Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mis abuelos viven en un pueblo tranquilo donde los campesinos venden fruta fresca en la feria. - My grandparents live in a quiet town where farmers sell fresh fruit at the fair.

Mis abuelos viven en un pueblo… = My grandparents live in a town… / My grandparents are living in a town…
The present progressive (están viviendo) exists in Spanish, but it’s mainly for actions happening right now or very temporarily:
- Ahora mismo están viviendo con nosotros. – Right now they’re living with us.

Where English often says “are living”, Spanish usually just uses the plain present (viven) for stable or habitual situations like where someone lives.

What exactly does pueblo mean here, and how is it different from ciudad or “people”?

Pueblo has a few related meanings:

Small town / village – That’s the meaning in this sentence.
- Viven en un pueblo tranquilo. – They live in a quiet town.
The people (as a group) – Especially “the people” as a nation or social group.
- La voz del pueblo. – The voice of the people.
Ciudad usually means a larger, more urban city.
- pueblo → small town / village, often more rural
- ciudad → city, more urban and larger

So here pueblo clearly means “small town,” not “people.” Context and the preposition en (“in”) help you see it’s a place.

Why is tranquilo placed after pueblo? Could I say un tranquilo pueblo instead, and would it change the meaning?

The normal position for descriptive adjectives in Spanish is after the noun:

un pueblo tranquilo – a quiet/peaceful town

Putting the adjective before the noun is possible, but it often adds a more subjective, emotional, or poetic feeling:

un tranquilo pueblo might sound more like “a peaceful little town,” with a slightly more literary or emotional tone.

In everyday speech, un pueblo tranquilo is the standard, neutral way to say “a quiet town.” Moving tranquilo before pueblo is not wrong, but it sounds more stylistic and less plain.

Why is it mis abuelos and not los abuelos? Are both possible?

Mis abuelos = my grandparents (specifically mine).
Los abuelos = the grandparents (a specific group already known in the context, or grandparents in general as a category).

In your sentence, we’re talking about your own grandparents, so mis abuelos is the natural choice.

Examples:

Mis abuelos viven en un pueblo. – My grandparents live in a town.
Los abuelos viven más tiempo ahora. – Grandparents live longer nowadays. (grandparents in general)

So in this context, los abuelos would sound like you’re talking about “the grandparents” as a general group, not specifically yours.

Why is it en un pueblo but en la feria? How do I choose between un/una and el/la here?

The difference is indefinite vs definite article:

en un pueblo → a town, some town (not specified, just where they live)
en la feria → the fair/market (a specific, known fair in that place)

So the idea is:

Their home is in a quiet town (we don’t care which one exactly).
In that town, at the fair/market (a particular recurring place the speaker has in mind), farmers sell fruit.

You could say en una feria (“at a fair”) if you meant just any fair, not a specific local one, but here la feria suggests a specific market that is typical or well known in that town.

In donde los campesinos venden, why is venden (indicative) used instead of vendan (subjunctive)?

With donde, Spanish chooses indicative vs. subjunctive based on whether the place is real/known or hypothetical/unknown:

Indicative (venden) → a real, specific place that the speaker knows exists.
- …un pueblo tranquilo donde los campesinos venden fruta fresca…
  → The speaker knows this town and knows that farmers actually sell fruit there.
Subjunctive (vendan) → a place that is not yet identified, hypothetical, or just desired.
- Busco un pueblo donde los campesinos vendan fruta fresca.
  → I’m looking for a town where farmers (would) sell fresh fruit. (I don’t have a specific town in mind yet.)

In your sentence, the town already exists and is known, so the indicative venden is correct.

What does campesinos mean exactly in Latin American Spanish? Is it the same as “farmers” or granjeros?

Campesinos are people who live and work in the countryside, often small-scale farmers or rural agricultural workers.

It often suggests rural, traditional, small-farm agriculture.
Granjeros also means “farmers,” but it can sound more like farm owners or a more neutral/technical term, and is less common in some areas.

In many parts of Latin America:

campesinos is the usual word for rural farmers, especially in traditional or poorer farming communities.
Translating campesinos as “farmers” is fine, but it carries a bit more of a rural / peasant nuance than neutral “farmer” sometimes does in English.

Why is it los campesinos venden fruta fresca and not just campesinos venden fruta fresca without los?

You can say Campesinos venden fruta fresca, but the nuance changes.

Los campesinos venden fruta fresca…
→ Refers to campesinos as a group in that town; it sounds more like a general habit or characteristic of them. Very natural here.
Campesinos venden fruta fresca… (no article)
→ Grammatically correct, but sounds more like “(Some) farmers sell fresh fruit…” or just introducing the existence of such people, a bit less usual in this kind of description.

Spanish often uses the definite article (los campesinos, los niños, los turistas) when talking about a group in a general or representative way. That’s why los campesinos is more natural here.

Why is it fruta fresca and not frutas frescas? When would I use the plural?

Fruta can be a mass noun (like “fruit” in English) or a countable noun (“fruits”):

Venden fruta fresca.
→ “They sell fresh fruit” in general (as a type of product, uncountable idea).
This is very natural in Spanish for talking about what they sell as a product.
Venden frutas frescas.
→ “They sell fresh fruits” (emphasizing different kinds or pieces of fruit).

Both are correct, but:

fruta fresca = focuses on fruit as a product category.
frutas frescas = focuses on individual fruits / varieties.

In a general description like this, fruta fresca is the more typical choice.

What is the difference between fruta and fruto?

Fruta usually means the edible fruit that people eat (apples, bananas, oranges, etc.).
- Me gusta la fruta. – I like fruit.
Fruto is more:
- Botanical: the fruit of a plant in a scientific sense, not necessarily something we eat.
- Figurative: the result or outcome of something.
  - El fruto de su trabajo. – The fruit/result of his work.

In everyday speech about food, you normally use fruta, not fruto. That’s why the sentence says fruta fresca.

Why does fresca end in -a and not -o? What is it agreeing with?

Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

fruta is feminine singular, so the adjective must also be feminine singular:
- fruta fresca (not fresco)

Some comparisons:

un pueblo tranquilo – pueblo is masculine singular → tranquilo
unos pueblos tranquilos – masculine plural → tranquilos
una ciudad tranquila – feminine singular → tranquila
unas ciudades tranquilas – feminine plural → tranquilas

So here fresca clearly agrees with fruta. If it were describing campesinos, it would have to be campesinos frescos.

What does feria mean in Latin America? Is it a fair with rides, or more like a market?

In Latin America, feria can mean:

A (street) market, often periodic – This is the meaning in your sentence.
- venden fruta fresca en la feria → they sell fresh fruit at the (street) market / farmer’s market.
A fair with rides and attractions – like a funfair or carnival.
Context tells you which one is meant.

Country notes (very roughly):

In places like Chile, feria often specifically means a street market for fruits and vegetables (feria libre).
In Mexico, a local street market is often called tianguis, though feria is also used for bigger fairs.
mercado is a more general word for “market” (often a permanent building).

In your sentence, with campesinos and fruta fresca, feria is best understood as a local market where farmers sell produce.

Why is en used in viven en un pueblo and en la feria, and not a or al?

In Spanish, for location (where something/someone is), you normally use en, not a.

viven en un pueblo – they live in a town
venden fruta fresca en la feria – they sell fresh fruit at the fair/market

A is usually used for movement toward a place:

Van a un pueblo. – They are going to a town.
Van a la feria. – They are going to the fair/market.

So:

en = in / at (location)
a = to (direction, movement toward)

That’s why the sentence correctly uses en in both places.