dehors

Dehors is a French word with several related uses centered on the idea of the exterior or the outside. Primarily, it functions as an adverb meaning outside or outdoors, indicating location relative to a place or structure. It can also be used as a noun in the form le dehors, referring to the exterior of a building or to the outside world in a general sense. In contrast, dedans and à l’intérieur express the interior.

Etymology and form: Dehors is built from the preposition de plus hors, the latter meaning outside. The combination has long been used in French to denote exterior space.

Usage and nuance: As an adverb, dehors often marks a simple outside location without specifying a boundary. Common sentences include ils jouent dehors (they are playing outside) or le chat est dehors (the cat is outside). It is also used with verbs of movement or state to describe leaving or being on the exterior side of a place. The noun form le dehors is found in phrases such as le bruit venant du dehors (the noise coming from outside) and refers to the exterior of a place or the outside world in a more substantive sense. In many contexts, à l'extérieur is a more formal or precise substitute for dehors.

Relation to other terms: Dehors contrasts with dedans (inside) and is often interchangeable with à l'extérieur in non-technical language, though dehors tends to be more colloquial and spatially immediate.

Varieties and registers: Dehors is widely understood across French-speaking regions and is common in spoken French. In formal writing, writers may prefer à l'extérieur or l'extérieur for clarity.

See also: dedans, l’extérieur, à l’extérieur, l’extérieur du bâtiment.