Education begins at the colegio or the escuela and continues at the instituto and the universidad. To talk about the place, use words like centro educativo, clase, curso and horario. A child va al colegio, a teenager estudia en el instituto and an adult hace una carrera at the university. In everyday conversation también aparecen matrícula, examen, nota and beca. If the context is broader, some terms relate to Servicios y Funcionarios, especially when talking about public education.

The first stages are educación infantil and primaria. After comes the secundaria, which in many countries includes several courses up to the end of adolescence. Before university, in Spain there is the bachillerato, a two-year stage with academic orientation. The universidad already belongs to higher education and there people talk about carrera, grado and máster. In a common sentence, a student can say: estoy en primaria, hace secundaria or empieza bachillerato.

bachilleratosecundariauniversidadprimariainfantil

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Es la etapa en la que se aprenden bases escolares como leer y sumarEs la etapa de los primeros años de escuela antes de la primariaEs la etapa previa a la universidad que prepara para estudios posterioresEs el centro donde se estudian carreras y se profundiza en una disciplinaEs la etapa posterior a la primaria en la que hay más asignaturas y cambios

Most common educational stages

Word	Definition
infantil	It is the stage of the early years of school.
primaria	It is the stage in which foundational school skills are learned, such as reading and adding.
secundaria	It is the stage after primary school in which there are more subjects and changes.
bachillerato	It is the stage before university that prepares for further studies.
universidad	It is the center where degrees are studied and one deepens in a discipline.

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In the classroom, the alumno or the alumna learns, and the profesor or the profesora teaches. The director organizes the center and makes decisions about its operation. The orientador helps with questions about studies, behavior or future academic. Also appear secretario, conserje and tutor, who perform different tasks within the school. In many centers, the tutor talks with the family and closely follows the evolution of the group.

secretariaalumnoconserjedirectorprofesororientador

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Es la persona que ayuda a elegir estudios y a resolver dudas escolaresEs la persona que coordina y dirige el centro escolarEs la persona que enseña una materia en claseEs la persona que organiza trámites y atención en la oficina del centroEs la persona que estudia en un centro educativoEs la persona que cuida la entrada y apoya en tareas del edificio

Common school people

Word	Definition
alumno	The person who studies at an educational center.
profesor	The person who teaches a subject in class.
director	The person who coordinates and leads the school.
orientador	The person who helps choose studies and resolve school doubts.
secretaria	The person who organizes procedures and attention in the school office.
conserje	The person who takes care of the entrance and supports tasks in the building.

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The most common place to teach is the aula. Outside it is the patio, where students rest or play. The biblioteca serves for reading, seeking information and studying in silence. The laboratorio is used for sciences and experiments, and the gimnasio for physical education and sports activities. Also common are the sala de profesores, the secretaría and the entrada, spaces that are part of daily life of the center.

secretaríagimnasiopatiolaboratorioaulabiblioteca

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Es el espacio exterior para jugar y descansarEs la oficina donde se hacen gestiones del centroEs la sala donde se da claseEs el espacio para hacer deporte dentro del centroEs el sitio para hacer experimentos y observarEs el lugar donde se leen y se prestan libros

Common places at the educational center

Word	Definition
aula	The room where class is given.
patio	The outdoor space for playing and resting.
biblioteca	The place where books are read and lent.
laboratorio	The site for carrying out experiments and observing.
gimnasio	The space for doing sports inside the school.
secretaría	The office where school procedures are handled.

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Matemáticas deals with numbers, calculation and problems. Lengua focuses on reading, writing and knowing grammar. In ciencias students study nature, the body and experiments. Historia explains past events, and inglés teaches another language. Also common are geografía, educación física, música and arte. In some schools, subjects change names depending on the country, but these forms are the most common in general use.

lenguaeducación físicainglésmatemáticashistoriaciencias

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Es la materia de números, cálculo y problemasEs la materia sobre lectura, escritura y gramáticaEs la materia que estudia la naturaleza y los fenómenosEs la materia dedicada al idioma inglésEs la materia que estudia el pasadoEs la materia en la que se hace ejercicio y deporte

Most common school subjects

Word	Definition
matemáticas	The subject of numbers, calculation and problems.
lengua	The subject about reading, writing and grammar.
ciencias	The subject that studies nature and phenomena.
historia	The subject that studies the past.
inglés	The subject dedicated to the English language.
educación física	The subject where exercise and sport are done.

