In Spanish, there are many ways to remove or separate a thing, circumstance, or person from a context or sentence. Yet, some of the most common expressions Spanish speakers use are aparte and fuera de. Also, there are two ways we can use the word aparte.
Since aparte and a parte have similar pronunciations, some Spanish students find it difficult to identify when to use one or another. Also, fuera de can be equivalent to “excepto”. Therefore, there are a few things you need to know to use it properly. In this brief explanation, you will learn not only how to use aparte and fuera de but also how to differentiate aparte from a parte.
How does the word aparte work?
The word aparte has several uses and these are:
- As an adverb, this means somewhere else or somewhere else. You can also use it as a reference to something or someone separate. Therefore, the word aparte can mean that something is already clear or left. This only happens when we have verbs like dejar or poner.
- As an adjective. In this case, aparte means that it is distinct, different, or unique from other things or people. Besides, you can use aparte either in the plural or in the singular, since it is invariable.
- As a noun, this is masculine and you can use it with the senses of a theatrical text. Or also, in conversations between two or more people apart from others present.
- As a preposition. The word aparte forms the prepositional phrase aparte de. This can mean “with the omission of” or, “apart from”. Likewise, we can use aparte de with the meaning of “in addition to”.
Let’s see some examples with the uses mentioned above,
Mario cocinó aparte los vegetales de la carne.
Mario cooked the vegetables separately from the meat.
Aunque, si dejamos aparte la moral, quizás él tenía sus razones para hacerlo.
Although, if we put aside the moral, perhaps he had his reasons for doing so.
Maria es un caso aparte de su grupo de amigas, ella sí es una buena persona.
Maria is a case apart from her group of friends, she is a good person.
Al final Teresa no se pudo ir de viaje, tenía muchos informes que entregar, y aparte de eso, su mamá estaba enferma.
In the end, Teresa couldn’t go on the trip, she had a lot of reports to deliver, and apart from that, her mom was sick.
You can also use aparte after the preposition por. Nonetheless, this is redundant and natives recommend avoiding it. For example,
Tenemos que comprar por aparte un adaptador de cable USB, ya que la computadora no lo tiene.
We have to buy a USB cable adapter separately, since the computer does not have it.
Aparte vs a parte
In Spanish, the word aparte and the phrase a parte are well written and grammatically correct. The difference between them is that the word aparte can work as an adjective, adverb, noun, or preposition. Besides, we write the word aparte together while a parte goes separately.
As explained above, the meaning of aparte, as an adverb, refers to “in another place”. While a parte, on the other hand, refers to “a part”. Likewise, a parte is an occasional phrase formed by the preposition “a” and the noun “parte”. This locution designates a part of something.
Let’s see a few examples,
Van a alojar a parte de los deportistas en un hotel y las personas que sobren en otro, a mi parecer, está muy mal organizado.
They are going to house part of the athletes in one hotel and the rest of the people in another. In my opinion, it is very poorly organized.
La manifestación en la calle hizo renunciar a parte de los líderes del partido, lo que es un gran avance para el país.
The manifestation in the street made part of the party leaders resign, which is a great advance for the country.
Este camino no conduce a parte alguna, estamos perdidos otra vez.
This road leads nowhere, we are lost again.
On the flip side, we can also introduce an article between the preposition “a” and the noun “parte”. However, we don’t use this type of structure much when speaking anymore.
For example,
El delegado del salón reunió a una parte de la clase para poder explicarles el problema.
The class representative called a part of the class together so that he could explain the problem to them.
El presidente quiere escuchar a una parte de la sociedad digital.
The president wants to listen to a part of the digital society.
How to use fuera de
The expression fuera de can mean “unless”, “except that” or, “apart from”.
On the other hand, this expression can also be an adverb of place. These adverbs are the ones that provide information about the place where the action of the verb takes place. Moreover, they also indicate a site or location. For example,
Es mejor que antes del viaje descargues la serie, porque fuera de la ciudad no tendrás señal de internet.
It is better that you download the series before the trip because outside the city you will not have an internet signal.
Fuera de lo que me contaste el otro día, no me he enterado de más nada.
Except for what you told me the other day, I haven’t found anything else.
La situación de los tiroteos en los colegios está fuera de control, ya es hora de que tomen acciones al respecto.
The situation of school shootings is out of control, it is time to take action on it.
Fuera de la lluvia, el concierto salió genial.
Apart from the rain, the concert was fantastic.
In conclusion, we can use fuera de either to talk about a place, an unusual situation, or, as an exception to a context. Not forgetting that we can also use aparte and a parte to remove circumstances or situations from a context. The secret of using aparte, a parte, and fuera de is in the context of the sentence. Everything will depend on what you want to say and the use you are going to give them. Also, never forget that aparte has many uses and you need to be careful when placing it in a sentence.