Inklingo

How to Say "homework" in Spanish

English → Spanish

deberes

deh-BEH-rehsdeˈβeɾes

nounA1informal
Use 'los deberes' specifically for school assignments that students are expected to complete outside of class.
A young child with brown hair sitting at a wooden desk, concentrating on writing in a notebook with a pencil, surrounded by colorful school books.

Examples

¿Ya hiciste tus deberes de matemáticas?

Did you already do your math homework?

Tengo muchísimos deberes para el fin de semana.

I have so much homework for the weekend.

La maestra revisó los deberes de todos los estudiantes.

The teacher checked all the students' assignments.

Always Plural

Even if you only have one assignment, 'deberes' is almost always used in its plural form in this context.

Using the Singular

Mistake: “Hice mi deber.”

Correction: Hice mis deberes. ('deber' in singular usually means 'duty' or 'obligation.')

tarea

tah-REH-ahtaˈɾea

nounA1informal
Use 'la tarea' for a specific school assignment or piece of work that needs to be done.
A young student sitting at a wooden desk with an open textbook and notebook, holding a pencil, focused on completing their school assignment.

Examples

¿Hiciste la tarea de matemáticas?

Did you do the math homework?

La profesora nos dio mucha tarea para el fin de semana.

The teacher gave us a lot of homework for the weekend.

Gender Check

Remember 'tarea' is feminine, so you must use 'la tarea' (the homework) and not 'el tarea'.

Confusing Tarea and Trabajo

Mistake: “Usando 'Mi trabajo es difícil' cuando se refiere a la tarea escolar.”

Correction: Use 'Mi tarea es difícil' when talking about school assignments. 'Trabajo' usually means paid employment or a large project.

deber

deh-BEHRdeˈβeɾ

nounB1formal
Use 'el deber' (usually in the plural 'los deberes') to refer to a moral or civic obligation, not typically for schoolwork.
A gentle elephant character focused on watering a tiny, wilting flower with water from its trunk, symbolizing moral duty and responsibility.

Examples

Cumplir con su deber es un orgullo.

Fulfilling one's duty is a source of pride.

Tengo muchos deberes para este fin de semana.

I have a lot of homework this weekend.

Lo hizo por puro sentido del deber.

He did it out of a pure sense of duty.

Gender and Number

'Deber' as a noun is masculine. When meaning 'homework' or 'chores,' it is almost always used in the plural: 'los deberes'.

Using 'Deber' instead of 'Tarea'

Mistake: “If you are in Latin America, 'tarea' is often the preferred word for school homework.”

Correction: 'Deberes' for homework is common in Spain. Use 'tarea' across all regions for school assignments.

Confusing 'deberes' and 'tarea'

The most common mistake is confusing 'deberes' and 'tarea' when referring to school assignments. Both are correct and widely used, with 'deberes' often implying a set of tasks and 'tarea' a single assignment, but they are largely interchangeable in everyday conversation about schoolwork.

Related Translations

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