nounnounadjectiveverb

el extraño

stranger · strange

Se dice de algo o alguien que no es común o que resulta diferente a lo habitual.

Definition & meaning

Extraño has several related meanings depending on its grammatical use:

Adjective: strange, unusual, or odd
It describes something that seems unfamiliar, unexpected, or different from what is normal.
- Es un comportamiento extraño. — “It is strange behavior.”
- Qué extraño. — “How strange.”
Adjective: foreign or unfamiliar
It can refer to something or someone that does not belong to a particular place, group, or situation.
- Una persona extraña al grupo — “A person unrelated to the group.”
- Costumbres extrañas para mí — “Unfamiliar customs for me.”
Noun: stranger
As a noun, un extraño means an unknown or unfamiliar person. The feminine form is una extraña.
- No hables con extraños. — “Do not talk to strangers.”
Verb form: “I miss” or “I find strange”
Extraño is also the first-person singular present form of extrañar. In much of Latin America, extrañar a alguien means “to miss someone.” It can also mean “to find something strange” or “to be surprised by something.”
- Extraño a mi familia. — “I miss my family.”
- Extraño que no haya venido. — “I find it strange that they did not come.”

As an adjective, it changes according to gender and number: extraño, extraña, extraños, extrañas.

Grammar & Word origin

As an adjective, extraño agrees with the noun it describes:

un lugar extraño — “a strange place”
una situación extraña — “a strange situation”
unos sonidos extraños — “strange sounds”
unas ideas extrañas — “strange ideas”

As a noun, it commonly appears with an article: un extraño, una extraña, los extraños.

As a verb, extraño comes from extrañar and is the first-person singular form in the present indicative:

yo extraño — “I miss” or “I find strange”

The adjective derives from Latin extraneus, meaning “external,” “outside,” or “foreign,” related to Latin extra, “outside.” The verb extrañar developed from the idea of regarding something as foreign or strange and later acquired the meaning “to miss.”

Synonyms & antonyms

When it means “strange” or “unusual”

raro — “strange” or “odd”; often more direct and common than extraño.
inusual — “unusual”; emphasizes that something is not common rather than necessarily bizarre.
peculiar — “peculiar” or “distinctive”; can be neutral or slightly negative.
sorprendente — “surprising”; focuses on the reaction something causes rather than its unfamiliarity.

Antonyms include:

normal — “normal”
habitual — “usual” or “customary”
común — “common”
familiar — “familiar” or well-known

When it means “foreign” or “unrelated”

extranjero — “foreign” or “from another country”; more specifically connected with nationality or origin.
foráneo — “foreign” or “from outside the area”; often more formal.
ajeno — “belonging to someone else” or “unrelated”; it does not necessarily mean foreign.

Possible antonyms include:

propio — “one’s own”
local — “local”
perteneciente — “belonging”

When it means “stranger”

desconocido — “unknown person”; emphasizes lack of familiarity.
forastero — “outsider” or “visitor from elsewhere”; often relates to a particular town or community.

The main antonyms are conocido , “acquaintance” or “known person,” and amigo , “friend,” depending on the context.

When it means “I miss”

echar de menos [?](vocabuo://word/echar de menos) — the most common equivalent in Spain.
añorar — “to yearn for” or “to long for”; more literary or emotionally intense.
extrañar — common throughout Latin America for “to miss.”

There is no exact single-word antonym in every context, but olvidar , “to forget,” can express the opposite idea.

Common phrases & collocations

algo extraño [?](vocabuo://word/algo extraño) — something strange
una sensación extraña [?](vocabuo://word/una sensación extraña) — a strange feeling
un ruido extraño [?](vocabuo://word/un ruido extraño) — a strange noise
un extraño en la ciudad [?](vocabuo://word/un extraño en la ciudad) — a stranger in the city
no es extraño que... [?](vocabuo://word/no es extraño que) — it is not strange that...
me extraña que... [?](vocabuo://word/me extraña que) — it surprises me / I find it strange that...
extrañar a alguien [?](vocabuo://word/extrañar a alguien) — to miss someone, especially in Latin American Spanish
extrañar algo [?](vocabuo://word/extrañar algo) — to miss something or find something strange, depending on context