El feriante vende algodón de azúcar junto a la tómbola.

Feriante is a person who works at a fair, funfair, or fairground. In this sentence, it refers to the person running a stall or attraction and selling something there.

It is more specific than a general word like vendedor (seller).
A feriante is connected to the fair itself.

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English might not.

So El feriante vende... means The fairground vendor sells... or, depending on context, simply The vendor sells...

Using el makes it sound like a specific, identifiable person in the scene.

Vende is the third person singular form of the verb vender (to sell) in the present tense.

• yo vendo = I sell
• tú vendes = you sell
• él / ella vende = he / she sells

Since el feriante is a singular subject, the verb must be vende.

Spanish often uses the simple present tense where English might use either sells or is selling, depending on context.

So El feriante vende algodón de azúcar... can mean:

• The vendor sells cotton candy... (general fact / description)
• The vendor is selling cotton candy... (what is happening in the scene)

If you want to stress the ongoing action, Spanish could also say:

El feriante está vendiendo algodón de azúcar junto a la tómbola.

But the simple present is very natural here.

Yes, literally it does mean cotton of sugar. That is simply the Spanish expression for cotton candy.

This kind of structure is very common in Spanish:

• jugo de naranja = orange juice
• mesa de madera = wooden table
• algodón de azúcar = cotton candy

So it may sound unusual if you translate it word for word, but it is the normal phrase.

Because here it is being treated as an uncountable product or substance, similar to English.

Compare:

• Vende algodón de azúcar. = He sells cotton candy.
• Vende el algodón de azúcar. = He sells the cotton candy.
  (a specific cotton candy already known in the context)

Without the article, it refers to the product in general.

Junto a means next to, beside, or right by.

So:

junto a la tómbola = next to the raffle stall / tombola

It suggests close physical position.

Because junto normally needs a when it means next to.

So the pattern is:

junto a + noun

Examples:

• junto a la puerta = next to the door
• junto al escenario = next to the stage
• junto a la tómbola = next to the raffle stall

Without a, junto usually appears in other structures, such as juntos meaning together:

• Estamos juntos. = We are together.

In Spain, tómbola usually refers to a raffle booth, prize stall, or lottery-style fair attraction where people buy tickets or chances to win prizes.

It is a very typical fairground word. In this sentence, it helps create a clear fair/funfair setting.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes: TÓM-bo-la.

Without the accent, standard stress rules would make it sound different. The written accent tells you the stressed syllable is the first one.

This is important both for pronunciation and correct spelling.

Yes. Al lado de and junto a are very similar here.

• junto a la tómbola = next to the raffle stall
• al lado de la tómbola = beside / next to the raffle stall

Junto a can sound slightly more compact or a bit more formal/literary in some contexts, but both are completely normal.

The given order is very natural, but Spanish word order is more flexible than English.

You could also say:

Junto a la tómbola, el feriante vende algodón de azúcar.

This puts more emphasis on the location first.

You could even say:

El feriante, junto a la tómbola, vende algodón de azúcar.

That sounds a bit more descriptive.
So yes, the order can change, although the original sentence is the most straightforward.

Yes, grammatically you could say:

El vendedor vende algodón de azúcar junto a la tómbola.

But it sounds less specific and a bit repetitive, because vendedor just means seller.

Feriante is better here because it tells you the person belongs to the fairground setting.

A rough pronunciation for Spain would be:

el fe-RYAN-te BEN-de al-go-DON de a-THU-car HUN-to a la TOM-bo-la

Notes for Spain Spanish:

• z in azúcar is pronounced like th in think in most of Spain.
• j in junto is a strong throaty sound.
• riante in feriante has a kind of rya sound together.
• Stress falls on:
  • feRIANte
  • venDE
  • algoDÓN
  • aZÚcar
  • JUNto
  • TÓMbola

Yes, it fits Spain very well, especially because of tómbola, which is strongly associated with fairs in Spain.

Also, algodón de azúcar is standard and widely understood, including in Spain.
A speaker from another Spanish-speaking country would understand the sentence, but some fairground vocabulary can vary by region.