vivir lejos
/bibiɾ lexos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "live far away" is translated into Spanish as vivir lejos.
Which one should you use?
The phrase vivir cerca is the direct antonym, meaning "to live nearby".
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the phrase to describe different timeframes. To describe a continuous state of living far away in the past, use vivía lejos (lived far away). To express a future state of living far away, use viviré lejos (will live far away).
Did you know?
- The word lejos comes from the Latin 'laxus', meaning 'wide' or 'loose'. This makes it a distant relative of the English word 'languid'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, telling someone vives lejos can be a polite way to explain why you cannot visit them frequently without sounding rude.
- When people talk about living far away in a metaphorical sense, such as being distant in a relationship, they might use estar lejos instead of vivir lejos.
Examples in context
- Ellos viven lejos de la ciudad.They live far away from the city.
- El pueblo en el que vivo está a mucha distancia de la playa.The town where I live is far away from the beach.
- Mi amiga vive muy lejos de aquí.My friend lives very far away from here.
- Bueno, me encantaría ir a las montañas, pero desafortunadamente vivo lejos y no tengo mucho tiempo libre.Well, I would love to go to the mountains, but unfortunately, I live far away and don't have much free time.
- No podré ir, ya que vivo a mucha distancia y no tengo medio de transporte.I won't be able to go since I live far away and don't have any means of transportation.
- No puedo ir a visitarte porque vivo lejos.I cannot go to visit you because I live far away.
- No quiero vivir lejos de mis padres.I do not want to live far away from my parents.
- ¿Prefieres vivir lejos de la ciudad?Do you prefer to live far away from the city?
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are talking about moving to a new house.
- JavierElena, ¿quieres vivir lejos del centro?Elena, do you want to live far away from the center?
- ElenaNo, prefiero vivir cerca de todo.No, I prefer to live near everything.
- JavierYo también, no me gusta vivir lejos.Me too, I do not like to live far away.
- ElenaEntonces busquemos algo en este barrio.Then let's look for something in this neighborhood.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lejos, vivir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
