esterno

/esˈtɛr.no/adjective / noun · masculineB1 / B2

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Meaning · adjective

external, outdoor, outside

Oggi mangiamo a un tavolo esterno del bar.
Today we're eating at an outdoor table at the bar.

Hai già pulito la porta esterna di casa?
Have you already cleaned the outside door of the house?

Non voglio un aiuto esterno per questo lavoro.
I don't want outside help for this job.

Word forms (4)

Use esterno for contrast with interno: muro esterno, tasca esterna. For "foreign/overseas," prefer estero, not esterno.
As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number: esterno, esterna, esterni, esterne.
For people, esterno often means "outside the organization" or "guest": consulente esterno, candidato esterno.

exterior, outside

L'esterno della casa è tutto bianco.
The outside of the house is all white.

Hai visto il nostro esterno sinistro ieri?
Did you see our left winger yesterday?

Non lasciare le scarpe all'esterno, per favore.
Don't leave the shoes outside, please.

Word forms (2)

Word	Word forms
esterno	masculine · singular
esterni	masculine · plural

As a noun, esterno often needs context: all'esterno means outside; l'esterno di una casa means a building's exterior.
Don't confuse esterno with fuori: fuori is the usual adverb for outside, while esterno is more noun/adjective-like and formal.
In sports, esterno is common in soccer and baseball-like contexts; the exact role depends on the sport, so context matters.