City Life and Housing Vocabulary in English: Words, Examples and Quiz
Find an apartment, talk to your landlord, describe your neighborhood and complain about the rush hour: the words you need to live in a city in English, with Turkish translations and natural examples.
47 words · By LearnLingo Team · Updated
Tap to hear a word. Pronunciation is American English. Levels follow the CEFR scale. Turkish translations are given as a quick check.
Types of homes and areas
Words for where people live. Many of them differ between American and British English, so the British word is in the definition where it matters. For rooms and furniture, see house and furniture.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
apartment ⁄əˈpɑːrtmənt⁄ · noun A1 | a set of rooms for living in, on one floor of a bigger building (British English: flat) They live in a two-bedroom apartment on the fifth floor. | daire |
apartment building ⁄əˈpɑːrtmənt ˌbɪldɪŋ⁄ · noun B1 | a large building with many apartments (British English: block of flats) Our apartment building has an elevator and a small gym. | apartman |
studio ⁄ˈstuːdioʊ⁄ · noun B1 | a small apartment with one main room for living and sleeping As a student, I rented a tiny studio near campus. | stüdyo daire |
detached house ⁄dɪˌtætʃt ˈhaʊs⁄ · noun B2 | a house that stands alone and is not joined to another house They dream of a detached house with a big garden. | müstakil ev |
townhouse ⁄ˈtaʊnhaʊs⁄ · noun B2 | a tall, narrow house joined to the houses next to it The street is full of old brick townhouses. | sıra ev |
neighborhood ⁄ˈneɪbɚhʊd⁄ · noun B1 | an area of a city and the people who live there (British spelling: neighbourhood) It's a quiet neighborhood with lots of trees. | mahalle, semt |
downtown ⁄ˌdaʊnˈtaʊn⁄ · noun B1 | the main business and shopping area of a city (British English: city centre) I work downtown, but I live near the beach. | şehir merkezi |
suburb ⁄ˈsʌbɝːb⁄ · noun B1 | an area where people live, outside the center of a city Many families move to the suburbs for more space. | banliyö, şehir dışındaki yerleşim alanı |
outskirts ⁄ˈaʊtskɝːts⁄ · noun B2 | the parts of a city that are farthest from the center The new stadium is on the outskirts of the city. | şehrin dış kesimleri |
residential ⁄ˌrezəˈdenʃəl⁄ · adjective B2 | with houses and apartments rather than offices or factories Trucks are not allowed in residential streets at night. | yerleşim (bölgesi), konut |
Renting and buying
The words you will meet in a rental ad, a contract or a conversation with a real estate agent. For full sentences to use when you look for a place, see the phrasebook page on renting an apartment.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
rent ⁄rent⁄ · noun A2 | the money you pay every month to live in someone else's home The rent is due on the first of every month. | kira |
landlord ⁄ˈlændlɔːrd⁄ · noun B1 | a person who owns a home and rents it to other people Our landlord fixed the heating very quickly. | ev sahibi |
tenant ⁄ˈtenənt⁄ · noun B2 | a person who pays rent to live in a place The previous tenants left the apartment very clean. | kiracı |
lease ⁄liːs⁄ · noun B2 | a legal agreement to rent a home for a fixed time We signed a one-year lease. | kira sözleşmesi |
deposit ⁄dɪˈpɑːzɪt⁄ · noun B1 | money you pay at the start, which you get back later if there is no damage You'll get your deposit back when you move out. | depozito |
utilities ⁄juːˈtɪlətiz⁄ · noun B2 | services such as electricity, water and gas, and the bills for them Is the rent with or without utilities? | faturalar (elektrik, su, doğalgaz) |
furnished ⁄ˈfɝːnɪʃt⁄ · adjective B1 | with furniture already in it We're looking for a furnished apartment for six months. | eşyalı |
mortgage ⁄ˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ⁄ · noun B2 | a loan from a bank to buy a home They took out a mortgage to buy their first house. | konut kredisi, ipotek |
real estate agent ⁄ˈriːəl ɪˌsteɪt ˌeɪdʒənt⁄ · noun B1 | a person whose job is to help people rent, buy or sell homes (British English: estate agent) The real estate agent showed us three apartments in one afternoon. | emlakçı |
roommate ⁄ˈruːmmeɪt⁄ · noun B1 | a person you share a home with (British English: flatmate) My roommate always forgets to buy milk. | ev arkadaşı |
neighbor ⁄ˈneɪbɚ⁄ · noun A2 | a person who lives next to you or near you (British spelling: neighbour) Our neighbors are friendly but a bit noisy. | komşu |
move in ⁄ˌmuːv ˈɪn⁄ · phrasal verb A2 | to start living in a new home We're moving in on Saturday. | (yeni eve) taşınmak |
move out ⁄ˌmuːv ˈaʊt⁄ · phrasal verb A2 | to leave your home and go to live somewhere else She moved out of her parents' house at nineteen. | (evden) taşınıp çıkmak |
Describing a home
Adjectives that estate ads and people use to talk about a place. Some are positive (spacious, cozy, bright) and some are negative (cramped, damp, run-down).
