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Antiguamente, solíamos preferir la tranquilidad del barrio a la de la ciudad.

Antiguamente, solíamos preferir la tranquilidad del barrio a la de la ciudad.
Formerly, we used to prefer the tranquility of the neighborhood to that of the city.
From Lesson 167:Past habits (solía)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Antiguamente, solíamos preferir la tranquilidad del barrio a la de la ciudad.

Why is solíamos in the imperfect tense here?
The verb soler is used to express what someone usually does. When talking about the past, we almost always use it in the imperfect tense (like solíamos) because it describes an ongoing habit ('we used to'), rather than a single completed action.
Why do we use a before la de la ciudad?
In English, we say we prefer one thing 'to' another. Spanish does this using the preposition a. The structure is preferir [one thing] a [another thing].
What exactly does la de stand for in this sentence?
It means 'that of.' Instead of repeating the noun and saying la tranquilidad de la ciudad (the tranquility of the city), we use the feminine singular article la to stand in for la tranquilidad.
Could I use antes instead of antiguamente?
Yes! Antes is a very common way to say 'in the past.' Antiguamente means something closer to 'formerly' or 'in the old days,' which pairs perfectly with the nostalgic feeling of solíamos.

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