F1 Circuit in Your Neighborhood? Madrid Residents Say No

Key vocabulary

• circuitom.

  circuit; track; loop

  “El circuito pasa por mi barrio.”— The circuit goes through my neighborhood.

  Pattern circuito urbano city circuit

  Compare pista track

  plural circuitos

  💡 circuito comes from Latin circumire (to go around), and is cognate with English circuit.

• barriom.

  neighborhood; district

  “Vivo en un barrio tranquilo.”— I live in a quiet neighborhood.

  Pattern en el barrio in the neighborhood

  Compare vecindario residential area

  plural barrios

  💡 barrio refers to a district within a city, often with a community cultural flavor.

• vecinom.

  neighbor; resident

  “Los vecinos están muy enfadados.”— The neighbors are very angry.

  Pattern los vecinos del barrio the residents of the neighborhood

  Compare residente resident

  plural vecinos; feminine vecina

  💡 vecino comes from Latin vicinus, related to 'near', and refers to someone who lives nearby.

• ruidom.

  noise; sound

  “El ruido de los coches es muy fuerte.”— The noise from the cars is very loud.

  Pattern hacer ruido to make noise

  Compare sonido sound

  plural ruidos

  💡 ruido usually refers to an unpleasant sound, while sonido is neutral.

• eventom.

  event; happening

  “Este evento dura solo unos días.”— This event lasts only a few days.

  Pattern un gran evento a large event

  Compare acontecimiento event

  plural eventos

  💡 evento is often used for large events, such as sports competitions, conferences, etc.

• deudaf.

  debt; liability

  “La ciudad tiene mucha deuda.”— The city has a lot of debt.

  Pattern tener deuda to have debt

  Compare pasivo liabilities

  plural deudas

  💡 deuda comes from Latin debere (to owe), and is cognate with English debt.

• cicatrizf.

  scar; wound

  “El circuito es una cicatriz para la ciudad.”— The circuit is a scar for the city.

  Pattern una gran cicatriz a large scar

  Compare herida wound

  plural cicatrices

  💡 cicatriz is often used metaphorically for a long-term trauma or mark left behind.

• cambiarv.

  to change; to alter

  “Los barrios cambian por el evento.”— The neighborhoods change because of the event.

  Pattern cambiar para siempre to change forever

  Compare transformar to transform

  Present cambio, cambias, cambia...

  💡 cambiar can be used as a transitive verb (to change something) or intransitive (to change).

Grammar spotlight

Sentence patterns to steal

• Es difícil no recordar Valencia.

  It is hard not to remember Valencia.

  Es difícil + infinitiveDifícil can be replaced with importante, necesario, etc.; the infinitive can be replaced with other verbs.

• Los barrios cambian para siempre por un evento de unos días.

  Neighborhoods change forever because of an event of a few days.

  cambiar para siempre por + nounCambiar can be replaced with transformarse; por can be followed by other causes.

• La gente que vive allí no puede evitar el ruido.

  The people who live there cannot avoid the noise.

  La gente que + verb + no puede evitar + nounQue vive allí can be replaced with other relative clauses; el ruido can be replaced with other problems.