fuera de la oficina
/fweɾa de la ofiθina/from spelling rules
The English phrase "out of office" is translated into Spanish as fuera de la oficina.
The phrase fuera de la oficina is used to indicate that a person is not present at their place of work. You might also use the common expression de vacaciones if the person is specifically "on vacation".
How do you pronounce it?
/fweɾa de la ofiθina/
Did you know?
- The word fuera is a linguistic triple threat, sharing an ancient root with both the English word 'foreign' and the word 'door'.
- In many Spanish-speaking professional environments, you might see the shorter fuera de servicio used for equipment, but for people, it is more common to simply say they are ausente, meaning 'absent'.
- While fuera de la oficina is grammatically perfect, many people in Spain and Latin America will simply say they are fuera, leaving the 'office' part implied by the context of the conversation.
Examples in context
- Queridos clientes, les informo que estaré ausente por motivos personales durante la próxima semana.Dear clients, I inform you that I will be absent due to personal reasons during the following week.
- Gracias por su correo electrónico. Actualmente me encuentro no disponible, pero le contestaré a mi regreso.Thank you for your email. Currently, I am not available, but I will respond upon my return.
- Hola a todos, solo quería informarles que estaré de vacaciones hasta el [fecha].Hi everyone, just wanted to inform you that I'll be on vacation until [date].
- El jefe está fuera de la oficina hoy.The boss is out of the office today.
- ¿Sabes si ella está fuera de la oficina?Do you know if she is out of the office?
- Estaré fuera de la oficina toda la semana.I will be out of the office all week.
Example conversation
Mateo is calling Lucía to ask about a project.
- MateoHola Lucía, ¿puedes ayudarme con el reporte?Hi Lucía, can you help me with the report?
- LucíaLo siento, Mateo, estoy fuera de la oficina.I'm sorry, Mateo, I am out of office.
- Mateo¿Cuándo regresas al trabajo?When do you return to work?
- LucíaVuelvo mañana por la mañana.I'll be back tomorrow morning.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, fuera, la, oficina, CC BY-SA 4.0.
