Mi barrio es muy peligroso.
My neighborhood is very dangerous.
Running everywhere, even to the store, has a reason: the neighborhood is dangerous. Mi barrio means the few streets around your home.
From Beverly Hills Ninja · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "neighborhood" in Spanish
el barrio
nounmasculineplural: los barrios
"Neighborhood" in Spanish is el barrio, the part of town around your home: mi barrio is my neighborhood. El vecindario means the same area in a more formal way, and in Mexico you'll also hear la colonia.
Hear "barrio" in real movie scenes
A reason to run and a reminder about whose turf this is. Each video starts and stops on that line.
No estamos en tu barrio.
We're not in your neighborhood.
This line reminds the other person that they aren't on home ground here. With tu in front, barrio needs no article.
From Rápido y furioso · Spanish audio
Barrio, vecindario, colonia
Words for the part of town you live in.
| Spanish | What it means | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el barrio | neighborhood, district | The everyday word in every Spanish-speaking country. |
| el vecindario | neighborhood, the people in it | More formal. It can also mean all the residents as a group. |
| la colonia | neighborhood (Mexico) | Part of Mexican addresses, often written Col. |
| el centro | downtown, the city center | Trabajo en el centro. I work downtown. |
| las afueras | the outskirts | Mi casa está en las afueras. My house is on the edge of town. |
Tip: To ask a new friend which part of the city they live in, say ¿En qué barrio vives?
Grammar: el barrio, en mi barrio
Four points for describing where you live.
It's masculine
el barrio, plural los barrios. Adjectives agree with it: un barrio tranquilo, los barrios antiguos.Hay for what's in it
List what your neighborhood has with hay plus un, una or a number: En mi barrio hay dos parques. Never hay el parque.Es or está
Es for what it's like: Mi barrio es tranquilo. Está for where it is: El barrio está cerca del centro.Roll the rr
Trill the rr, and say rio as one syllable: BAH-rryoh.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
En mi barrio hay una plaza.
There's a square in my neighborhood.
Sí, y el barrio tampoco es malo.
Yes, and the neighborhood isn't bad either.
No estamos en tu barrio.
We're not in your neighborhood.
Mi barrio es muy peligroso.
My neighborhood is very dangerous.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗En mi barrio hay la plaza
✓En mi barrio hay una plaza
After hay, use un, una or a number. El and la don't go there.
✗mi vecino (meaning my neighborhood)
✓mi barrio
Vecino is the person who lives next door. The area is el barrio.
✗BAH-ree-oh (pronunciation)
✓BAH-rryoh
Barrio has two syllables, and the rr is a strong trill.
Real conversation: reading the neighborhood map
A short dialog on the walk home from the station.
On the way home from the station, you and your guest Rosa stop in front of a map of the neighborhood.
Mira, un mapa. ¿Qué hay en tu barrio?
Look, a map. What's in your neighborhood?
Pues hay un parque muy bonito.
Well, there's a very pretty park.
La estación está cerca de tu casa, ¿verdad?
The station is close to your house, right?
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
Free, and you don't need an account.
1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 29 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Barrio starts with bar. Picture the little bar on your corner, the place where everyone from the barrio meets.
Questions about "neighborhood" in Spanish
How do you say neighborhood in Spanish?
El barrio. You can also say el vecindario, and in Mexico people often say la colonia.
What's the difference between barrio and vecindario?
Barrio is the everyday word for the area. Vecindario sounds more formal and can also mean everyone who lives there.
How do you say "my neighborhood" in Spanish?
Mi barrio, with no article: Mi barrio es tranquilo. For someone else's, say tu barrio or su barrio.
How do you ask where someone lives in Spanish?
¿Dónde vives? asks where you live. To ask about the part of town, say ¿En qué barrio vives?
