La escuela es nueva.

to be

Breakdown of La escuela es nueva.

• la escuela: the school
• nuevo: new

Questions & Answers about La escuela es nueva.

Why is it la escuela, not el escuela?

In Spanish, escuela is a feminine noun, so it uses the feminine article la. Generally, nouns ending in -a are feminine; that’s why you say la escuela, not el escuela.

Why do we use es instead of está?

Here, es is used to describe an essential or permanent characteristic (the school being “new” as a defining quality). In contrast, está is typically used for states or conditions that are temporary or location-based. Saying La escuela está nueva would imply “The school is (currently) new,” which is less common and would suggest a temporary condition.

Why is the word nueva used here, not nuevo?

Because escuela is a feminine noun, the adjective must agree in gender and number. So, you use nueva (feminine form) instead of nuevo (masculine form). If the noun were masculine (e.g., el edificio), then you would say el edificio es nuevo.

Is there another Spanish word for “school” or does it always have to be escuela?

Escuela is the most common term for “school,” but there are others depending on context:
• Colegio often refers to a secondary school.
• Universidad is for a university.
• Instituto can also mean a high school or institute.
“Escuela” in the simplest sense means “school” in general.

How do I pronounce escuela correctly?

Break it into syllables: es-cue-la. If you’re an English speaker, pay attention to the “ue” in the second syllable, which makes a sound similar to “kway” in English but slightly softened. Make sure each syllable is clearly pronounced and that the stress falls naturally on “cue.”