# country vs. countryside



## sanne78

Is there a difference between these two words?

Countryside is used to describe the landscape?
*The Cotswolds countryside is beautiful.* ?

Country is used to describe rural areas (our of town)?
*He lives in the country.*

Would you say: *This weekend I'm going to the coutry.*
or *This weekend I'm going to the countryside.* ?

and

*We have a holiday home in the country / countryside. *??


Thanks for you help.


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## Here to learn

Hi,

This weekend I am going to the country.                  Not countryside.

We have a holiday home in the country.                   I think I have heard countryside before but it is very rare, the more common choice would be country.


Your two definitions are correct. It is hard to state any rules when to use country and countryside, basiclally we just learn it by usage. But the two examples you gave are 100% correct.


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## sanne78

Thank you for you answer.

Could there be a difference between British and American English?
I have the impression that "countryside" is quite common in Britain...


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## Andygc

sanne78 said:


> I have the impression that "countryside" is quite common in Britain...


Indeed. The COD definition does nicely:





> countryside
> noun the land and scenery of a rural area.


You have a holiday home in the country where you go to enjoy the countryside.


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## a little edgy

> You have a holiday home in the country where you go to enjoy the countryside.


We say that in American English, too. "Countryside" is not at all rare in AE. On the other hand, in BE would you say "we have a home in  the countryside"? That would not be the usual usage in AE. We generally confine the use of "countryside" to mean *the things, especially scenery and nature, that ones finds in the country*. It is similar to, but not synonymous with, *landscape*. 

I can imagine circumstances where we might use "countryside" as a physical location. For example:

_There was a little cottage, buried deep in the countryside ..._

But even then, you would be using "countryside" in the sense of the things that occupy the landscape - the cottage is buried amidst the trees, fields, etc., that make up the countryside.

When we talk about a location away from urban and suburban areas, we say "the *country*."


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## Andygc

a little edgy said:


> On the other hand, in BE would you say "we have a home in  the countryside"?
> 
> _There was a little cottage, buried deep in the country_side_ ..._


For me, the first of those definitely does not work. I'm equivocal about the second. I suppose there are occasions where _deep in the countryside_ might just get by.


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## sanne78

If you google "home in the countryside" or "go to the countryside", you'll get plenty of hits:
examples:

_"...every child must change some urban habits in order to feel at *home in the countryside."

"...* Millions of City folk dream of owning a second *home in the countryside"*

"Loving this modern open concept *home in the countryside* outside of New York..."

"It is very essential for intellectual young people to *go to the countryside"*

"Another thing that you might also find interesting is to *go to the countryside* for a weekend"

"When the main reason that you *go to the countryside* is to go walking..."_

In these cases would you prefer "country" instead of "countryside"?


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## Andygc

sanne78 said:


> _"...every child must change some urban habits in order to feel at *home in the countryside."*_ Just about acceptable, but I would say country
> 
> _*"...* Millions of City folk dream of owning a second *home in the countryside"*_ Not for me
> 
> _"Loving this modern open concept *home in the countryside* outside of New York..."_ Possible - countryside is not so much a place as a descriptor of the home. That is - it is {a home in the countryside} {outside of New York} not {a home} {in the countryside outside of New York}
> 
> _"It is very essential for intellectual young people to *go to the countryside"*_ Wrong, as is _very essential_. There is no degree of essentialness, and you cannot go to the countryside, it's what you see when you go to the country.
> 
> _"Another thing that you might also find interesting is to *go to the countryside* for a weekend"_ Again, the countryside is not, of itself, a place you can go to.
> 
> _"When the main reason that you *go to the countryside* is to go walking..."_ Ditto


Google is a reliable source of non-standard and ungrammatical English. My view of the above is as marked. It is, of course, only one man's opinion.

The BNC gives

_in the countryside_ 525 hits in 251 texts
_in the country_ 2834 hits in 1201 texts

_to the countryside_ 158 hits in 97 texts
_to the country_ 413 hits in 297 texts

so it is certainly used in British English. Looking at the _in the countryside _hits there are certainly some where I would use _country_. There are several examples of_ to the countryside_ where I would use it, such as "bring change to the countryside" or "drive to the countryside of the National Parks"

Of course some of those hits use _country _to mean a nation state, not the rural environment.


