Education Vocabulary in Spanish: Elementary, Secondary, and University
With the number of Spanish speakers on the rise—not only in the U.S. but also on the social networks and around the world—the benefits of speaking Spanish are boundless. Whether you’re a school teacher, a university professor, a student, or an avid life-long learner—like myself—, I guarantee you will find this school vocabulary in Spanish quite handy! When learning Spanish, knowing some essential words for education can ease your communication in all kinds of school-related contexts or situations.
I’m sure these phrases and vocabulary will kickstart your conversations at school and university level.
School Vocabulary in Spanish: Levels of Education
The first thing to know is how to divide the levels of education in Spanish, which will be useful for the rest of this guide. Check out these Spanish words for education about the levels of education.
| English | Spanish |
| (public) school | la escuela |
| (private) school | el colegio |
| nursery school | la guardería |
| kindergarten | el kínder o la preprimaria |
| elementary school | la escuela primaria |
| middle school | la escuela secundaria |
| high school | la preparatoria o el diversificado |
| college or university | la universidad |
| boarding school | el internado |
Please, do keep in mind that the school system in Latin America varies widely from country to country. This chart (especially the differentiation between elementary, middle and high school) also applies to Mexico. In some other Latin countries there’s only elementary (from 1st to 6th grade) and secondary school (from 7th to 11th grade).
School Vocabulary in Spanish: School Facilities
Let’s begin from the outside and steadily make our way to the inside. How do you say school uniform in Spanish? How do you say classroom? I’ll solve these questions with the Spanish words for education below!
| English | Spanish |
| school uniform | el uniforme de la escuela |
| classroom | la clase o el aula |
| entrance | la entrada |
| bathroom | el baño |
| hallway | el pasillo |
| locker | el locker o el casillero |
| gym | el gimnasio |
| auditorium | el auditorio |
| cafeteria | la cafetería |
| tables | las mesas |
| campus | el campus |
| chairs | las sillas |
| board | el pizarrón o la pizarra |
| posters | los pósteres o afiches |
| yard | el patio |
| field | el campo |
| court | la cancha |
| parking lot | el parqueo |
| lab | el laboratorio |
| shop | el taller |
FUN FACT! The word cafeteria is a Spanish word.
Useful Sentences in Spanish
Here are some sentences to practice your newly-learned “school facilities” vocabulary.
Los pasillos de esta escuela siempre están llenos.
The hallways of this school are always full.
Dejé mis materiales en el aula.
I left my supplies in the classroom.
El gimnasio se inundó anoche; no habrá clase.
The gym got flooded last night; we won’t have class.
La cancha de básquetbol está en malas condiciones; no se puede jugar.
The basketball court is in bad conditions—we cannot play there.
Hay muchos pinceles en el taller de arte.
There are many brushes in the art room.
El laboratorio de ciencias está ocupado en este momento.
The science lab is busy right now.
Interested in learning more about school supplies? Check out this amazing list put together by our HSA author Mar.
And how about some more vocabulary for classroom objects? Carmen’s got this covered right here!
School Vocabulary in Spanish: People
Students, teachers, coordinators, principals, janitors and many other important people are just what make schools the paramount learning places they are. Let’s learn all of those Spanish words for education!
| English | Spanish |
| students | los estudiantes |
| pupils | los alumnos |
| teacher | el maestro o la maestra |
| coordinator | el coordinador o la coordinadora |
| vice principal | el subdirector o la subdirectora |
| principal | el director o la directora |
| secretary | la secretaria |
| nurse | la enfermera |
| janitor | el conserje |
| cook | el cocinero o la cocinera |
| librarian | el bibliotecario o la bibliotecaria |
| coach | el entrenador |
| classmate | el compañero o la compañera de clase |
| freshman | el o la estudiante de primer año |
| sophomore | el o la estudiante de segundo año |
| junior | el o la estudiante de penúltimo año |
| senior | el o la estudiante de último año |
| gardener | el jardinero |
| staff | el personal |
| parents’ board | la junta de padres de familia |
In this next chart you will find some additional words for people who work at a University or College.
| English | Spanish |
| rector | el rector |
| dean | el decano o la decana |
| career director | el director o la directora de carrera |
| professor | el catedrático o la catedrática |
| professor’s assistant | el catedrático o la catedrática auxiliar |
| director of admissions | el director o la directora de admisiones |
| technician | el técnico |
PRO TIP! In Spanish, the difference between el maestro and el profesor is somewhat slight. You can call a school teacher: maestro or profesor. You can call a university professor: profesor o catedrático. Some professors, however, prefer to be addressed by their title (Doctor., or Ingeniero, for example).
