In a sentence
Mia sorella vive all'estero da due anni.
My sister has been living abroad for two years.
Hai mai lavorato all'estero durante l'estate?
Have you ever worked abroad during the summer?
Quest'anno non andiamo all'estero per le vacanze.
This year we're not going abroad for vacation.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|
| estero | masculine · singular |
| esteri | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Usually used with in or all': andare all'estero, vivere all'estero. Bare estero is uncommon in everyday sentences.
- Prefer estero for the general idea of abroad; use straniero for foreign people, things, or languages.
- Often appears in fixed contrasts like Italia e estero or mercato interno/estero, especially in business and news.
Meaning · adjective
foreign
- foreign; from another country
In a sentence
Mia sorella vive all'estero da due anni.
My sister has been living abroad for two years.
Hai mai lavorato con clienti esteri?
Have you ever worked with foreign clients?
Quest'estate non andiamo all'estero, restiamo in Italia.
This summer we're not going abroad; we're staying in Italy.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|
| estero | masculine · singular |
| estera | feminine · singular |
| esteri | masculine · plural |
| estere | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use estero mainly after nouns: mercato estero, politica estera. Before a noun, straniero is often more natural for people or objects.
- As a noun, l'estero means abroad: andare all'estero, vivere all'estero. Don't say *andare all'estero paese*.
- It agrees normally: estero, estera, esteri, estere. Learners often forget the feminine in politica estera.
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