Inklingo

How to Say "school" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “school” is “escuela” — use 'escuela' for a general place of education for children, like elementary or high school, or for a specific department within a university, or for a group of people sharing a style or ideas..

escuela🔊A1, B1, B2

Use 'escuela' for a general place of education for children, like elementary or high school, or for a specific department within a university, or for a group of people sharing a style or ideas.

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colegio🔊A1

Use 'colegio' specifically for a primary or secondary educational institution (K-12) in many Spanish-speaking countries.

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escolar🔊A1

Use 'escolar' as an adjective to describe anything related to school or education, such as the school year or school supplies.

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facultad🔊A2

Use 'facultad' to refer to a specific school or faculty within a larger university, such as the School of Law or School of Engineering.

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manada🔊B1

Use 'manada' to refer to a group or herd, most commonly used for marine mammals like whales or dolphins, or land animals like elephants.

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English → Spanish

escuela

/es-KWEH-lah//esˈkwela/

nounA1, B1, B2General
Use 'escuela' for a general place of education for children, like elementary or high school, or for a specific department within a university, or for a group of people sharing a style or ideas.
A bright, friendly yellow school building with a red roof, featuring a flagpole and a playground area, surrounded by green grass.

Examples

Los niños van a la escuela en autobús.

The children go to school by bus.

Mi hermana es maestra en una escuela primaria.

My sister is a teacher at a primary school.

Después de la escuela, voy a jugar al fútbol.

After school, I'm going to play soccer.

Mi hermano se graduó de la escuela de derecho.

My brother graduated from law school.

Always use 'la' with 'escuela'

In Spanish, when you talk about going to or being at school in a general sense, you almost always include 'la'. For example, 'Voy a la escuela' (I'm going to school), not 'Voy a escuela'.

'Escuela' vs. 'Colegio'

Mistake: “Using 'escuela' for all types of schools.”

Correction: The difference changes by country! Often, 'escuela' is for younger kids (elementary) and 'colegio' is for older kids (high school) or private schools. When in doubt, 'escuela' for a general school is usually safe.

colegio

coh-LEH-heeoh/koˈlexjo/

nounA1General
Use 'colegio' specifically for a primary or secondary educational institution (K-12) in many Spanish-speaking countries.
A simple illustration showing a bright yellow school bus parked next to a traditional red-brick school building with large windows.

Examples

Mi hijo empieza el colegio nuevo en septiembre.

My son starts the new school in September.

Fui al mismo colegio que mi padre.

I went to the same school as my father.

Ella es profesora en un colegio bilingüe.

She is a teacher in a bilingual school.

Gender and Articles

Since 'colegio' is masculine, always use the article 'el' before it: 'el colegio'. If you are talking about multiple schools, use 'los colegios'.

False Friend Alert: Not 'College'

Mistake: “Using 'colegio' to mean 'university' or 'college' (higher education).”

Correction: This is a 'false friend'. 'Colegio' means K-12 school. For higher education, use 'universidad' or 'facultad'.

escolar

ess-koh-LAHR/es.koˈlar/

adjectiveA1General
Use 'escolar' as an adjective to describe anything related to school or education, such as the school year or school supplies.
A classic red brick schoolhouse with a small bell tower, surrounded by green grass under a clear blue sky.

Examples

El año escolar comienza en septiembre.

The school year begins in September.

Necesito comprar material escolar nuevo.

I need to buy new school supplies.

El transporte escolar llegó tarde hoy.

The school bus arrived late today.

Gender Flexibility

When 'escolar' is an adjective, it works for both masculine and feminine nouns, but it still needs to match the noun's number (singular or plural). Example: 'el libro escolar' and 'la mochila escolar'.

Using 'de escuela'

Mistake: “La hora de escuela.”

Correction: La hora escolar. While 'de escuela' is sometimes used, 'escolar' is the natural, single-word adjective Spanish prefers for 'school-related'.

facultad

fah-kool-TAHD/fa.kulˈtað/

nounA2Academic
Use 'facultad' to refer to a specific school or faculty within a larger university, such as the School of Law or School of Engineering.
A stylized illustration of the grand entrance to a university building with columns, representing a university division.

Examples

Mi hermana estudia ingeniería en la Facultad de Ciencias.

My sister studies engineering at the Faculty of Sciences.

La reunión será en la facultad a las diez de la mañana.

The meeting will be at the school (department building) at ten in the morning.

Always Feminine

Even though many Spanish nouns ending in -d are masculine, 'facultad' is always feminine. Remember to use 'la' or 'una'.

Mixing up 'Facultad' and 'Profesorado'

Mistake: “Using 'facultad' to mean the group of teachers.”

Correction: Use 'el profesorado' or 'el cuerpo docente' for the staff/teachers, and 'la facultad' for the building or division.

manada

/mah-NAH-dah//maˈnaða/

nounB1General
Use 'manada' to refer to a group or herd, most commonly used for marine mammals like whales or dolphins, or land animals like elephants.
A simple drawing of three large gray elephants standing close together on a grassy plain, representing a herd.

Examples

Vimos una gran manada de delfines jugando en el mar.

We saw a large school of dolphins playing in the sea.

Vimos una gran manada de elefantes cruzando la sabana.

We saw a large herd of elephants crossing the savanna.

La manada de lobos cazó un ciervo anoche.

The pack of wolves hunted a deer last night.

El león es el líder de la manada.

The lion is the leader of the pride/pack.

Feminine Noun

Since 'manada' ends in -a, it is always a feminine word. Use feminine articles and adjectives with it: 'una manada grande' (a big herd).

Verb Agreement

Mistake: “Las manadas están corriendo. (Using plural verb form)”

Correction: La manada está corriendo. (The word 'manada' is singular, so the verb must be singular, even if it refers to many animals.)

Escuela vs. Colegio

The most common confusion is between 'escuela' and 'colegio'. While both can mean 'school', 'colegio' typically refers to K-12 institutions, whereas 'escuela' is broader and can also mean university departments or even abstract 'schools' of thought. Always consider if you mean a specific K-12 institution ('colegio') or a more general educational setting ('escuela').

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