School in Spain, stage by stage
| stage | ages | compulsory? |
|---|---|---|
| infantil | 0–6 | no |
| primaria | 6–12 | yes |
| la ESO | 12–16 | yes |
| el bachillerato | 16–18 | no |
Obligatorio means compulsory. Most children start the infantil classes of a colegio at three, years before they have to.
| In Spain school is compulsory from the age of six. | En España el colegio es obligatorio desde los seis años. |
| Upper secondary school lasts two years and is not compulsory. | El bachillerato dura dos años y no es obligatorio. |
The school year
El curso escolar runs from September to June and is usually divided into three trimestres. In the middle of the morning comes el recreo, recess, often with un bocadillo.
| The first term ends in December. | El primer trimestre termina en diciembre. |
| At recess I eat a sandwich. | En el recreo me como un bocadillo. |
El aula
El aula is feminine but takes el, like el agua: it starts with a stressed a. Adjectives and the plural stay feminine (el aula pequeña, las aulas), and so does esta aula. With de it contracts as usual: del aula.
| The weekly timetable is on the classroom wall. | El horario semanal está en la pared del aula. |
Notes, reading and deadlines
Los apuntes are the notes you write in class, nearly always plural. Taking them is tomar apuntes (in everyday speech also coger apuntes).
| In class I always take notes in my notebook. | En clase siempre tomo apuntes en mi cuaderno. |
La lectura is reading, and also an assigned book: las lecturas obligatorias are the books the whole class must read. Reading aloud is leer en voz alta.
| Reading aloud is very useful. | La lectura en voz alta es muy útil. |
A deadline takes para.
| I need your notes by Thursday. | Necesito tus apuntes para el jueves. |
| We have to finish the reading by Monday. | Tenemos que terminar la lectura para el lunes. |
