Vamos a la colonia Florida; por favor tome esta ruta.
We are going to the Florida neighborhood; please take this route.

¿Me puede ayudar cargando estas bolsas con cuidado? Van en el baño.
Can you help me carry these bags carefully? They go to the bathroom. 

Practice This Lesson on Moving in Spanish!

Now you are ready to move in! The biggest tip I can give you is to practice this lesson all you can before the big day so you feel relaxed and at ease. If you feel like something is missing, such as accurate pronunciation or correct conjugations, don’t worry! 

The best way to learn another language is to practice it with a native speaker. You can improve your conversation skills by tailoring a Spanish package that suits your every need and learning more tips about how to communicate while you are moving in Spanish. Talk to a certified Spanish teacher from Guatemala at HSA today! Here you can trust our 10 years of experience and become one of our 24,000 monthly enrolled students. Sign up for a free class now!

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