Useful Sentences in Spanish:
Here are 6 sentences to talk about the school or university staff in Spanish.
La catedrática canceló la clase de hoy.
The professor cancelled today’s class.
El maestro está enfermo y no podrá asistir;tendremos un sustituto.
The teacher is sick and won’t be able to come—we’ll have a substitute.
Enviaron a Pedro a la oficina de la directora; se metió en muchos problemas.
They sent Pedro to the principal’s office—he got himself in big trouble.
La bibliotecaria es muy amable.
The librarian is very nice.
Escojan a un compañero para trabajar en el proyecto.
Choose your partner to work with on the project.
Quiero mucho a mis estudiantes.
I love my students very much.
School Vocabulary in Spanish: Subjects and Majors
What’s the Spanish word for physical education? Or the Spanish word for religious education? Find out how to name all school subjects in Spanish (or at least the most common ones) on the next chart.
| English | Spanish |
| English | inglés |
| Spanish | español |
| math | matemáticas (mate) |
| physics | física (fundamental) |
| science | ciencias (naturales) |
| social studies | estudios sociales |
| music | música |
| art | arte |
| literature | literatura |
| biology | biología |
| philosophy | filosofía |
| chemistry | química |
| physical education | educación física |
| religious education | religión o educación religiosa |
| geography | geografía |
| geometry | geometría |
| I.T. | tecnología de la información |
| history | historia |
| health class | clase de salud |
| electives | (cursos) electivos o selectivos |
How about some vocabulary for majors at university? Check out these 20 common majors.
| English | Spanish |
| medicine | medicina |
| law | leyes |
| engineering | ingeniería |
| communication | comunicación |
| journalism | periodismo |
| computer science | ciencias de la computación |
| business administration | administración de empresas |
| (international) business | negocios (internacionales) |
| psychology | psicología |
| nutrition | nutrición |
| economics | economía |
| sociology | sociología |
| architecture | arquitectura |
| human resources | recursos humanos |
| translation | traducción |
| graphic design | diseño gráfico |
| film | cine |
| game design | diseño de juegos |
| computer programming | programación de computadoras |
Useful Sentences in Spanish
Check out these 6 sentences to talk about your likes, dislikes, and experiences at school in Spanish.
No me gusta ninguna clase que llevo en la escuela.
I don’t like any of the subjects I’m taking at school.
Mi materia preferida es español.
My favorite subject is Spanish.
No puedo esperar a jugar matado en el período de educación física.
I can’t wait to play dodgeball in the P.E. period.
El examen de química estuvo muy difícil.
The chemistry exam was very difficult.
Mi hermano está estudiando medicina en la Universidad Estatal de Louisiana.
My brother is studying medicine at Louisiana State University.
Quiero estudiar recursos humanos en el extranjero.
I want to study human resources abroad.
School Vocabulary in Spanish: Additional Terms
There are some Spanish words for education that don’t fall under the previous categories, but are still important to get acquainted with. How do you say “assignment” in Spanish? Let’s learn all about that right now!
| English | Spanish |
| due on… | debe entregarse el… / para entrega el… |
| project | el proyecto |
| research | la investigación |
| assignment | el trabajo / la tarea |
| play | la obra de teatro |
| game | el juego o el partido |
| science fair | la feria científica o feria de ciencias |
| spelling bee | el concurso de deletreo |
| grades, marks or scores | las notas o calificaciones |
| notes | las notas o los apuntes |
| oral exam | el examen oral |
| written exam | el examen escrito |
| pop quiz | el examen sorpresa |
| midterms | los exámenes de medio año o de fin de semestre |
| final exams | los exámenes finales |
| report | el reporte |
| suspension | la suspensión |
| to be expelled | ser expulsado(a) |
| detention | la detención |
Useful Spanish Sentences
Check out these sentences in the school context. I’m pretty sure you’ve said one of these, at least once.
