Breakdown of Me quedo fuera del aula para no interrumpir la clase.
Questions & Answers about Me quedo fuera del aula para no interrumpir la clase.
Me is an object pronoun that goes with the verb quedarse (to stay / to remain). In Me quedo, it marks that the verb is being used in its pronominal form (quedarse), which often means to stay (in a place/state) intentionally or to remain.
It doesn’t mean myself in the English reflexive sense; it’s just how Spanish forms this common verb.
- quedar (non-pronominal) often means:
- to be left / to remain (as a result): Queda pan = There’s bread left
- to fit / suit (clothing): La camisa me queda bien = The shirt fits me
- to agree to meet: Quedamos mañana = We’ll meet tomorrow
- quedarse (pronominal) often means:
- to stay / to remain (somewhere): Me quedo aquí = I’m staying here
- to end up / to become (in a state): Me quedé dormido = I fell asleep / I ended up asleep
In this sentence, Me quedo = I stay / I remain (outside the classroom).
Me quedo emphasizes the decision to stay (not just your location). It’s closer to I’ll stay / I’m staying (instead of going in).
Estoy fuera del aula would simply describe your location: I’m outside the classroom.
So:
- Me quedo fuera del aula... = I choose to remain outside.
- Estoy fuera del aula... = I happen to be outside / I am outside.
It’s present tense, but Spanish present often covers near-future intentions and immediate decisions. Depending on context, Me quedo can mean:
- I stay / I’m staying (right now)
- I’ll stay (decision about what you’re going to do now)
If you want a clearer future, you could say Me voy a quedar fuera del aula....
fuera means outside. When you specify outside of what, you typically use fuera de + place:
- fuera del aula = outside the classroom
- fuera de casa = outside the house
You may also hear afuera, which is more like outside (outdoors / outside in general). For example:
- Me quedo afuera = I’ll stay outside (less specific)
- Me quedo fuera del aula = I’ll stay outside the classroom (specific)
del is the mandatory contraction of de + el:
- de + el aula → del aula
You only avoid contraction when el is part of a name/title (e.g., de El Salvador), not in normal noun phrases.
aula is feminine (la aula is the underlying gender), but it uses el in the singular because it starts with a stressed a- sound (aú-). This is a pronunciation rule to avoid la a- collisions:
- el aula (singular)
- las aulas (plural returns to feminine article)
Adjectives still agree as feminine:
- el aula grande (adjective doesn’t show gender clearly here)
- el aula nueva (clearly feminine: nueva)
para introduces a purpose: in order to / so as to.
So para no interrumpir la clase = in order not to interrupt the class.
It answers why you stay outside.
Spanish commonly uses para + infinitive to express purpose when the subject stays the same:
- Me quedo... para no interrumpir... (I stay… so I don’t interrupt…)
If you change the subject, you typically use para que + subjunctive:
- Me quedo fuera para que ellos no se distraigan. = I stay outside so that they don’t get distracted.
Here, the subject (I) is the same for both actions, so para no interrumpir is natural.
Because it’s part of the purpose phrase governed by para: para + infinitive.
A finite verb like interrumpo would need a full clause and usually a connector like para que:
- ...para que no interrumpa la clase (less common here, and would sound like a rule or instruction)
interrumpir la clase usually means to interrupt the class session/the lesson as an event (by making noise, walking in late, causing a distraction, etc.).
If you want to focus on interrupting a person, you might say:
- interrumpir al profesor / a la profesora = to interrupt the teacher
- interrumpir a alguien = to interrupt someone
Spanish often uses the definite article (el/la) in situations where English might use a, class, or no article, especially with routine events or institutional contexts:
- interrumpir la clase = interrupt class (the ongoing class session)
- estar en la escuela / en el trabajo = be at school / at work
Here, la clase refers to the specific class happening at that moment.
Yes, it’s understandable, but it can sound slightly redundant because afuera already implies outside, and del aula specifies outside-of-what. Many speakers still say it, especially in casual speech.
More common options:
- Me quedo fuera del aula... (clean and standard)
- Me quedo afuera... (casual, less specific)
- Me quedo afuera del salón... (very common in Latin America, using salón)
aula is correct and widely understood, but in many Latin American countries people very often say:
- salón (de clases) = classroom
So you might also hear:
- Me quedo fuera del salón para no interrumpir la clase.