He alquilado una bicicleta eléctrica para pasear por el barrio.

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Breakdown of He alquilado una bicicleta eléctrica para pasear por el barrio.

• para: to
• una: an
• el barrio: the neighborhood
• la bicicleta: the bicycle
• eléctrico: electric

Questions & Answers about He alquilado una bicicleta eléctrica para pasear por el barrio.

Why do we use He alquilado instead of Alquilé?

In Spain, the present perfect (he alquilado) is commonly used to talk about very recent past actions or experiences with a connection to the present. Saying alquilé (the simple past) isn’t wrong, but in everyday speech in many parts of Spain, people often prefer the present perfect to emphasize that something relates to "today" or is still relevant. In Latin America, by contrast, you’d hear the simple past more frequently for the same situation.

What is the difference between para pasear and por el barrio?

• para pasear directly translates to "in order to stroll/ride around." It indicates purpose or intent.
• por el barrio literally means "around/through the neighborhood," showing movement through a specific area.
Together, para pasear por el barrio implies you rented the bike specifically to ride around within that neighborhood.

Could I say He alquilado un bici eléctrica?

No. Since bicicleta is feminine, the correct article is una. If you use the short form bici, it remains feminine, so it would be una bici eléctrica as well. Using un would be grammatically incorrect in this case.

Can I use por instead of para in this sentence?

Not here. The phrase para pasear expresses purpose, meaning "in order to." If you used por, it would change the intention. For example, por pasear could sound like "out of strolling" or "because of strolling," which doesn't convey the purpose of renting the bike; it doesn't fit the intended meaning of "in order to stroll."

Is barrio always translated as "neighborhood"?

Yes, in most contexts, barrio is used for a neighborhood or district within a town or city. However, the word barrio can have slightly different nuances in different Spanish-speaking regions. In Spain, it usually refers simply to a local area or part of a city.