Quiero alquilar una bicicleta en la ciudad.

I want to rent a bicycle in the city.

Breakdown of Quiero alquilar una bicicleta en la ciudad.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• una: a
• en: in
• la ciudad: the city
• la bicicleta: the bicycle
• alquilar: to rent

Questions & Answers about Quiero alquilar una bicicleta en la ciudad.

Why do we say “Quiero” instead of “Yo quiero”?

In Spanish, it’s common to drop the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.) because the verb form already indicates who is doing the action. Quiero suggests yo (“I”) by the verb ending, so Yo is not needed.

Why is “alquilar” used instead of another verb like “rentar”?

In Spain, alquilar is the most common verb for “to rent.” While rentar exists, it is more commonly heard in Latin American Spanish. In Spain, you will sound more natural using alquilar.

Why is it “una bicicleta” (feminine) and not “un bicicleta”?

In Spanish, words ending in -a are typically feminine, and the word for bicycle (bicicleta) is a feminine noun. Therefore, we say una bicicleta.

What does “en la ciudad” mean literally and why is it used here?

It literally means “in the city.” We use en (meaning “in” or “at”) to indicate location, and la ciudad (the city) refers to a specific or generic city context. Together, en la ciudad tells us the renting is happening within the city limits.

How do you pronounce “Quiero alquilar una bicicleta en la ciudad”?

• Quiero: /kee-EH-roh/
• alquilar: /ahl-kee-LAHR/
• una: /OO-nah/
• bicicleta: /bee-see-KLEH-tah/
• en: /en/
• la: /lah/
• ciudad: /syoo-DAHD/ or /thyoo-DAHD/ in Spain (the ‘c’ often sounds like the ‘th’ in “think”).