dentro de
/ˈdentɾo de/
The English phrase 'inside' is translated into Spanish as dentro de.
dentro de is a prepositional phrase used to indicate that something is within the interior of, or closest to the center of, a specific point of reference or space.
Meaning: within the interior of, closest to the center or to a specific point of reference (prep)
Which one should you use?
dentro de is used to describe a static position within a space. In contrast, the adverb adentro is used to indicate movement or direction towards the interior, such as in the command '¡Vamos adentro!' (Let's go inside!). While dentro de is a prepositional phrase that must be followed by a noun, adentro functions as an adverb.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase dentro de must be followed by a noun or a pronoun to indicate the object being contained or entered.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdentɾo de/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying dentro la caja to mean 'inside the box'. You must include the preposition 'de' and say dentro de la caja.
Did you know?
- Beyond physical space, dentro de is used to express time, such as saying 'within an hour' as dentro de una hora.
- The word dentro is a linguistic fossil of the Latin phrase dē intrō, which literally meant 'from within'.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, people use dentro and adentro interchangeably in casual speech, even though grammar rules strictly separate them.
Examples in context
- Miré dentro de la caja.I looked inside the box.This example shows how to use dentro de with a container.Tatoeba #6806616 by arh, translation #6806539 by CK
- Alguien está dentro de la casa.Somebody's inside the house.This example shows the use of dentro de to describe someone's location in a house.Tatoeba #1210094 by marcelostockle, translation #1148060 by cntrational
- La carta está dentro del sobre.The letter is inside the envelope.This example demonstrates dentro de used with an envelope.Tatoeba #1256579 by hayastan, translation #1256783 by CK
- Por favor, coloque el informe dentro del sobre.Please place the report inside the envelope.
- En el interior del edificio, encontrarás la sala de conferencias.Inside the building, you will find the conference room.
- Estudiamos los procesos que ocurren internamente dentro del cerebro.We study the processes that occur internally inside the brain.
- ¡Vamos adentro de la casa antes de que empiece a llover!Let's go inside the house before it starts raining!
- Hay algo interesante dentro de esa caja.There's something interesting inside that box.
- dentro de la cajaInside the box
- dentro de la casaInside the house
- 54 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are looking for their car keys in the living room.
- Elena¿Están las llaves dentro de la mochila?Are the keys inside the backpack?
- DanielNo, no están dentro de la mochila.No, they are not inside the backpack.
- ElenaBusca bien dentro del cajón.Look carefully inside the drawer.
- Daniel¡Ah, sí! Están aquí.Ah, yes! They are here.
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.
