Breakdown of Abito in periferia, lontano dal centro.
in
in / made of (material)
il centro
the center / downtown
abitare
to live
lontano
far
dal
from the; to/at the (da + il)
la periferia
the outskirts, the suburbs
Questions & Answers about Abito in periferia, lontano dal centro.
Why do we use in before periferia?
Places ending in -ia (like periferia, farmacia, pizzeria) generally take the preposition in. Also, while we use a for cities and small towns, we use in for broader zones or areas like the suburbs.
Why is it dal centro instead of just da centro?
The word lontano (far) must be followed by the preposition da (from). Since centro is a specific noun here, it requires the masculine singular definite article il. When you combine da + il, it forms the combined preposition dal.
How would I apply this lesson's grammar to say 'the farthest from the center'?
To form a relative superlative, you use a definite article + più + the adjective. To say 'the farthest' (literally 'the most far'), you would use il più lontano. If you wanted to say 'I live the farthest from the center', you would say Abito il più lontano dal centro.
Why is periferia singular when the English translation says 'outskirts' (plural)?
In Italian, la periferia is a singular collective noun referring to the entire suburban area surrounding a city. You will almost always see it used in the singular, unlike the English words 'outskirts' or 'suburbs'.
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