estudiar en el extranjero
/estudjaɾ en el eɡstɾanxeɾo/from spelling rules
To study abroad in Spanish is estudiar en el extranjero.
This phrase is used to describe traveling to a different country to attend an educational institution. If you wish to refer to the concept of 'studies abroad' as a noun phrase, such as when saying you are interested in the concept, use estudios en el extranjero.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use estudiar en el extranjero. In Spain, speakers use estudiar en el extranjero or estudiar fuera. In Argentina, estudiar en el exterior is common. In Colombia, the phrase estudiar en otro país is used. In Chile, you can say estudiar fuera de Chile or estudiar en otro país.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone 'studied abroad' in the past, you must change the infinitive estudiar to a conjugated past tense form, such as the preterite estudié for 'I studied' or estudió for 'he/she studied'.
How do you pronounce it?
/estudjaɾ en el eɡstɾanxeɾo/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking academic contexts, the term Erasmus is used as a verb or noun to mean studying abroad, referring to the European Union exchange program.
- The word extranjero is a cognate of the English word 'strange'. Both words evolved from the Latin root for 'outside', meaning a 'strange' person was originally simply someone from outside the community.
- While extranjero is used for 'abroad', the word estrangero with an 's' is a common misspelling influenced by the French étranger or English 'strange'.
Examples in context
- Quiero estudiar en el extranjero.I want to study abroad.This sentence shows how to express a personal desire to study abroad using estudiar en el extranjero.Tatoeba #745624 by Shishir, translation #262197 by CK
- Tom quiere estudiar en el extranjero.Tom wants to study abroad.This sentence demonstrates how to express someone else's desire to study abroad using estudiar en el extranjero.Tatoeba #10097973 by Eremon, translation #3417382 by CK
- Ella decidió estudiar en el extranjero.She decided to study abroad.This sentence is useful for describing a past decision to study abroad using estudiar en el extranjero.Tatoeba #1310425 by marcelostockle, translation #317412 by CK
- Estoy considerando la posibilidad de estudiar en el extranjero el próximo semestre.I am considering the possibility of studying abroad next semester.
- Mi universidad ofrece programas para estudiar fuera del país durante un año completo.My university offers programs to study abroad for a full year.
- Mi hermana mayor se fue a estudiar al extranjero y regresó con una perspectiva renovada.My older sister went to study abroad and returned with a renewed perspective.
- Me voy a animar a estudiar en otro país para descubrir nuevas culturas y vivencias.I'm going to encourage myself to study in another country to discover new cultures and experiences.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students talking about their future plans after graduation.
- MateoLucía, ¿tienes planes para el próximo año?Lucía, do you have plans for next year?
- LucíaSí, me gustaría estudiar en el extranjero.Yes, I would like to study abroad.
- Mateo¿En qué país te gustaría estar?In which country would you like to be?
- LucíaQuiero ir a Francia para estudiar en el extranjero.I want to go to France to study abroad.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, en, estudiar, extranjero, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