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
spacious ⁄ˈspeɪʃəs⁄ · adjective B2 | with a lot of space inside The living room is bright and spacious. | ferah, geniş |
cramped ⁄kræmpt⁄ · adjective B2 | too small for the people or things inside Four of us lived in a cramped two-room apartment. | dar, sıkışık |
cozy ⁄ˈkoʊzi⁄ · adjective B1 | small, warm and comfortable (British spelling: cosy) It's a cozy little apartment with a fireplace. | sıcak, rahat, şirin |
bright ⁄braɪt⁄ · adjective A2 | full of light The kitchen is very bright in the morning. | aydınlık |
run-down ⁄ˌrʌnˈdaʊn⁄ · adjective B2 | in bad condition because nobody has taken care of it The building looked run-down, but the apartments inside were nice. | bakımsız, harap |
convenient ⁄kənˈviːniənt⁄ · adjective B1 | near the things you need, or easy to use The location is convenient for the subway. | elverişli, kullanışlı |
damp ⁄dæmp⁄ · adjective B2 | a little wet, in a way that is not pleasant The bathroom walls are damp in winter. | nemli, rutubetli |
noisy ⁄ˈnɔɪzi⁄ · adjective A2 | making or having a lot of noise Our street is noisy on Friday nights. | gürültülü |
leak ⁄liːk⁄ · noun B2 | a small hole or crack that lets water or gas come out There's a leak under the kitchen sink. | sızıntı |
heating ⁄ˈhiːtɪŋ⁄ · noun B1 | the system that keeps a building warm The heating is broken, so the apartment is freezing. | ısıtma, kalorifer |
City life
Words for the good and bad sides of living in a city. For getting around by bus, train and subway, see the phrasebook page on public transport.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
commute ⁄kəˈmjuːt⁄ · verb B1 | to travel regularly between home and work or school I commute to work by train every day. | işe gidip gelmek |
rush hour ⁄ˈrʌʃ ˌaʊɚ⁄ · noun B1 | the busy time of day when most people travel to or from work Avoid the subway at rush hour if you can. | trafiğin yoğun olduğu saat |
traffic jam ⁄ˈtræfɪk ˌdʒæm⁄ · noun A2 | a long line of cars that cannot move or move very slowly We were stuck in a traffic jam for an hour. | trafik sıkışıklığı |
public transportation ⁄ˌpʌblɪk ˌtrænspɚˈteɪʃən⁄ · noun B1 | buses, trains and subways that everyone can use (British English: public transport) Public transportation here is cheap and reliable. | toplu taşıma |
pollution ⁄pəˈluːʃən⁄ · noun B1 | dirty air, water or land that is harmful Air pollution is worse in winter. | kirlilik |
crowded ⁄ˈkraʊdɪd⁄ · adjective A2 | with too many people in one place The market is always crowded on weekends. | kalabalık |
nightlife ⁄ˈnaɪtlaɪf⁄ · noun B1 | bars, clubs and other places to go out at night The city is famous for its nightlife. | gece hayatı |
cost of living ⁄ˌkɔːst əv ˈlɪvɪŋ⁄ · noun B2 | the amount of money people need for food, housing and other basic things The cost of living in big cities keeps going up. | hayat pahalılığı, yaşam maliyeti |
sidewalk ⁄ˈsaɪdwɔːk⁄ · noun B1 | the path for people to walk on next to a street (British English: pavement) Please don't ride your bike on the sidewalk. | kaldırım |
pedestrian ⁄pəˈdestriən⁄ · noun B1 | a person who is walking in the street, not driving This street is only for pedestrians. | yaya |
skyscraper ⁄ˈskaɪˌskreɪpɚ⁄ · noun B1 | a very tall modern building From the top of the skyscraper, you can see the whole city. | gökdelen |
urban ⁄ˈɝːbən⁄ · adjective B2 | connected with towns and cities More than half the population lives in urban areas. | kentsel |
rural ⁄ˈrʊrəl⁄ · adjective B1 | connected with the countryside, not the city She grew up in a rural village with one shop. | kırsal |
green space ⁄ˌɡriːn ˈspeɪs⁄ · noun B2 | an area of grass and trees in a town, such as a park The city needs more green space for children. | yeşil alan |
Useful phrases and collocations
pay the rent
We pay the rent by bank transfer.
sign a lease
Read everything carefully before you sign a lease.
get your deposit back
Clean the oven if you want to get your deposit back.
take out a mortgage
They took out a thirty-year mortgage.
share an apartment
I share an apartment with two other students.
a quiet neighborhood
We wanted a quiet neighborhood for the kids.
live in the suburbs
Living in the suburbs means a longer commute.
a long commute
I have a long commute, so I listen to podcasts.
be stuck in traffic
Sorry I'm late. I was stuck in traffic.
the rent goes up
Our rent goes up every January.
a high cost of living
The city has a high cost of living but good salaries.
within walking distance
The school is within walking distance of our home.
fix a leak
The landlord sent a plumber to fix the leak.
