dentro or adentro

Question

In a quiz, I wrote "Estamos adentro de la sala." and it got marked wrong.  It said that the only correct answer was "Estamos dentro de la sala."  In the notes on this topic, it says that "adentro" and be used for "inside a place" but not for "inside a thing".  It seems like "la sala" is a place.  Why is it wrong to use "adentro" in this case?

Accepted Answer

Hola Steven

Your use of "Estamos adentro de la sala" is not incorrect per se, but there might be a subtle distinction in the usage of "adentro" and "dentro" that the quiz is trying to emphasize.
Estamos dentro de la sala.
This phrase is straightforward and commonly used. "Dentro" is generally preferred when referring to being inside a specific enclosed space.
Estamos adentro de la sala.
While grammatically correct, the use of "adentro" might convey a sense of emphasis or a more colloquial style. It's not as commonly used in this context, and the distinction might be nuanced.
In essence, both expressions convey a similar meaning, and your choice of "adentro" doesn't make the sentence incorrect. The quiz might be emphasizing a standard or more commonly used form. If the notes mention a preference for "dentro" in such contexts, it could be for the sake of clarity and widely accepted usage.
Un saludo
Silvia

Answer

Perhaps what they meant to say was that "adentro" can be used for "inside", but not for "inside a place/thing". The point is that "dentro de" exists as a preposition, but "adentro de" doesn't. However this may only be true for Spain, and not for Latin America.

https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/adentro%20de

https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/dentro%20de