El medidor está afuera.

The electricity meter is outside.

Breakdown of El medidor está afuera.

• estar: to be
• afuera: outside
• el medidor: the electricity meter

Questions & Answers about El medidor está afuera.

Why is it el medidor and not la medidor?

Because medidor is a masculine noun in Spanish, so it takes the masculine article el.

A useful pattern:

• nouns ending in -dor are usually masculine
  
  • el medidor
  • el contador
  • el corredor

So el medidor = the meter.

What exactly does medidor mean?

Medidor literally means meter, gauge, or measuring device, depending on context.

In everyday Latin American Spanish, el medidor often refers to a utility meter, such as:

• el medidor de luz = electric meter
• el medidor de agua = water meter
• el medidor de gas = gas meter

So in many real-life situations, this sentence would mean something like The meter is outside.

Why does the sentence use está instead of es?