Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio. - I have lived in this neighborhood for a year.

In Spanish (especially in Spain), when an action started in the past and still continues now, the present tense is normally used with expressions like desde hace + period of time:

Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.
→ I have lived / I’ve been living in this neighborhood for a year.

Using he vivido here (Desde hace un año he vivido en este barrio) sounds odd or incorrect to many speakers, because he vivido (present perfect) suggests a completed experience, while desde hace clearly marks something that is still happening.

So:

Ongoing situation: Vivo aquí desde hace un año.
Finished situation: Viví aquí durante un año. (I lived here for a year – but not anymore.)

What exactly does desde hace un año mean? Is it for a year or since a year ago?

It corresponds to the English idea of both:

for a year
since a year ago

Literally, desde hace un año = “since it’s been a year”, but you should understand it as:

I have been living here for a year.
I have been living here since a year ago.

So:

Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.
→ I’ve been living in this neighborhood for a year / since a year ago.

In Spanish you don’t usually say por un año for ongoing residence; desde hace is the natural choice here.

Can I say Desde un año vivo en este barrio without hace?

No, that is incorrect.

With a period of time (a year, two months, three days, etc.), you need desde hace:
- ✅ Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.
With a specific point in time (2023, ayer, enero, el lunes), you use desde by itself:
- ✅ Desde 2023 vivo en este barrio.
- ✅ Desde ayer vivo en este barrio.

So:

❌ Desde un año vivo…
✅ Desde hace un año vivo…

Can I change the word order and say Vivo en este barrio desde hace un año?

Yes. Both are correct:

Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.
Vivo en este barrio desde hace un año.

Spanish allows this kind of flexibility. The meaning is the same; the difference is just emphasis:

Initial position: Desde hace un año emphasizes the duration.
Final position: …desde hace un año feels more neutral in everyday speech.

In conversation, Vivo en este barrio desde hace un año is probably the more common order.

Is there another common way to say the same thing in Spain, like with hace… que?

Yes. A very common alternative is:

Hace un año que vivo en este barrio.

This has the same meaning as:

Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.
Vivo en este barrio desde hace un año.

All three express: I’ve been living in this neighborhood for a year (and I still live here).

Structures:

Hace + period of time + que + [present]
→ Hace un año que vivo aquí.
Desde hace + period of time + [present]
→ Desde hace un año vivo aquí.

Could I say Llevo un año viviendo en este barrio instead? Is it equivalent?

Yes, that is another very natural option:

Llevo un año viviendo en este barrio.

This also means I’ve been living in this neighborhood for a year.

Rough equivalents in meaning:

Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.
Hace un año que vivo en este barrio.
Llevo un año viviendo en este barrio.

The llevar + tiempo + gerundio structure is very common and emphasizes the time you have already accumulated doing something.

Why is it un año and not uno año?

In Spanish, the number uno changes to un before a masculine singular noun:

un año
un libro
un coche

Use uno:

when it stands alone:
- ¿Cuántos años tienes? – Tengo veintiuno.
before a masculine noun that starts with a stressed “a” it still becomes un (same rule):
- un amigo, un árbol

So here it must be:

✅ desde hace un año
❌ desde hace uno año

Why do we use en in vivo en este barrio and not a?

In Spanish:

en is used for location (where something/someone is):
- Vivo en este barrio. (I live in this neighborhood.)
- Trabajo en Madrid.
a is mainly used with verbs of movement or direction:
- Voy a este barrio todos los días. (I go to this neighborhood every day.)
- Me mudé a este barrio. (I moved to this neighborhood.)

Since living is a state/location, not movement, you must say:

✅ Vivo en este barrio.
❌ Vivo a este barrio.

What is the nuance of este barrio? Could it be ese barrio or aquel barrio?

Demonstratives in Spanish indicate distance, both physical and sometimes psychological:

este barrio – this neighborhood, close to the speaker (or “my” current neighborhood)
ese barrio – that neighborhood, usually closer to the listener or at a medium distance
aquel barrio – that neighborhood over there / that neighborhood (far away)

In the sentence:

Desde hace un año vivo en este barrio.

Using este suggests it’s the neighborhood where the speaker currently is or one that feels “close” or “current” to them.

You could say ese barrio or aquel barrio in a different context, but then you would likely be referring to a neighborhood that is not the one you are in or is conceptually distant.

What is the difference between barrio and words like vecindario or vecindad?

In Spain:

barrio is the most common word for a neighborhood or district within a town/city:
- Vivo en este barrio. (I live in this neighborhood/district.)
vecindario exists but is less common in everyday Peninsular Spanish; it can sound a bit more formal or literary and refers more to the group of neighbors/area than to an official urban district.
vecindad in Spain is not commonly used for “neighborhood” in modern everyday speech; in Latin America, vecindad can also mean a courtyard-style apartment complex.

For everyday Spanish from Spain, barrio is usually the best choice for “neighborhood.”