Key points about talking about describing school subjects in Spanish
All Spanish Word used to describe an action, state of being or an occurrence. end in either ar, er or ir in the Form of the verb that has not been conjugated. Usually translated with 'to' in English, eg to play. form.
Some of the most common verbs in Spanish are irregular verbs and are A verb that is not in the infinitive form but has been changed to match the subject of the verb, for example I go, he goes. differently.
Use the Goes before a noun and means the. In Spanish the definite article changes according to whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. when talking about school subjects and days of the week.
Vocabulary - School subjects and opinions
Have a look through the slideshow for the most common school subjects:
Click or tap on Show more to see a table of the vocabulary shown in the slideshow.
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Spanish | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | geography |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | French | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | history |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | English | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | RS, religion |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | maths | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | art |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | science | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | PE |
Other useful nouns for talking about school subjects include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | school subject |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | food technology/cookery |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | languages |
Useful adjectives for talking positively about subjects include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| divertido/a | funny, amusing |
| fácil | easy |
| guay | cool |
| importante | important |
| interesante | interesting |
| trabajador/ora | hard-working |
| útil | useful |
Useful adjectives for talking negatively about subjects include:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| aburrido/a | boring | terrible | terrible |
| difícil | difficult | inútil | useless |
| duro/a | hard, harsh | malo/a | bad |
Useful vocabulary for expressing opinions includes:
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| me chifla/me encanta | I love… | lo mejor | the best thing |
| interesar | to interest | lo peor | the worst thing |
| lo bueno | the good thing | odiar | to hate |
For example:
Me encantan las ciencias porque son importantes. - I love science because it is important.
Odio la cocina porque es aburrida. - I hate food technology because it is boring.
Grammar – Regular verbs in the present tense
All Spanish verbs end in either ar, er or ir. This form of the verb is called the Form of the verb that has not been conjugated. Usually translated with 'to' in English, eg to play..
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to study
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to learn
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to write
When using verbs, you will need to be able to conjugate them. Conjugating a verb means changing the infinitive ending to match the Replaces a noun that is the subject of the verb., eg yo, tú, él, ella etc.
Remember
You don’t always need to use subject pronouns in Spanish as there is a unique verb ending for each subject pronoun.
Conjugating regular ‘ar’, ‘er’ and ‘ir’ verbs in Spanish
To conjugate regular verbs, remove the ar, er or ir ending from the infinitive and add the unique ending that goes with each subject pronoun to the The part of the verb that is left once the infinitive ending (ar/er/ir) has been taken off. It can also be called a radical..
Click or tap on Show more to see how to conjugate the regular verbs in Spanish.
Regular ar verb - estudiar
| Subject Pronoun | Stem | Ending | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | estudi | o | (yo) estudio | I study |
| tú | estudi | as | (tú) estudias | you (informal) study |
| él/ella/usted | estudi | a | (él/ella/usted) estudia | he/she/you (formal) studies |
| nosotros/as | estudi | amos | (nosotros/as) estudiamos | we study |
| vosotros/as | estudi | áis | (vosotros/as) estudiáis | you (informal) study |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estudi | an | (ellos/ellas/ustedes) estudian | they/you (formal) listen |
For example:
(Yo) estudio mucho en el colegio. - I study a lot at school.
Estudiamos el español tres veces a la semana.– We study Spanish three times a week.
Mi mejor amigo estudia la historia. – My best friend studies history.
Regular er verb - aprender
| Subject Pronoun | Stem | Ending | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | aprend | o | (yo) aprendo | I learn |
| tú | aprend | es | (tú) aprendes | you (informal) learn |
| él/ella/usted | aprend | e | (él/ella/usted) aprende | he/she/you (formal) learns |
| nosotros/as | aprend | emos | (nosotros/as) aprendemos | we learn |
| vosotros/as | aprend | éis | (vosotros/as) aprendéis | you (informal) learn |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | aprend | en | (ellos/ellas/ustedes) aprenden | they/you (formal) learn |
For example:
Apendemos español en el colegio. – We learn Spanish at school.
