ESL Houses Conversation

This page has example ESL houses conversations that will show you how native speakers would speak about houses. You should look at these to see how you can try to sound natural when speaking English.

The first part of this page has two example conversations that you can read and understand. These have also been made into short cartoons that you can watch if you would prefer. The actions in the cartoons will give you some clues as to what is happening. If you do not understand any of the words used, you should look at the ESL houses vocabulary page to see the definitions of the items.

Then in the second part of the page there are three exercises for you to do to practice using the houses vocabulary in some ESL houses conversation activities. The three tasks are:

• A conversation with blanks that you need to fill in.
• An opportunity to write your own example conversation.
• A set of topics about houses so you can have a conversation.

Conversation 1

Situation: Lucy calls Jeff about his flat rental.

Lucy: Hello. My name is Lucy Smith, and I’m calling about the flat rental you have advertised in the newspaper. Is it still available?
Jeff: Hi, Lucy. My name is Jeff, and I am the owner. Yes, the apartment is still available. 
Lucy: Great! Would you mind telling me a little about it? 
Jeff: Sure. It has one bedroom and one bathroom. Every room has carpet except for the kitchen and bathroom which have hardwood floors.
Lucy: Okay. Is it a newer building or an older one?
Jeff: It is located in an apartment complex and the building is about six years old, so it’s quite modern.
Lucy: That sounds lovely. How far away is it from downtown London?
Jeff: Well, it is about a thirty minute drive from the city center.
Lucy: Wonderful. What about the price? I didn’t see one listed in the advertisement.
Jeff: It’s a thousand pounds a month not including utilities.
Lucy: Alright. That’s in my price range, so I’m very interested in looking at it. 
Jeff: Excellent! I’d be happy to show you the flat. I’m sure you will love it. Would you be able to come and see it tomorrow?
Lucy: Absolutely! I could come right after work. Is six o’clock okay with you?
Jeff: Yes. That’s fine. Do you need me to give you the address?
Lucy: No, thank you. I see it here in the advertisement. 
Jeff: Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then, Lucy.
Lucy: Sure. See you then!

Conversation 2

Situation: Andrew takes a tour of Emma’s house for sale.

Emma: Good afternoon. Are you Andrew?
Andrew: Good afternoon. Yes, I am. I’m here to see your house for sale.
Emma: Yes. Please come in.
Andrew: Thank you.
Emma: Please follow me, and I’ll give you a tour.
Andrew: Great. Thanks.
Emma: This is the kitchen, and as you can see, it has tile flooring and new cabinets.
Andrew: Yes. It’s beautiful!
Emma: Thank you. This is the master bedroom. The carpet in here is about two years old, so it’s fairly new.
Andrew: Right. 
Emma: You can see that there is a master bathroom that is attached to the bedroom. The toilet and shower are a little older, but they’re in excellent condition.
Andrew: Yes, they look almost new.
Emma: Here is the family room.
Andrew: I like it! It’s very spacious.
Emma: Yes, it has a lot of room. Here is the other bedroom and bathroom. They are a little small, but they’re fine for guests or young children.
Andrew: Sure. What about the laundry room?
Emma: Right. I almost forgot. It’s beside of the master bedroom. It has a large closet, so you can hang your clean clothes after washing.
Andrew: Nice! How much are you asking for the house?
Emma: It’s two-hundred thousand pounds. 
Andrew: Okay. Thank you for showing me your home and telling me about the price. I’ll call you if I am interested.
Emma: Sure. It was my pleasure! Have a great day.
Andrew: You too. Bye.
Emma: Bye.

ESL Houses Conversation Exercises

Now that you have seen what the example conversations are like, there are three ESL houses conversation activities for you to do.

Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks

For this ESL houses conversation you need to decide which option (A-D) for each question is the best to fill in the blanks in the following conversation. After you have chosen all your answers you can click the get score button to see how many were correct.

Situation: Tui visits Patrick.

Patrick: Hello, Tui! I’m glad you could make it. _________(1)_________!
Tui: Hi, Patrick. Thanks for inviting me to visit.
Patrick: No problem. 
Tui: _________(2)_________. It has beautiful tile flooring. _________(3)_________?
Patrick: No, I just rent it. 
Tui: Where should I put my shoes?
Patrick: You can leave them here by the front door. 
Tui: Wow. Is that your patio?
Patrick: Yes. It’s really nice for barbeques, and I spend a lot of time there in the summer. Since you’ve never been here before, I’ll show you around.
Tui: Great. 
Patrick: I only have one bedroom and bathroom, but they’re huge, so I have lots of space.
Tui: Yes, they are really big. Do you have a dining room?
Patrick: No, I have a small table in the kitchen where I eat. Follow me and I’ll show you the family room.
Tui: Okay.
Patrick: I like the family room the best because it has a nice brick fireplace. 
Tui: Yes, I love fireplaces! _________(4)_________.
Patrick: Thank you. It’s my favorite room. Do you have a fireplace where you live?
Tui: _________(5)_________. I live in a tiny efficiency apartment. I hope to find a bigger one soon. 
Patrick: Maybe I can help you. I have a newspaper, so we can look at the advertisements together if you like.
Tui: That sounds great. Thanks!
Patrick: Sure. I’m glad to help.

ESL Houses Conversation

Choose the best option (A-D) in the following five questions to fill in the blanks in the houses conversation given above.

1) Which option is the best to fill in the first blank?

    A) Please come in
    B) Please have a seat
    C) Please take off your shoes
    D) Please come back anytime

2) Which option is the best to fill in the second blank?

    A) This is a really nice window
    B) This is a really nice front door
    C) This is a really nice foyer
    D) This is a really nice yard

3) Which option is the best to fill in the third blank?

    A) Do you like this place
    B) Do you have roommates
    C) Do you have more than one bedroom
    D) Do you own this place

4) Which option is the best to fill in the fourth blank?

    A) This room is dark
    B) This room is tiny
    C) This room is beautiful
    D) This room is big

5) Which option is the best to fill in the fifth blank?

    A) No, but I wish I did
    B) No, but I don’t like fireplaces anyway
    C) No, but I have carpet
    D) No, but I have a kitchen

Score =

Correct answers:

Exercise 2 – Writing a Conversation

Now you need to try to write an ESL houses conversation of your own. For the conversation you need to decide who the people are, where they are and what is happening; then you should write what they would say to each other. Use as much of the new houses vocabulary that you have learnt as possible, and you can look at the above conversations for ideas. Then when you conversation is finished you can ask some of your friends to perform it with you so you can have practice of speaking the words.

Exercise 3 – Conversation Topics

The last ESL houses conversation exercise has two sets of conversation questions. You should use these as prompts to help you have ESL houses conversations with your friends. One person should take set A and the other person set B. Then take turns asking the questions. Give full and long answers and say as much as possible. When you have finished you can swap the question sets and start again.

You can also download the questions on conversation cards by clicking the following picture.

Do you want to practice speaking more? Then download my ‘80 ESL Conversation Cards’ ebook that has many more conversation questions.

Question set A

• Do most people live in big or small houses in your country?
• Do most people either buy a house or rent an apartment?
• Would you like to live in a big house? Why?
• Describe where either you live or where your parents live?
• What is your favourite room in a house? Why?

Question set B

• Describe what your ideal home would be like?
• Do you think it is good or bad to live in a small apartment?
• How many rooms should an average house have? Why?
• What are the differences between living in a house or an apartment?
• Is it good or bad to have a garden? Why?

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