Question 1

Why is there no word for "we" before vivimos?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, the ending of the verb usually tells you who is doing the action. The -imos ending in vivimos already means "we live" (from the verb vivir). You can add nosotros at the beginning for emphasis, but it is completely normal to leave it out!

Question 2

The translation says "by the sea", but doesn't con mean "with"?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Literally, this sentence translates to "We live in a city with sea." Spanish speakers often use con (with) to describe the physical features of a place, like a house with a pool or a city with a beach. In English, it sounds much more natural to translate this specific phrase as "by the sea."

Question 3

How do we know ciudad (city) is a feminine word?

Accepted Answer

You can see it is feminine here because it uses the feminine word for "a" (una). A very helpful rule for beginners is that almost all Spanish words ending in -dad are feminine, like la universidad (the university) or la verdad (the truth).

Question 4

Why isn't there a word for "the" before mar? Shouldn't it be con el mar?

Accepted Answer

When describing the general features or characteristics of something using con, Spanish often skips the article (the word for "the" or "a"). Saying con mar just means the city has a coastline in general, rather than pointing to one specific, named sea.

Vivimos en una ciudad con mar.

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