6
  • en dehors de: outside of, apart from
  • hors de: outside the reach of, out of (figuratively)
  • au-dehors de: outside of, beyond the border of
  • par-dehors de: surrounding the outside of

I'm trying to understand the differences in these prepositions when used in the sense of "outside."

Example:

There is an army outside the city.

  • Il y a une armée en dehors de la ville. (outside the city)
  • Il y a une armée au-dehors de la ville. (outside the border of the city)
  • Il y a une armée hors de la ville. (outside the reach of the city)
  • Il y a une armée par-dehors de la ville. (surrounding the outside of the city)

There is not much online explaining these differences. Does this sound right?

1
  • hors de la ville is outside the city too. surrounding is really autour de.
    – Lambie
    Oct 19, 2021 at 21:15

2 Answers 2

7

Your translations are good.

I'd say "hors de" feels closest to outside, and "en dehors" would be a little bit more like "on the outside" (on the side that is out). But it's just nitpicking.

Most importantly, "au-dehors" and above all "par-dehors" are very old-fashioned.
If I was to utter such a fact, being inside the city, I'd go with:

Il y a une armée dehors.

Also, "en dehors" has a clear opposite, "en dedans", that "hors" doesn't have (so it might be used for contrast if needed).

1
  • Il y une armée dehors, just means outside the place where you are but not a city.
    – Lambie
    Oct 19, 2021 at 21:17
0
  • dehors : à l'extérieur de ; synonyme de hors
  • au-dehors : à l'extérieur ; synonyme : extérieurement, loin
  • en dehors : ce qui n'est pas en dedans.
3
  • There should not be hyphens in "en dehors" and "en dedans", right?
    – angryavian
    Oct 19, 2021 at 19:24
  • 1
    @angryavian — au-dehors ou au dehors sont possibles, les autres ont été corrigés, merci de votre remarque. — NB. dedans a les mêmes règles de trait d'union que dehors.
    – Personne
    Oct 19, 2021 at 19:51
  • Thank you for the clarifications!
    – angryavian
    Oct 19, 2021 at 19:59

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.