School and Education Vocabulary in Spanish
Whether you're a student in a Spanish-speaking country, a parent navigating school communications, or just want to talk about your education, school vocabulary comes up more often than you'd expect. Here's everything you need from the classroom to the report card.
School Subjects — Las Asignaturas
Good news: many subject names in Spanish look a lot like their English counterparts. A few are different enough to trip you up, though, so pay attention to those.
In Spanish, las matemáticas is always plural, even though in English we often say "math" (singular). Same goes for las ciencias — you'll usually hear it in plural form.
Classroom Items — En el Aula
If you're sitting in a classroom or need to ask for supplies, these are the words that will save you from pointing and hoping someone gets it.
Learn from Your Home Screen
Vocabito puts Spanish words on your Home Screen with pronunciation, example sentences, and audio — so you learn without even opening the app.
People at School — Las Personas en la Escuela
From teachers to classmates, here's who you'll run into on a typical school day.
Practice These Words in Vocabito
Flashcards, widgets, and daily reminders to make Spanish stick.
Useful School Phrases — Frases Útiles
These are the sentences you'll hear in classrooms every day, along with ones you might need to say yourself.
In Spain, homework is los deberes rather than la tarea. And "grade" (as in score) is la nota everywhere, but the grading scales differ — Spain uses 0-10, while many Latin American countries use different systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say school subjects in Spanish?
Common subjects: las matemáticas (math), la historia (history), las ciencias (science), el inglés (English), la literatura (literature), and la educación física (physical education). Most subject names are similar to English, which helps.
What is the difference between profesor and maestro?
El profesor / la profesora is used for teachers at any level, but especially in secondary school and university. El maestro / la maestra typically refers to elementary school teachers. In everyday speech, both are widely understood.
How do you say homework in Spanish?
"Homework" is la tarea in most of Latin America and los deberes in Spain. You might hear "Tengo mucha tarea" (I have a lot of homework) or "¿Hiciste la tarea?" (Did you do the homework?).
How do I say I am studying Spanish?
Say "Estoy estudiando español" (I am studying Spanish) or "Estudio español" (I study Spanish). To say where, add the place: "Estudio español en la universidad" (I study Spanish at the university).