Both “fuera” and “afuera” can be translated to “out” in English, but they are used in different contexts.
“Fuera” is an adverb that can be used in a variety of ways, such as to indicate that something is outside of a certain place (e.g. “Está fuera de la casa”) or to indicate that someone is no longer involved in a certain activity (e.g. “Está fuera del juego”).
“Afuera” on the other hand, is a preposition that means “outside” and it is used in the same way. It is more commonly used in Latin America.
So, in summary, “fuera” is an adverb and “afuera” is a preposition and they both mean “out” or “outside” and they are sometimes interchangeable but “afuera” is more commonly used in Latin America.
“Esa idea es _________ de lugar en esta reunión” (It would be incorrect to say “Esa idea es afuera de lugar en esta reunión” because “fuera” is used to indicate that an idea is not appropriate for a certain situation)
“_________ de mi despacho no se permite fumar” (It would be incorrect to say “Afuera de mi despacho no se permite fumar” because “fuera” is used to indicate that an action or behavior is not allowed outside a certain place)
“La ciudad está llena de gente, prefiero estar _________” (It would be incorrect to say “La ciudad está llena de gente, prefiero estar afuera” because “fuera” is used to indicate that someone prefers to be outside of a certain place)
“Este tema es _________ de mi área de especialización” (It would be incorrect to say “Este tema es afuera de mi área de especialización” because “fuera” is used to indicate that something is outside of a certain area of expertise or knowledge)
These 4 sentences use the word ‘fuera’.
“Voy a tomar el sol _________” (It would be incorrect to say “Voy a tomar el sol fuera” because “afuera” is used as a preposition to indicate the location where the action of taking the sun is happening)
“Hay una mesa libre _________” (It would be incorrect to say “Hay una mesa libre fuera” because “afuera” is used as a preposition to indicate the location where the table is located)
“La fiesta está _________” (It would be incorrect to say “La fiesta está fuera” because “afuera” is used as a preposition to indicate the location where the party is happening)
“Voy a salir _________ a fumar” (It would be incorrect to say “Voy a salir fuera a fumar” because “afuera” is used as a preposition to indicate the location where the person is going to smoke)
“Voy a comprar un periódico _________” (It would be incorrect to say “Voy a comprar un periódico fuera” because “afuera” is used as a preposition to indicate the location where the person is going to buy the newspaper)
These 5 sentences use the word ‘afuera’.