Vivo in una casa vicino al giardino.

I live in a house near the garden.

Breakdown of Vivo in una casa vicino al giardino.

• io: I
• in: in
• il giardino: the garden
• la casa: the house
• vicino a: near
• vivere: to live

Questions & Answers about Vivo in una casa vicino al giardino.

Why is the verb vivo used and not abito?

In Italian, both vivere and abitare can be used to indicate where you live. Vivere has a broader sense of "to live," applying to your life in general, while abitare more directly means "to reside." In everyday speech, either can be used to say you live in a certain place, though abitare is slightly more specific to the home/residence context.

What is the function of in before una casa?

In Italian, in is often used to indicate the place where you are or live. When saying you live in a building or place, you typically use in followed by the article and noun. For instance, vivo in una casa ("I live in a house") or vivo in un appartamento ("I live in an apartment").

Why do we say una casa and not un casa?

Casa is a feminine noun, so it requires the feminine indefinite article una. Unlike masculine nouns (which would use un or uno), feminine nouns use una.

What does vicino al giardino mean literally, and why use al here?

Vicino al giardino literally means "near the garden." The phrase al giardino is short for a + il giardino, which contracts into al. So you’re essentially saying vicino a il giardino, but in correct Italian that becomes vicino al giardino.

Could we say vicino al parco instead of vicino al giardino?

Yes, if you are near a park rather than a garden. The structure vicino a + [il/la + place] works the same way for other locations: vicino al parco, vicino alla scuola, etc.