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To write you use the lápiz or the bolígrafo. The cuaderno serves to take notes and do exercises. The class books are libros de texto, and the mochila carries all the material to the center. The carpeta keeps sheets, handouts and assignments. Also used are goma, sacapuntas, regla and estuche. In the class of Tecnología y Medios, sometimes devices such as the tablet or the computer also appear.

lápizborradorcuadernocarpetamochilalibro

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Es un objeto para guardar papeles y trabajosEs la bolsa que se lleva a la espalda para transportar materialEs un instrumento para escribir o dibujarEs un libro pequeño para escribir apuntesEs lo que sirve para quitar lo escrito a lápizEs un objeto con páginas para leer o estudiar

Useful items for studying in class

Word	Definition
cuaderno	A small book for writing notes.
libro	An object with pages to read or study.
lápiz	An instrument for writing or drawing.
mochila	The bag carried on the back to transport materials.
carpeta	An object to store papers and assignments.
borrador	What is used to erase pencil writing.

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Estudiar is to dedicate time to learn contents. Aprender is to acquire knowledge and skills. Leer is used with texts, books and notes; escribir, with essays, answers and grades. Repasar means to go over what has already been seen before an exam. Hacer deberes is to complete homework, and preparar un examen includes studying, organizing notes and practicing. In class you also hear tomar apuntes, entregar un trabajo and preguntar al profesor.

Verbs useful for talking about study

Usage	Explanation
Learning routine	Use to study when time is devoted to learning or preparing a subject.
Assimilation of content	Use to learn when a person understands and remembers something new.
School reading	Use to read when consulting a text to understand it or enjoy it.
Written production	Use to write when information is put on paper or on screen.
Review beforehand	Use to go over what has been studied before an assessment.
Homework	Use to do homework when tasks are completed outside of class.
Memorization support	Use to memorize when trying to remember data exactly.
Time planning	Use to plan when deciding the order of study and tasks.
Question in class	Use to ask for an explanation or clarification.
Error correction	Use to correct when something was written or done wrong.

In the university, a estudiante attends clases, presents trabajos and takes exámenes. A profesor universitario gives class and may run seminars or tutorials. The campus comprises several buildings, such as classrooms, library and cafeteria. In Spain the word bachillerato is used, while in several countries in the Americas preparatoria or secundaria is preferred for similar stages. Also some staff names change: director can be rector at the university, and orientador may appear as psicólogo escolar or consejero depending on the country.

orientadorsecundariopreparatoriamaestroprofesorbachillerato

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Se usa para nombrar la etapa equivalente a la secundariaSe usa como nombre habitual del docente en la escuelaSe usa para la persona que guía académica y personalmente al alumnadoSe usa de forma común para la persona que enseña en claseSe usa para nombrar la etapa equivalente al bachilleratoSe usa para nombrar la etapa previa a la universidad

Regional differences in education

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Spain	bachillerato	Used to name the stage prior to university.	En bachillerato tuve un horario muy lleno de libros.In baccalaureate I had a schedule full of books.
Mexico	preparatoria	Used to name the stage equivalent to the baccalaureate.	En preparatoria hice amigos que hablaban de exámenes y tacos.In preparatoria I made friends who talked about exams and tacos.
Argentina	secundario	Used to name the stage equivalent to secondary.	En secundario compartí apuntes y muchas risas.In secundaria I shared notes and lots of laughs.
Colombia	profesor	Used as the common name for the teacher in school.	El profesor explicó el tema con un sombrero de colores.The professor explained the topic with a hat of colors.
Spain	orientador	Used for the person who guides students academically and personally.	El orientador me ayudó a elegir asignaturas con calma.The counselor helped me choose subjects calmly.
Mexico	maestro	Used commonly for the person who teaches in class.	El maestro contó una historia tan buena que todos aplaudimos.The teacher told a story so good that everyone applauded.

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