afuera
/aˈfweɾa/
The Spanish word for "outside" (as an adverb meaning outdoors) is afuera.
afuera is used as an adverb to indicate that an action is taking place in the exterior or outdoors.
Meaning: outdoors (adv)
Which one should you use?
While both afuera and fuera mean "outside", afuera is typically used as an adverb of direction or location, such as in the phrase "go outside". In contrast, fuera is more commonly used with the preposition de to mean "outside of" a specific place.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In many Spanish-speaking regions, speakers colloquially use afuera de to mean "outside of" a specific object or building, even though strictly speaking fuera de is the standard prepositional form.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈfweɾa/
Did you know?
- Despite being a single word in modern Spanish, afuera shares a common ancestor with the English word 'forum', which originally referred to an outdoor public space.
- In some regions of Spain, speakers use ahuera instead of afuera. This variation is particularly common in the Extremadura region.
- The word afuera is a cousin to the Portuguese word afora and the Romanian word afară. All three evolved from the same Latin roots to describe the exterior.
Examples in context
- Tom se quedó afuera.Tom stayed outside.This sentence shows how to use afuera to describe staying in a location.Tatoeba #2857811 by Besatnias, translation #2238730 by CK
- Ve a esperar afuera.Go wait outside.This sentence shows how to use afuera to indicate a direction to wait.Tatoeba #2886029 by marcelostockle, translation #2649030 by CK
- Se ve caluroso afuera.It seems warm outside.This sentence uses afuera to describe the weather outdoors.Tatoeba #1370359 by marcelostockle, translation #21993 by CK
- Salgamos fuera a disfrutar del buen tiempo.Let's go outside to enjoy the good weather.
- El evento tendrá lugar fuera del edificio principal.The event will take place outside the main building.
- Los niños juegan afuera en el parque.The children play outside in the park.
- El café cuenta con mesas afuera para disfrutar el aire libre.The café has tables outside to enjoy the open air.
- Me gusta pasar tiempo fuera con mis amigos.I enjoy spending time outside with my friends.
- Salgamos afuera a disfrutar del atardecer.Let's go outside to enjoy the sunset.
- Si hace calor, podemos comer afuera en el jardín.If it's hot, we can eat outside in the garden.
- El autobús está por fuera esperando a los pasajeros.The bus is outside waiting for the passengers.
- El perro está por fuera jugando en el patio.The dog is outside playing in the yard.
- 146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are deciding where to eat lunch.
- Mateo¿Quieres comer aquí o afuera?Do you want to eat here or outside?
- LucíaPrefiero comer afuera hoy.I prefer to eat outside today.
- MateoEstá bien, hace buen tiempo afuera.All right, the weather is nice outside.
- LucíaSí, vamos afuera entonces.Yes, let's go outside then.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry afuera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries afuera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