¿Aprendes el francés? – Do you learn French?
Aprenden las matématicas con la Señora Jones. – They learn maths with Mrs Jones
Regular ir verb - escribir
| Subject Pronoun | Stem | Ending | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | escrib | o | (yo) escribo | I write |
| tú | escrib | es | (tú) escribes | you (informal) write |
| él/ella/usted | escrib | e | (él/ella/ usted) escribe | he/she/you (formal) writes |
| nosotros/as | escrib | imos | (nosotros/as) escribmos | we write |
| vosotros/as | escrib | ís | (vosotros/as) escribís | you (informal) write |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | escrib | en | (ellos/ellas/ustedes) escriben | they/you (formal) write |
For example:
Escriben mucho en las clases de inglés. – They write a lot in English lessons.
Escribís muy bien. – You (plural informal) write very well
Me escribe una carta cada mes. – He writes me a letter every month
Grammar - Common irregular verbs in the present tense
Some of the most common verbs in Spanish are irregular verbs. This means that they don’t follow the usual pattern in the present tense. You have to learn each one separately.
Three of the most common irregular verbs are:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to be
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to have
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to go
| ser - to be | tener - to have | ir - to go |
|---|---|---|
| soy - I am | tengo - I have | voy - I go |
| eres - you are | tienes - you have | vas - you go |
| es - he/she is | tiene - he/she has | va - he/she goes |
| somos - we are | tenemos - we have | vamos - we go |
| sois - you (plural) are | tenéis - you (plural) have | vais - you (plural) go |
| son - they are | tienen - they have | van - they go |
For example:
Mi profe de matemáticas es aburrido. – My maths teacher is boring.
Tenemos un buen profesor de español. - We have a good Spanish teacher.
Voy a la clase de ciencias a las dos. – I go to the science lesson at two o’clock.
Present tense verbs – Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences with the correct part of the verb.
_____ la historia.
He studies history.
Estudia la historia.
_____ el francés también en mi colegio.
We also learn French in my school.
Aprendemos el francés también en mi colegio.
____ muchos deberes.
I have a lot of homework.
Tengo muchos deberes.
En mi colegio los profesores ____ simpáticos.
In my school the teachers are nice.
En mi colegio los profesores son simpáticos.
Find out more about verbs in the present tense in Present tense regular verbs in Spanish and Irregular verbs in the present tense in Spanish guides.
Reading practice
Read what these students say about the subjects they are studying and complete the activity below.
Student 1. Me gusta mucho el francés. El profe es muy bueno y además es una asignatura muy útil.
Student 2. Creo que las matemáticas son muy importantes, pero por desgracia es una asignatura que encuentro muy difícil.
Student 3. El teatro es una asignatura excelente. Sin embargo, no creo que sea muy útil.
Student 4. Odio la religión. Es una asignatura muy aburrida y personalmente creo que no vale la pena estudiarla.
Student 5. Me encanta la historia. Es mi asignatura favorita, es muy interesante y creo que también es muy práctica.
Student 6. Creo que las ciencias es una asignatura muy importante que va a ser muy útil en el futuro. Sin embargo, no lo encuentro muy divertido.
Student 7.Me gustan todos las lenguas, pero el inglés es mi asignatura favorita. Algunos alumnos dicen que es duro, pero yo lo encuentro muy fácil. Además es una asignatura importante.
Decide which three statements are correct based on the opinions above.
| A | The student says that science is not a fun subject. |
| B | The student says that history is not very practical. |
| C | The student finds maths very difficult. |
| D | The student finds English easy. |
| E | The student thinks drama is very useful. |
| F | The student thinks that RS is not worth studying. |
A - The student says that science is not a fun subject.
Student 6 says - Creo que las ciencias es una asignatura muy importante que va a ser muy útil en el futuro. Sin embargo, no lo encuentro muy divertido.
I think that science is a very important subject and is going to be very useful in the future. However, I do not find it very fun.
