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apartment problem Spanish when something no jala

Leaks, power outages, broken doors, mystery noises: learn the phrases that get a repair moving.

Use This First

  • Learn no jala, se descompuso, está goteando, se fue la luz, and fuga.
  • Send clear photos plus one short Spanish sentence.
  • Use urgente only when it is actually urgent.

No jala is the phrase that makes you sound like you live here

No funciona is correct and neutral. No jala is what people actually text their landlord. Jalar literally means to pull, and in Mexican Spanish it stretches to cover anything that is or is not working: el boiler no jala, la regadera no jala. It is one of those small phrases that changes how a message reads.

The plumbing vocabulary is worth having in advance, because Mexico City water systems have parts that do not exist elsewhere. Most buildings store water in a tinaco on the roof and often a cisterna below it, with a bomba moving water between them. When the water stops, the cause is usually one of those three rather than the city supply, and naming the right one gets a faster answer.

For getting a repair moving, specificity beats urgency. Es urgente works once. A photo works every time, which is what le mando foto is for. ¿Cuándo podría venir el plomero? asks for a time rather than a promise, and asking for a time is the difference between a repair happening this week and a repair being acknowledged.

Mexico City storefronts and apartment entrances along a quiet sidewalk
Photo by Jimmy Woo on Unsplash
Mexico City skyline and park seen from Chapultepec
Photo by Fernando Mola-Davis on Unsplash

Memorize these first

name the problem

  • No jala. It does not work. general problem local
  • Se descompuso. It broke. broken appliance safe
  • Está goteando. It is dripping. leak safe
  • Se fue la luz. The power went out. power outage safe

ask for repair

  • ¿Puede mandar a alguien? Can you send someone? repair request safe
  • ¿Cuándo podría venir el plomero? When could the plumber come? scheduling safe
  • Es urgente. It is urgent. urgent issue safe
  • Le mando foto. I will send you a photo. proof safe

One-screen cheat sheet

🔧
apartment problems cheat sheet Screenshot this before you go.
Spanish English Use case Safety
No jala. It does not work. general problem local
Se descompuso. It broke. broken appliance safe
Está goteando. It is dripping. leak safe
Se fue la luz. The power went out. power outage safe
¿Puede mandar a alguien? Can you send someone? repair request safe
¿Cuándo podría venir el plomero? When could the plumber come? scheduling safe
Es urgente. It is urgent. urgent issue safe
Le mando foto. I will send you a photo. proof safe

the gringo trap

Do not say this by default

don't say this

Do not say no funciona for everything if the local phrase no jala fits.

say this

Use no jala for casual repair texts, no funciona for more neutral/formal contexts.

No jala is one of those tiny phrases that makes apartment Spanish sound lived-in.

safe / local / spicy

Pick your register

safe

No funciona el calentador.

local

No jala el calentador.

spicy

El calentador está chafeando horrible.

The spicy one is venting, not the first message to a landlord.

How it sounds

repair text

Hola, el calentador no jala. Hi, the water heater does not work.
¿Desde cuándo? Since when?
Desde ayer. Le mando foto. Since yesterday. I will send you a photo.
Va, mando al técnico. Okay, I will send the technician.

leak

Está goteando debajo del lavabo. It is dripping under the sink.
¿Es urgente? Is it urgent?
Sí, está mojando el piso. Yes, it is getting the floor wet.
Mando al plomero. I will send the plumber.

Practice cards

three fast taps before you try it outside.

The water heater does not work.

You need the safest version for apartment problems. What do you pick first?

Which move avoids the gringo trap?

Words you'll hear

chafa - a woman holding up a pair of sunglasses with a snapped arm at a street stall
chamba - a man walking out of an office tower at sunset with his tie loose and his bag over his shoulder
sale - two friends at a cafe table agreeing on something with a thumbs up
ni modo - a man shrugging outside a shuttered metro entrance
¡no manches! - a young man at a cafe table grabbing his head at something on his phone
¡aguanta! - a woman running after a departing microbus with her arm out
¡aguas! - a woman throwing an arm across a friend to stop her walking into a wet floor
ahorita - a man on the sofa with the remote waving off the chore list his wife is pointing at
al rato - a young man sprawled on a kitchen chair waving off the woman standing over the sink
al tiro - a delivery rider outside a shop pulling his helmet on while checking his phone
aventón - a woman leaning into a car window before getting in for a lift
baboso - a young man walking into a lamppost while an older woman on a bench watches

Deep dives

Living in CDMX Mexican Spanish for Apartment Problems: Plomero, Fuga, Se Fue la Luz, No Jala
Learn Mexican Spanish for apartment problems: plomero, fuga, se fue la luz, no jala, boiler, tinaco, gotea, and repair texts. Jun 3, 2026
Living in CDMX No Jala, Se Descompuso, Está Goteando: Mexican Spanish for Repairs
Learn Mexican Spanish for repair visits: no jala, se descompuso, está goteando, hace ruido, huele raro, técnico, and arreglar. Jun 3, 2026

FAQ

What does no jala mean?

It is not working. Jalar means to pull, and in Mexican Spanish it stretches to cover anything broken or unresponsive - appliances, taps, doors, even plans. No funciona is the neutral alternative.

What is a tinaco?

The water tank on the roof of most Mexican buildings. A cisterna is the tank below it and a bomba pumps between them. When the water stops, one of the three is usually the reason.

How do you ask a landlord for a repair?

Describe the problem, send a photo, and ask for a time: ¿cuándo podría venir el plomero? Asking for a time rather than a promise is what moves a repair from acknowledged to scheduled.

Related situations

Keep the same vocabulary moving through nearby CDMX moments.

renting in CDMXApartment Spanish in Mexico City means depa, aval, fiador, depósito, mantenimiento, and a lot of polite follow-up.building lifeThe people who make your building work have their own tiny script: packages, visitors, repairs, keys, and permission.gates / intercomsThe CDMX entrance ritual: you are outside, they are upstairs, the portero is watching, and your Spanish needs to be clear.lavanderíaLaundry Spanish is practical: kilos, suavizante, planchado, ticket, pickup, and one calm way to ask if your clothes are ready.