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Questions & Answers about En la parada final, algunos ciudadanos bajan por la puerta derecha y otros por la izquierda.
Why is the preposition por used in bajan por la puerta derecha instead of de or a?
In Spanish, por often expresses movement through or via an exit or passage. When you “get off” something through an opening, you use por:
• salir por la puerta – to go out through the door
• bajar por la puerta – to get off through the door
Using de would mark origin (“off of”), as in bajar del autobús (to get off the bus), and a would mark direction toward (“to the door”), which isn’t what you mean here.
Why is the adjective derecha placed after puerta?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun they modify. So you say puerta derecha (door right) rather than derecha puerta. Placing most adjectives after the noun is the standard word order, though some adjectives can come before for stylistic reasons or emphasis.
Why does the sentence begin with En la parada final instead of A la parada final?
En indicates location (“at the final stop”), meaning the action happens there. A would indicate movement toward that place (“to the final stop”). Since the sentence describes what happens at the stop—who gets off—en is the correct preposition.
Why does it say algunos ciudadanos instead of simply los ciudadanos?
Algunos means “some,” so algunos ciudadanos highlights a subset of people. If you said los ciudadanos bajan…, you’d be saying “the citizens get off,” implying all of them, which doesn’t match the contrast with otros (others).
Why is the verb bajan used here and not se bajan?
While bajar(se) can be reflexive (especially with explicit mention of the vehicle: se bajan del autobús), many Latin American speakers drop the se when context is clear and use bajar intransitively to mean “to get off.” Both forms are correct; the sentence opts for the simpler bajan.
Why isn’t the vehicle (bus, train, etc.) mentioned in the sentence?
The phrase la parada final implies you’re talking about a bus or train line’s last stop. In everyday speech, if the context is already about public transport, you don’t need to say autobús or tren again.
Could you say última parada instead of parada final? Are they the same?
Yes, última parada and parada final are synonyms and both mean “the last stop.” Some speakers may prefer one over the other, but there’s no significant difference in meaning.
Why does the second half say otros por la izquierda instead of otros por la puerta izquierda?
Spanish often drops a repeated noun when the context makes it clear. Since you’ve already said por la puerta in the first clause, you can shorten the second to por la izquierda without losing meaning.
What’s the nuance between using ciudadanos versus pasajeros or viajeros?
• Ciudadanos literally means “citizens” or “city‐dwellers.” It’s a more formal or general term for people in the city.
• Pasajeros means “passengers,” focusing on people riding a vehicle.
• Viajeros means “travelers,” often used for longer journeys.
All three could work, but ciudadanos emphasizes that these are ordinary city residents using the service.
What’s the difference between otros and los otros in this sentence?
• otros (without article) simply means “others,” referring to the rest of the group in a general sense.
• los otros (“the others”) is more definite, as if you’re pointing to a specific subgroup.
Here, otros matches the pairing with algunos (“some … others”) in a natural, neutral contrast.
