dentro de
/ˈdentɾo de/
In Spanish, 'inside' is translated as dentro de.
The preposition dentro de is used to indicate that something is within the interior of, closest to the center or to a specific point of reference.
Meaning: within the interior of, closest to the center or to a specific point of reference (prep)
Which one should you use?
While dentro de describes the static location or position of something being inside a space, adentro is an adverb used to express movement towards the interior, such as saying 'go inside'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression dentro de casa is commonly used to mean 'inside the house'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When dentro de is followed by the masculine article el, it must contract to dentro del. The related noun interior refers to the inner part of something.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdentɾo de/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use dentro alone as a preposition. However, you must use dentro de before a noun, such as dentro de la casa rather than dentro la casa.
Did you know?
- While dentro de usually refers to physical space, it is the standard way to express time in the future, such as saying 'within ten minutes'.
- The word dentro is a 'cousin' to the English word 'center', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁énteros.
- In some Latin American countries, adentro is used more flexibly than in Spain, sometimes replacing dentro de even when followed by a noun.
Examples in context
- Miré dentro de la caja.I looked inside the box.This sentence shows how to use dentro de to describe looking inside a box.Tatoeba #6806616 by arh, translation #6806539 by CK
- Alguien está dentro de la casa.Somebody's inside the house.This sentence demonstrates using dentro de to describe someone's location inside a house.Tatoeba #1210094 by marcelostockle, translation #1148060 by cntrational
- La carta está dentro del sobre.The letter is inside the envelope.This sentence illustrates the contraction used when dentro de precedes a masculine noun like 'sobre'.Tatoeba #1256579 by hayastan, translation #1256783 by CK
- El gato está dentro de la casa.The cat is inside the house.
- Vamos a jugar adentro de la casa.Let's play inside the house.
- Los zapatos están dentro de casa.The shoes are inside the house.
- 54 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are looking for the car keys in the living room.
- Mateo¿Están las llaves dentro de la caja?Are the keys inside the box?
- MaríaNo, no están dentro de la caja.No, they are not inside the box.
- MateoBusca dentro de tu bolso, María.Look inside your purse, María.
- María¡Ah, sí! Están dentro de mi bolso.Ah, yes! They are inside my purse.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “inside” translations and entries dentro de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, dentro, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