How to learn these words
Learn these words around a real situation. Imagine you are moving to a new city: first you look at ads (furnished, spacious, utilities included), then you meet a real estate agent and the landlord, then you sign a lease and pay a deposit, and finally you move in and meet your neighbors. Say the story aloud in order, then review it tomorrow and again next week. Spaced, story-based review sticks much better than a list. See how to learn English vocabulary.
American and British English use different words for many of these things: apartment and flat, downtown and city centre, sidewalk and pavement, real estate agent and estate agent, roommate and flatmate, public transportation and public transport. Both sides understand both, but choose one style and stay with it. Read more in British vs American English.
Watch countable and uncountable nouns. Rent, heating, pollution, traffic and nightlife are uncountable: There is a lot of traffic, not a lot of traffics. Accommodation is uncountable in British English, so say some accommodation, not an accommodation; American English often uses the plural accommodations. Utilities is almost always plural when it means the bills.
Many housing verbs are phrasal verbs: move in, move out, settle in, look around (an apartment). For more, see everyday phrasal verbs.
Use the words: speaking and writing tasks
- Describe your home in six sentences using at least four words from this page: My apartment is small but bright, and it's convenient for the subway.
- Write a short rental ad for your home or a dream home. Include the type of home, the area, the rent, whether it is furnished and what the utilities cost.
- Tell someone about your neighborhood: what you like, what you don't like, and how long your commute is.
- Compare city life and rural life in five sentences. Use pollution, cost of living, green space, crowded and nightlife.
- Role-play a phone call with a landlord about a problem: a leak, broken heating or noisy neighbors. Ask when someone can come and fix it.
Common mistakes
Our apartment is in the fifth floor.
Our apartment is on the fifth floor.
Use on with floors of a building: on the ground floor, on the fifth floor. Use in with the building or the area: in a big building, in a quiet neighborhood.
There are a lot of traffics in the morning.
There is a lot of traffic in the morning.
Traffic is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes is. Say a lot of traffic or heavy traffic.
I'm searching a new apartment near my office.
I'm looking for a new apartment near my office.
Search needs for when it means try to find (search for an apartment), and look for is the most natural choice in everyday speech. Search without for means look carefully inside a place: They searched the house.
We are moving to our new apartment next week, and we are moving out on Saturday.
We are moving to our new apartment next week, and we are moving in on Saturday.
Move in means start living in a new home. Move out means leave your old home.
I am going to work with the public transportation.
I go to work by public transportation.
Use by with forms of transport and no article: by bus, by train, by public transportation. Use the present simple for a routine.
Practice quiz
10 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
1. The person who owns your apartment and rents it to you is your ___.
2. Before you move in, you usually pay a ___, and you get it back when you leave.
3. Choose the correct sentence.
4. A small apartment that feels warm and comfortable is ___.
5. I ___ to work by bus. It takes forty minutes.
6. What is the British English word for sidewalk?
7. A loan from a bank to buy a house is a ___.
8. Is the rent with or without ___, like water and electricity?
9. The opposite of urban is ___.
10. We've signed the lease. We ___ next Saturday.
0 of 10 answered
Show all answers
- landlord
- deposit
- There is a lot of traffic downtown.
- cozy
- commute
- pavement
- mortgage
- utilities
- rural
- move in
See what the B1 English course covers, or test your level first.
People also ask
What is the difference between a landlord and a tenant?+
The landlord owns the home and rents it out. The tenant pays rent to live there. A woman who owns a rented home is sometimes called a landlady.
Is it flat or apartment?+
Both mean the same thing. Apartment is the usual word in American English, and flat is the usual word in British English, although apartment is also used in the UK, especially for newer or more expensive places.
What does utilities included mean?+
It means the rent already covers services like water, electricity, gas and sometimes internet, so you do not pay separate bills. If an ad says utilities not included, you pay those bills yourself on top of the rent.
How do I describe where I live in English?+
Start with the type of home and the area: I live in a two-bedroom apartment in a quiet neighborhood near downtown. Then add one or two details, like the commute, the neighbors or what is within walking distance.
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