C – The student finds maths very difficult.
Student 2 says – Creo que las matemáticas son muy importantes, pero por desgracia es una asignatura que encuentro muy difícil.
I think that mathematics is very important, but unfortunately it is a subject that I find very difficult.
D – The student finds English easy.
Student 7 says - Me gustan todos las lenguas, pero el inglés es mi asignatura favorita. Algunos alumnos dicen que es duro, pero yo lo encuentro muy fácil. Además es una asignatura importante.
I like all languages, but English is my favourite subject. Some students say that it is hard, but I find it very easy. It is also an important subject.
Click or tap on Show more to read a translation.
Student 1. I really like French. The teacher is very good and it is also a very useful subject.
Student 2. I think that mathematics is very important, but unfortunately it is a subject that I find very difficult.
Student 3. Drama is an excellent subject. However, I do not think that it is very useful.
Student 4. I hate RS. It is a very boring subject and I personally think that it is not worth studying.
Student 5. I love history. It is my favourite subject, it is very interesting and I think that it is also very practical.
Student 6. I think that science is a very important subject that will be very useful in the future. However, I do not find it very fun.
Student 7. I like all languages, but English is my favourite subject. Some students say that it is hard, but I find it very easy. It is also an important subject.
Vocabulary – Giving opinions about school subjects
Useful phrases for giving more detailed positive opinions about school subjects include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| El español es difícil, pero me gusta. | Spanish is difficult, but I like it. |
| El profesor de inglés es muy divertido. | The English teacher is very funny. |
| La religión es interesante. | RE is interesting. |
| Mi asignatura favorita/preferida es las ciencias. | My favourite subject is science. |
| La educación física es divertida, pero el profesor es estricto. | PE is fun, but the teacher is strict. |
| Los idiomas son útiles. | Modern languages are useful. |
| Soy bastante bueno en matemáticas. | I am quite good at maths. |
Useful phrases for giving more detailed negative opinions about school subjects include:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| El inglés me parece un poco aburrido. | I find English a bit boring. |
| Las matemáticas es la asignatura más difícil. | Maths is the most difficult subject. |
| A veces encuentro que la informática es aburrida. | Sometimes I find IT boring. |
| Soy malo/mala en historia. | I'm bad at history. |
| El profesor de historia no es justo. | The history teacher is not fair. |
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Listening practice
Listen to a Peruvian student talking about her school day and say what time each activity starts.
- What time does the maths lesson start?
The maths lesson starts at 8:10.
- What time does the Spanish lesson start?
The Spanish lesson starts at 9:10.
- What time is break?
Break starts at 10:30.
- What time does the English lesson start?
The English lesson starts at 11:00.
- What time is lunchtime?
Lunchtime is at 12:15.
Click or tap on Show more to read the transcript and translation of the audio.
Transcript
El colegio empieza a las ocho y la primera clase, las matemáticas, empieza a las ocho y diez. Después tengo una clase de español a las nueve y veinte, la que encuentro muy aburrida. Tenemos el recreo a las diez y media, cuando como un bocadillo y charlo con mis amigas. A las once hay una clase de inglés que me gusta porque el profe es muy divertido. La comida es de doce y cuarto hasta la un menos cuarto.
Translation
School starts at eight and the first class, maths, starts at ten past eight. Then I have a Spanish class at nine twenty, which I find very boring. We have break at ten thirty, when I eat a sandwich and chat with my friends. At eleven there is an English class that I like because the teacher is very funny. Lunch is at a quarter past twelve until quarter to one.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when talking about school subjects.
Higher Tier – Vocabulary – School subjects
Useful vocabulary for talking about what you study at school includes:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| los idiomas | languages |
| el comercio | business studies |
| el drama | drama |
| el diseño | design |
| práctico/a | practical |
| complejo/a | complicated |
All vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful Higher Tier vocabulary to use when talking about school subjects.
Now you have revised the important vocabulary and key grammar points for describing school subjects, why not have a look at the Describing free time activities in Spanish guide?
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