muy lejos
/mui lexos/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'very far away' is translated into Spanish as muy lejos.
For a more formal sense of great distance, especially in written language, you might use sumamente alejado/a. If you want to express that something is light-years away in an informal way, use a años luz.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase muy lejos is composed of muy (very) and lejos (far/away).
Which one should you use?
Unlike in English, where 'far' can function as both an adjective and an adverb, lejos in Spanish functions as an adverb and does not change to agree with nouns.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Spain, the expression en las antípodas may be used to refer to something that is at the antipodes or on the opposite side of the world.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'very far away from [something]', you must add the preposition de after lejos, forming muy lejos de.
How do you pronounce it?
/mui lexos/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Están muy lejos.They are very far away.Tatoeba #2268761 by Shishir, translation #2268760 by _undertoad
- Mi madre dice que los niños japoneses no son malos, pero viven muy lejos y por eso Papá Noel no les trae regalos. Menos mal que yo nací en España.My mother says Japanese kids aren't naughty, but they live very far away, so Santa Claus doesn't bring them gifts. Thank goodness I was born in Spain.This sentence uses muy lejos to explain why Santa Claus does not bring gifts to certain children.Tatoeba #886211 by Alba, translation #911169 by papabear
- Caminé muy lejos para llegar a la cima de la montaña.I walked very far to reach the mountaintop.
- El pueblo está sumamente alejado de la ciudad más cercana.The village is extremely far from the nearest city.
- Esa playa está a años luz de la nuestra en belleza.That beach is light-years away in terms of beauty compared to ours.
- Ese país está en las antípodas de aquí.That country is on the opposite side of the world from here.
- El aeropuerto está muy lejos de aquí.The airport is very far away from here.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are planning a trip to a mountain village.
- Lucía¿Está el pueblo muy lejos?Is the village very far away?
- DanielSí, está muy lejos, pero vale la pena.Yes, it is very far away, but it is worth it.
- LucíaEntonces, ¿deberíamos ir en coche?Then, should we go by car?
- DanielEs mejor ir en coche para llegar rápido.It is better to go by car to arrive quickly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lejos, muy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