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## a little edgy

> you cannot go to the countryside, it's what you see when you go to the country.


Well put, Andygc. For what it's worth, the distinction is the same in AE; I don't think there's any difference in the use of these two words between BE and AE.


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## HSS

I understand now that the word 'countryside' is used with focus on its landscape, which is characteristic of the location, maybe idyllic, maybe with cornfields.

You would only say 'I went to the country over the weekend.' What if you look more into the vast land, for example, by saying 'I coasted through the city. After about thirty minutes, our car went into a beautiful countryside with apple trees here and there'?

Also, you would say 'I lived in the country when I was a kid,' but how about 'I used to live right in the idyllic, rolling countryside'?

Hiro


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## coolieinblue

Yes, that sounds OK for me.
I think 'somewhereSIDE' carries confining sense, letting something that is taking place _*there*_ sound as though it is restricted to/typical of a particular area of concern, as in Westside Story.


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## Andygc

HSS said:


> our car went into a beautiful countryside with apple trees here and there'?


That would have to be ... into beautiful countryside .. with no article.



HSS said:


> how about 'I used to live right in the idyllic, rolling countryside'?


Yes, that works and you do need the definite article here. There's something not quite natural about it, but it is not wrong.


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## HSS

Two of my friends, one in the U.K. and the other in Australia, say they would definitely say 'I went to the countryside yesterday.'

I am now confused. You wouldn't say 'go to the countryside,' or you would say it?


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## JustKate

I would say _the countryside_, but almost certainly not _a countryside_. In theory, there ought to be a few instances where _a countryside_ is OK, but _countryside_ normally takes the definite article. I know this doesn't make sense, but that's the way it strikes me.

I work for an organization that represents farmers, and we still refer to _the countryside_ a lot - probably more than the average person. But I'm nonetheless going to disagree with post #2 and say that _countryside_ is used more frequently in AmE than that poster seems to be indicating. Normally, as others have stated, _the countryside_ is used to emphasize the scenery and landscape. But at least in AmE, it is also sometimes used as a kind of shorthand to refer to "the people of rural America." For example, we staff members will discuss an issue, and sometimes we'll ask people who work out of the central office what the opinion is "out in the countryside." Politicians use this term the same way sometimes, too.


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## ribran

I wouldn't use "countryside" as a location unless I actually gave some information about where it was:
_
their house in the Virginia countryside 
__their house in the Virginia country _

But I'm just one person. 

EDIT: I think that may have been what Andy was getting at in post #8.


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## HSS

JustKate said:


> I would say _the countryside_, but almost certainly not _a countryside_. In theory, there ought to be a few instances where _a countryside_ is OK, but _countryside_ normally takes the definite article.


Maybe, that's because 'countryside' and a 'country' in the sense of a rural area are something that is normally inevitably (perceived to be) attached to, or located as an extension to, a city, as in 'the beach,' which is perceived as something that comes along with where you are.




ribran said:


> I wouldn't use "countryside" as a location unless I actually gave some information about where it was:
> _
> their house in the Virginia countryside
> __their house in the Virginia country _
> 
> But I'm just one person.
> 
> EDIT: I think that may have been what Andy was getting at in post #8.


It seems as though the usage of 'countryside' is limited, but it's not necessarily zilch as a location if you feel it as an expanse.

Go to the countryside: these two friends of mine voted for this sentence with one bringing up an example of 'seaside.'


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## Andygc

HSS said:


> Go to the countryside: these two friends of mine voted for this sentence with one bringing up an example of 'seaside.'


I suspect there are plenty of people who will disagree with them - several of whom have posted in this thread. _Seaside_ is a completely different word from _countryside _since the seaside is a clearly identifiable place - it's the bit of land that runs along the side of the sea. _Countryside_ lacks that specificity - it isn't the bit of land on the side of the country.