El trabajo es para el primero del próximo mes.
The assignment is due on the 1st of next month.
Hoy tendremos un examen sorpresa.
There will be a pop quiz today.
El equipo de fútbol americano del colegio jugará a las 6 de la tarde.
The school football team will play at 6 pm.
La obra de teatro de los niños de segundo primaria es hoy en el auditorio.
2nd grade play is in the auditorium today.
No estoy de acuerdo con mis calificaciones—merecía una nota más alta.
I don’t agree with my marks—I deserved a higher score.
Algunos estudiantes fueron expulsados de la escuela por no seguir las reglas.
Some students were expelled from school for not following the rules.
Spanish Words for Education: Terms for University
Education is a broad topic. College and university are different from school, and sometimes they use different words. Here are 20 words to use in higher education.
| English | Spanish |
| bachelor’s degree | la licenciatura o pregrado |
| master’s degree | la maestría o posgrado |
| PhD | el doctorado |
| thesis | la tesis |
| dissertation | la tesina |
| paper | el trabajo |
| research | la investigación |
| credits | los créditos |
| degree | el título universitario |
| requisites | los requisitos |
| master class | la clase magistral |
| Socratic dialogue | el diálogo socrático |
| final project | el proyecto final |
| applicant | el o la aplicante |
| scholarship | la beca |
| faculty | la facultad |
| semester | el semestre |
| term | el período |
| equivalency | la equivalencia |
PRO TIP! There’s not a specific word for “paper” (in the academic way), but “el trabajo (escrito)” covers it. In some Latin Universities, the English term has been adopted and in some conversations you might hear phrases like, “él publicó un paper”.
The words “major” and “minor” do not apply to all education systems. In some hispanic countries, we simply study a degree on something and don’t really make such differences.
Translating “major” and “minor” to lo mayor and lo menor wouldn’t cut it. A better translation could be something like el tema central de mi carrera (major) and las clases electivas o complementarias (minors).
Spanish Words for Education: Verbs
Next up there are some actions that we typically do in school.
Check out 20 of them.
- to read – leer
- to write – escribir
- to type – escribir
- to learn – aprender
- to know – saber
- to master – perfeccionar
- to make and to do – hacer
- to perform (on a play) – actuar
- to play – jugar
- to raise – levantar o alzar
- to put down – bajar
- to fail – reprobar o perder
- to pass – aprobar o ganar
- to think – pensar
- to bully – abusar
- to harass – acosar
- to fight – pelear
- to argue – discutir
- to discuss – discutir o debatir
- to infer – inferir
If you’re hungry for more useful vocabulary, check out these verbs for high school students!
Useful Spanish Sentences
Here are six different common sentences that a teacher or a student might say.
Levanten la mano para poder participar.
Raise your hand in order to participate.
Los estudiantes se pelearon y por eso se irán suspendidos una semana.
The students got into a fight and that’s why they’ll be suspended for a week.
Casi repruebo el examen, el álgebra me cuesta muchísimo.
I almost failed the exam, algebra is very difficult for me.
Discuss your answers with a partner.
Discutan sus respuestas con un compañero.
Piensen al respecto y luego hagan sus preguntas.
Think about it and then ask your questions.
En la clase de hoy vamos a perfeccionar (o pulir) el tema de ayer.
In today’s class we’ll master (or polish) yesterday’s topic.
If you’re a teacher or a professor, you might need to learn the imperative forms for these verbs. Check out Carmen’s awesome article on how to Master the Imperative Mood!
Practice Your Spanish
As we said before, education is a key factor in all phases of life.
We start learning so much useful information from the very first moment we enter school. So why do we end up forgetting all about it!
This is what happens if we don’t continually practice or use our acquired knowledge. Thankfully, we are here to offer amazing one-on-one Spanish classes so you can practice with native speakers from Guatemala.
You can practice everything you just learned (or reviewed) in this post by signing up for a FREE class to practice your conversational skills now!
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