Do lado de fora, está muito frio hoje.

to be

Breakdown of Do lado de fora, está muito frio hoje.

• hoje: today
• frio: cold
• muito: very

Questions & Answers about Do lado de fora, está muito frio hoje.

What exactly does do lado de fora mean literally, and why is it used here?

Literally, do lado de fora is “on the outside side” or “on the outside”.
In natural English, it just means “outside”.

You use do lado de fora to specify that you mean the outside of some place you’re in (the house, the car, the building, etc.), not just “outside” in a very general sense. It’s a common, very natural expression in Brazilian Portuguese.

What does do stand for in do lado de fora?

do is a contraction of the preposition de + the definite article o:

• de + o = do

So, very literally:

• do lado de fora = de o lado de fora = “from the outside side / on the outside.”

You almost never say de o in normal speech; you always contract it to do.

Can I say just fora or lá fora instead of do lado de fora?