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## redgiant

> This realm is chaotic and violent. The roads and rivers are unsafe. Justice is uncertain. Bribery and corruption are commonplace. People's darkest fears are real: awful dragons ravage the countryside, strange creatures infest underground mines (Darklands' manual)



This is taken from an old computer game's manual. In light of your explanations, I take it that "ravage the countryside" means "destroy things that occupies the rural landscape, leaving the whole place in ruins. What do you make of " awful dragons ravage the country"? Does it mean a complete destruction of the location? Does it make sense to you?


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## JustKate

"Dragons ravage the countryside" and "Dragons ravage the country" are both possible - but they don't mean the same thing, at least not to me. As you suggest, Redgiant, _countryside_ would refer to the fields, the livestock, the farmhouses, perhaps the villages, and many of the people who inhabit that area - in this case, whoever got in the way of the dragons. _Country_ would mean, well, the entire *country* - England or Narnia or Darklands or whatever country is applicable.


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## HSS

I've been thinking so hard to decide my sentence is idiomatic according to all the above discussion.

(I'm trying to say although Tokyo is a huge city, you'll find attractive nature once you step out of the center of the city)
[1] The countryside of Tokyo is rather scenic.
[2] The country of Tokyo is rather scenic.
What do you think?


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## entangledbank

Your choice is right, though I'm not sure why 'country of' sounds so wrong*. 'Countryside around' and 'country around' sound equally good.

* Perhaps because it too much suggests a nation: the country of Luxembourg, as opposed to the city of Luxembourg.


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## Andygc

I don't think you can talk of "the countryside of Tokyo". It's a city, so it doesn't have any countryside. It has a "cityscape". I agree that both words (country/countryside) work with "around".


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## HSS

entangledbank said:


> Your choice is right, though I'm not sure why 'country of' sounds so wrong*. 'Countryside around' and 'country around' sound equally good.
> 
> * Perhaps because it too much suggests a nation: the country of Luxembourg, as opposed to the city of Luxembourg.





Andygc said:


> I don't think you can talk of "the countryside of Tokyo". It's a city, so it doesn't have any countryside. It has a "cityscape". I agree that both words (country/countryside) work with "around".


Then, perhaps, the interpretations would be like this?
[1] The countryside around Tokyo is rather scenic. [looking more into the elements of the scenery]
[2] The country around Tokyo is rather scenic. [looking at the overall view of the area]


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## HSS

Further to my last message, I've just started wondering if maybe I needed to drop 'the' from both sentences if these were used as an introductory sentence?

Any and all your input would be highly welcome.

Hiro


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## Cagey

Yes, both your sentences are fine.
Don't omit 'the'.


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## HSS

Hi, Cagey.

Okay, I need the there. I bet that's because they are the country/ countryside that are around Tokyo, surrounding a specific city.


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## zaffy

So which word fits better in this context? Or does either work here? If so, would one imply anything more than the other?

_Would you prefer to spend a weekend at the seaside or in the country/countryside?  _


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## Roxxxannne

In American English, I would expect the question to be
_Would you prefer to spend a weekend at the shore/by the ocean or in the country?_
As someone who has lived in the northeast of the US for much of my life, I would expect "at the shore' to be more common in reference to the so-called "Jersey shore" (the coast of New Jersey) than to other coastal areas.

The phrase 'in the countryside' evokes scenes in 19th-century landscape paintings.


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## zaffy

Thanks a lot, Roxxannne. Could a BE speaker share their thoughts about #27 too?


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## DonnyB

zaffy said:


> Thanks a lot, Roxxannne. Could a BE speaker share their thoughts about #27 too?


I would say "in the country" as a comparison with "at the seaside".

I'm with those in this thread who have said the word *countryside* is associated with scenery and landscape.


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## Hermione Golightly

_Would you prefer to spend a weekend at the seaside or in the country/countryside?  _ 

'Country' is the correct response in BE. 'Countryside' is whatever is in the country.


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## zaffy

So these two work but imply something different, right? The former suggests beautiful scenery (perhaps a lake, woods) and the latter a nice location in some village, right? 

A: How was your weekend? 
B: Oh, great. Ashley and I had a fantasitic time in the countryside. 
B: Oh, great. Ashley and I had a fantasitic time in the country.


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## Hermione Golightly

It's country as opposed to beach, mountains, or towns. 'Countryside' means what the country is like in that area. It might be beautiful or it might be boring, or even ugly, if it's covered in pig farms for example, or, back in the old days, when the countryside was ruined by industry like coal ming or mills.


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## zaffy

Hermione Golightly said:


> It's country as opposed to beach, mountains, or towns. 'Countryside' means what the country is like in that area.


So this example  _Ashley and I had a fantasitic time in the countryside_ doesn't make sense right?


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## Hermione Golightly

I'd say  'in the country'. "I'm so glad we chose to spend the weekend in the country. We stayed in a marvellous B&B near the Roman Wall in Northumberland, which has fantastic countryside, with something for everybody".


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## zaffy

And do you like this Longman example? "People who live in the countryside".
I'm confused, to be honest. How can people live in a landscape? Shouldn't it read "People who live in the country"?



*


*


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## JulianStuart

More black and white distinctions being sought!  You use "should" more often than necessary 
I prefer to live in the country rather than in a city. Country as opposed to town/city. Countryside unlikely to beb used for this.
I enjoy the area around my cottage - there are many woods/forests, (  another old thread, I think) hiking trails and footpaths where I can enjoy the countryside. Countryside as scenery/landscape/outdoor environment/nature. Not contrasted with city. Country can be used for this.


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## zaffy

JulianStuart said:


> ...where I can enjoy the countryside. Countryside as scenery/landscape/outdoor environment/nature. Not contrasted with city.



That strenghtens my belief that the Longman example sounds off.


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## JulianStuart

It is not true that there is always agreement that in one context 100% of English speakers will use one word and in another context, 0% of people will use it.  The Longman's example will sound just fine to some people.


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## zaffy

And how about these two? Do they both work?

_I miss the fresh air of the country from my childhood. 
I miss the fresh air of the countryside from my childhood._


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## Keith Bradford

Both work.


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## kentix

My thoughts:

_I miss the fresh air of the country from my childhood.
I miss the fresh country air from my childhood.
I miss the fresh air we had out in the country in my childhood.
I miss the fresh air of the countryside from my childhood._

The Longman example does sound a bit off to me.


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## zaffy

Keith Bradford said:


> Both work.



With the same meaning? Does either imply anythnig more than the other?


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## Keith Bradford

The *country *is a place that you can find on a map.
The *countryside *is the green stuff you see all round you when you're in the country.


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## zaffy

Keith Bradford said:


> The *country *is a place that you can find on a map.


So how does it differ from a village? I thought village was a place on a map too?


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## ewie

zaffy said:


> _Would you prefer to spend a weekend at the seaside or in the country/countryside?  _


For me that would be _... by the sea or in the country?_
____________________________________________________________
That Longman example is off to me too.
_______________________________________________
A village is (generally) a place in the country, (generally) surrounded by countryside.


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## zaffy

ewie said:


> For me that would be _... by the sea or in the country?_



I see, only because it matches the "by the sea" contrast, right? Otherwise, it would sound fine, right? 

_Would you like to spend a weekend in the countryside? _


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## Keith Bradford

zaffy said:


> So how does it differ from a village? I thought village was a place on a map too?


There are lots of places that you can find on maps, and the country is one of them. (It may have villages in it.)

Now, it probably won't be labelled "Country" but it might have titles like _open space, unbuilt land, agricultural land, forest and woodland_... But it's a geographical concept all the same.

I've just typed *Krakow map* into Google.  The country is the green part; the city/town is in grey.


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## zaffy

Keith Bradford said:


> There are lots of places that you can find on maps, and the country is one of them. (It may have villages in it.)



You might wonder why non-natives ask, but we have one word for "village" and "country". I guess we have a word for "countryside", that is, we say "rural landscape". Would you agree that is a good equivalent?


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## ewie

zaffy said:


> I see, only because it matches the "by the sea" contrast, right? Otherwise, it would sound fine, right?
> 
> _Would you like to spend a weekend in the countryside? _


No, it sounds weird.

(Maybe I'm alone in distinguishing between _by the sea ...


_
and_ at the seaside


_)


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## Keith Bradford

zaffy said:


> You might wonder why non-natives ask, but we have one word for "village" and "country". I guess we have a word for "countryside", that is, we say "rural landscape". Would you agree that is a good equivalent?



Yes, that sounds good.  I've looked again at the Krakow map and I see there is a place nearby called Mnikow, which shows as grey surrounded by green.  In English this is a *village *in the *country*. Just north of it is a beautiful valley called Dolina Mnikowska - the Mnikow Valley. This is *in the country* and in fact is pure *countryside *- no houses in sight at all.


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## zaffy

I looked up "life in the country/countryside" and "weekend in the country/countryside" in Ngram Viewer. From what I understood from the posts here in this thread, both phrases sound natural with "country". Yet, some natives would use "countryside" too, which you don't like, right?

Google Books Ngram Viewer


Google Books Ngram Viewer


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## Keith Bradford

*A weekend in the country(side)* is a comment about a place where you're planning to spend a few days.  For that reason, most people prefer the option "country" -- as I said, it's a place on a map.

*Life in the country(side)* refers to an experience -- not just the geographical place but the larger context of how it feels, what it looks like, what society is like when you're there.  I guess that's why more people choose the "countryside" option.

But please don't think this is a "rule" -- it's more like a stylistic tendency.


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## zaffy

a little edgy said:


> We generally confine the use of "countryside" to mean the things, especially scenery and nature, that ones finds in the country. *It is similar to, but not synonymous with, landscape.*



So what differs one from the other?


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## zaffy

Keith Bradford said:


> There are lots of places that you can find on maps, and the country is one of them. (It may have villages in it.)


And can we refer to a place as "the country" if there are no villages, no people living there?


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## JulianStuart

zaffy said:


> And can we refer to a place as "the country" if there are no villages, no people living there?


Especially if there are no people living there


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## Roxxxannne

Yes, in a sentence like "She lives 68 miles from the nearest Starbucks, way out in the country; she has no cell phone reception and moose graze in the swamp in her front yard."


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## zaffy

Say I would like to contrast the 'it is' and 'there is' structures, which is a nightmare for Poles, as we have one structure for them. Anyway,  I've made up these general examples with no context. Do you like them? Would they work better with 'countryside'?

_It's quiet in the country.  vs. It's quiet in the countryside. 
There's fresh air in the country.  vs. There's fresh air in the countryside._


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## Roxxxannne

I agree wih DonnyB (#30) and others "who have said the word *countryside* is associated with scenery and landscape."
 Assuming that 'country' means 'rural area' rather than 'nation,' both of your sentences are okay. 
For me, 'countryside' your sentences sounds a little odd but not absurd or wrong; I think of countryside as having to do with usually-delightful sensory features of non-forested, agricultural territory rather than with a territory's geographical spread.


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## zaffy

A friend of mine, Briton, told me "countryside" was on the decline.


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## ewie

zaffy said:


> A friend of mine, Briton, told me "countryside" was on the decline.


I find that claim somewhat dubious, Zaffy: the 'country' in _Escape to the Country_ is 'the place that isn't the city'. The people in that programme who want to escape the city naturally want to move to the country: once they get there they enjoy the country_side_.


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## heypresto

He didn't say "countryside" was on the decline at all. 'Escape to the Countryside' wouldn't make sense. That's why the BBC call the programme 'Escape to the Country'.


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## Keith Bradford

zaffy said:


> So what differs one from the other?


I would say that _*landscape *_means "countryside seen through the eyes of an artist"; _*countryside *_means the stuff itself - the hills, trees, grass and flowers. Compare the progression between the three terms here:

We're planning to move out of the town into the _country_.
They lived in the _country/countryside_.
She looked out across the beautiful_ countryside/landscape._
On the painter's easel stood a half-finished _landscape_.


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## Keith Bradford

zaffy said:


> Say I would like to contrast the 'it is' and 'there is' structures, which is a nightmare for Poles, as we have one structure for them. Anyway,  I've made up these general examples with no context. Do you like them? Would they work better with 'countryside'?
> 
> _It's quiet in the country.  vs. It's quiet in the countryside.
> There's fresh air in the country.  vs. There's fresh air in the countryside._


The main difference here is what follows "is":

There is + *noun *= The noun exists.
There is fresh air in the country = Fresh air exists in the country.

It is + *adjective *= The adjective describes a situation.
It's quiet in the countryside = The situation in the countryside is quiet = The countryside is quiet.


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## zaffy

Keith Bradford said:


> There is fresh air in the country.
> It's quiet in the countryside.



So you prefer "the country" in the first sentence and "the countryside" in the second, don't you?


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## Keith Bradford

I have no preference there, I just repeated your contruction regarding the first four words.


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## zaffy

Do these sound natural?

_I'd like to spend my holiday/vacation in the country because I love being in the countryside. 
I'd like to spend my holiday/vacation in the country because I love being surrounded by the countryside._


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## kentix

Not to me. That use of country is too ambiguous. Someone might ask, "I didn't catch what you said. What country?"

The sentence is also way too stiff. No real person is going to try to work the word country and countryside into the same sentence. That's a grammar question sentence, not a natural sentence.  

_A: I'd like for us to spend our holiday/vacation somewhere out in the country. What do you think? 

B: That sounds good. Where do you want to go?

A: How about Napa? They say the countryside around there is beautiful._


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## zaffy

I see. But generally do these two work? 

_I love being in the countryside.
I love being surrounded by the countryside._


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## Roxxxannne

They both make sense.  
The first one is more matter-of-fact.  
The second one sounds a little 'dramatic,' like the beginning of an advertisement for an inn in the Napa valley (see Kentix's sample conversation above): "Surrounded by the countryside of the Napa valley, our charming inn offers ... ."


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## stayeron

Here's an example from Oxford Dictionary:

_I dream of living in the countryside._

From your discussion above, I understand that _living in the countryside_ is not commonly used. In the above example, however, it is the phrase _dream of _that makes _living in the countryside _possible, isn't it?

Does the above example sound natural to native speakers of English after all?


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## DonnyB

stayeron said:


> Here's an example from Oxford Dictionary:
> 
> _I dream of liveam ing in the countryside._
> 
> From your discussion above, I understand that _living in the countryside_ is not commonly used. In the above example, however, it is the phrase _dream of _that makes _living in the countryside _possible, isn't it?
> 
> Does the above example sound natural to native speakers of English after all?


It sounds more natural to me as "I dream of living in the country" but I don't know where they got that sentence from.


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## stayeron

Sorry, but why is "_live in the countryside_" still used in the following articles?

1. _It is "significantly healthier" to live in the countryside._
Link: Is it healthier to live in the countryside?

2. _Best villages in the UK: where to live in the countryside_
Link: Best villages in the UK: where to live in the countryside

3. _The programme allows listeners who don't live in the countryside a glimpse of a working farm_...
Link: First International Workshop on Farm Radio Broadcasting

Reading the above articles, as a non-native speaker, I just started to get confused now, even though I understand that _country _(as in _live in the city or in the country_) refers to a geographical area, while _countryside _indicates _scenery_ and _landscape. _

It seems the expression "live in the countryside" is acceptable out there. Is this true?


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## DonnyB

stayeron said:


> Sorry, but why is "_live in the countryside_" still used in the following articles?
> 
> 1. _It is "significantly healthier" to live in the countryside._
> Link: Is it healthier to live in the countryside?
> 
> 2. _Best villages in the UK: where to live in the countryside_
> Link: Best villages in the UK: where to live in the countryside
> 
> 3. _The programme allows listeners who don't live in the countryside a glimpse of a working farm_...
> Link: First International Workshop on Farm Radio Broadcasting
> 
> Reading the above articles, as a non-native speaker, I just started to get confused now, even though I understand that _country _(as in _live in the city or in the country_) refers to a geographical area, while _countryside _indicates _scenery_ and _landscape. _
> 
> It seems the expression "live in the countryside" is acceptable out there. Is this true?


As most of the previous answers have explained, it's_ more usual_ to say "live in the country".  But "live in the countryside" is understandable.


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