dallestero

Dall’estero is the standard Italian prepositional expression meaning from abroad or outside the country. It is used to indicate the origin of people, goods, information, or ideas that come from other countries. In everyday and formal language, dall’estero serves to contrast domestic sources with those from outside national borders.

Etymology and orthography: the phrase is formed from da plus l’estero, with the elision producing dall’estero. In correct Italian, the apostrophe is required because estero begins with a vowel. The form dallestero (without the apostrophe) is nonstandard in formal writing and is typically considered a spelling error, though it can appear in branding or casual texts.

Usage and examples: dall’estero appears in a wide range of contexts. Examples include notizie dall’estero (foreign news), prodotti dall’estero (goods from abroad), viaggi dall’estero (travels abroad), and investimenti dall’estero (investments from abroad). The phrase is common in journalism, business, travel, immigration, and cultural discourse to denote origin or sourcing outside the home country.

Variants and related phrases: all’estero is used to indicate movement toward or location abroad (to/at abroad), while dall’estero focuses on origin. In contrast, within the home country one might reference risorse interne (domestic resources) or provenienze nazionali (national origins). The distinction between dall’estero and all’estero helps clarify whether one is describing sources from outside the country or destinations to the outside.

See also: all’estero, all’estero in journalism, importazioni dall’estero, notizie dall’estero.