Log inSign up

Yo vivo en las afueras de la ciudad.

Yo vivo en las afueras de la ciudad.
I live on the outskirts of the city.
From Lesson 31:Preposition contractions (al, del)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Yo vivo en las afueras de la ciudad.

Why is it de la here instead of the contraction del that we learned in this lesson?
The preposition de (of/from) only combines with the masculine singular article el to form del. The word ciudad (city) is feminine, so it uses the article la. The words de and la never contract, so they stay as two separate words: de la.
The English translation says "on the outskirts", but the sentence uses en. Doesn't en mean "in"?
The word en is very flexible and can mean "in", "on", or "at" depending on the context. When talking about being located somewhere (like living on the outskirts, in a city, or being at a store), Spanish generally just uses en.
Is the word for "outskirts" (las afueras) always plural?
Yes, when referring to the suburbs or the outer edge of a town, it is always the plural feminine noun las afueras. It's very similar to English, where we also use a plural form ("outskirts" with an "s").
Do I have to include the word Yo at the beginning of the sentence?
No, you can simply say vivo en las afueras de la ciudad. The verb vivo ends in -o, which already tells the listener that "I" am the one living. Including yo is optional and is usually just done for emphasis.

Learn Yo vivo en las afueras de la ciudad and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →