Today’s Spanish word of the day is “afuera”.
It’s an adverb meaning “outside”, “out” or “outdoors”.
Confusingly, it’s very similar to the word “fuera”, which also means “outside”, but is used slightly differently. Here’s a brief summary of the main differences between the two words:
Afuera
- Usually more literal, referring to a physical location.
- Relatively more common in Latin America.
Fuera
- Used more in commands, for example “¡Fuera!” (“Get out!”).
- Used in more metaphorical senses as opposed to literally “outside”, for example “¡Fuera de mi vista!” (“Out of my sight!”)
- Relatively more common in Spain.
While the words “fuera” and “afuera” can often be used interchangeably, “afuera” tends to emphasize direction or a contrast with “inside.”
The word “afuera” was formed by adding the preposition “a” (“to”) to the word “fuera” (“outside”), so it literally means something like “to the outside”. The opposite is “adentro” (“to the inside”).
The Latin root of “afuera” and “fuera” is the word foras, meaning “outside”, which was related to the word “forum”, meaning a public place. A related Spanish word is the noun “forastero”, meaning “outsider” or “stranger”, for example someone who isn’t local to a place.
Example sentences
Los niños están jugando afuera.
The kids are playing outside.
Salgo afuera a tomar aire.
I’m going outside to get some air.
Dejé mi café afuera por un minuto, y ahora un mapache lo está tomando con una pajita.
I left my coffee outside for a minute, and now a raccoon is drinking it with a straw.
Hace frío afuera.
It’s cold outside.
Déjalo afuera de la conversación.
Leave it out of the conversation.
