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How to Say "far" in Spanish

English → Spanish

lejos

/LEH-hoss//'lexos/

AdverbA1General
Use 'lejos' when you want to say something is not near, usually as an adverb modifying a verb or adjective to indicate distance from a reference point.
A small red house in the foreground looking across a vast, empty green landscape to a tiny blue mountain range far away on the horizon.

Examples

Mi casa está lejos de la escuela.

My house is far from the school.

¿Vives muy lejos de aquí?

Do you live very far from here?

El aeropuerto no está lejos.

The airport isn't far.

Using 'lejos de'

To say something is far from another thing, you always use 'lejos de'. For example, 'Madrid está lejos de Barcelona' (Madrid is far from Barcelona).

Always Stays the Same

'Lejos' is an adverb, which is a word that describes an action or a state. This means it doesn't change for gender or number. It's always 'lejos', never 'leja' or 'lejosas'.

Using 'ser' instead of 'estar'

Mistake: “La tienda es lejos.”

Correction: La tienda está lejos. When you're talking about the location of something, even if it's a permanent location, you almost always use the verb 'estar'.

Confusing 'lejos' and 'lejano'

Mistake: “Vivo en una casa lejos.”

Correction: Vivo en una casa lejana OR Vivo lejos. 'Lejos' tells *where* you live (far away). 'Lejano'/'lejana' is an adjective that describes the house itself (a distant house).

lejano

leh-HAH-noh/leˈxano/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'lejano' as an adjective to describe something or someone that is physically distant or remote in space or time.
A tiny, simple wooden cabin sits very far away on the horizon of a vast, empty, green rolling hill under a bright blue sky.

Examples

El pueblo más cercano está lejano; tardaremos dos horas en llegar.

The nearest town is far; it will take us two hours to arrive.

La casa lejana que vimos era muy antigua.

The distant house we saw was very old.

Necesitamos un telescopio para ver las estrellas lejanas.

We need a telescope to see the distant stars.

Adjective Agreement

'Lejano' changes its ending to match the noun it describes. Remember: 'el lugar lejano' (masculine, singular) but 'las montañas lejanas' (feminine, plural).

alejado

/ah-leh-HAH-doh//aleˈxaðo/

AdjectiveA2General
Use 'alejado' as an adjective to describe a place or area that is situated at a significant distance from a central point or another location.
A storybook illustration showing a tiny, simple red house situated far away on a wide, green grassy plain under a clear blue sky.

Examples

Vivimos en un barrio muy alejado del centro de la ciudad.

We live in a neighborhood very far from the city center.

Esa isla es un destino turístico increíblemente alejado.

That island is an incredibly distant tourist destination.

Agreement is Key

As an adjective, 'alejado' must match the noun it describes in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Examples: 'el pueblo alejado' (M/S), 'la playa alejada' (F/S), 'los pueblos alejados' (M/P).

Use with 'de'

To specify what something is far from, always use the preposition 'de' (from). Example: 'La casa está alejada de la carretera' (The house is far from the road).

Adverb vs. Adjective for Distance

The most common mistake is confusing 'lejos' (adverb) with 'lejano'/'alejado' (adjectives). Remember, 'lejos' modifies verbs or describes a general state of distance, while 'lejano' and 'alejado' describe nouns (places, people, things).

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