School and teachers in Spanish: enrolling a child, talking to the teacher and reading the report in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
A parent moving to a Spanish-speaking country comes across school vocabulary all at once. There is an enrolment form to fill in, a level system that does not map onto the one at home, a teacher to address correctly, and a class WhatsApp group where everyone assumes you already know how the week works. Below: the words for enrolling, the school levels country by country, how to talk to the teacher, what you will hear at a parents’ meeting, and how to read a report card in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
The school levels
Nothing about this system is shared across the four countries. Learn the ladder for the country you are in.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursery | la guardería | la guardería (0 to 3) | el jardín infantil | el jardín maternal |
| Preschool | el preescolar, el kínder | infantil (3 to 6) | el preescolar, last year transición | el jardín de infantes, sala de 3, 4 y 5 |
| Primary | la primaria (6 years) | primaria (6 years) | la primaria (grades 1 to 5) | la primaria |
| Lower secondary | la secundaria (3 years) | la ESO (4 years) | la básica secundaria, grades 6 to 9 | la secundaria |
| Upper secondary | la prepa, la preparatoria, el bachillerato | el bachillerato (2 years) or FP | la media, grades 10 and 11 | la secundaria, upper years |
| The building, primary | la escuela | el colegio | el colegio | la escuela |
| The building, secondary | la secundaria, la prepa | el instituto | el colegio | el colegio, la escuela |
Points worth holding on to. In Spain, el colegio is the primary school and el instituto is the secondary school, and a Spanish teenager says instituto. In Colombia a pupil finishes at once, eleventh grade, and leaves as a bachiller, so bachillerato there covers all of secondary rather than the last two years. In Mexico the last stage is la prepa in speech and el bachillerato on the certificate. In Argentina people count primer grado up through primary and primer año up through secondary, and the number of years in each changes by province.
Enrolling a child
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I want to enrol my daughter | Quiero matricular a mi hija. (Spain, Colombia) / Quiero inscribir a mi hija. (Mexico, Argentina) | Both verbs are understood everywhere |
| the enrolment | la matrícula / la inscripción | Matrícula is also the fee in Colombia and in Spanish private schools |
| Are there places? | ¿Hay cupo? (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) / ¿Quedan plazas? (Spain) | Cupo is the Latin American word for an available place |
| What papers do you need? | ¿Qué papeles necesitan? | |
| the birth certificate | el acta de nacimiento (Mexico) / la partida de nacimiento (Argentina, Spain) / el registro civil de nacimiento (Colombia) | Get this one right, the words do not swap |
| proof of address | el comprobante de domicilio (Mexico) / el empadronamiento (Spain) / el recibo de un servicio público (Colombia) | Spain’s padrón is the town hall register and schools ask for it |
| the vaccination record | la cartilla de vacunación (Mexico, Spain) / el carné de vacunación (Colombia) / la libreta sanitaria (Argentina) | |
| the school report from the old school | el boletín del colegio anterior | |
| the school fees | la pensión (Colombia) / la colegiatura (Mexico) / la cuota (Argentina, private schools) / las mensualidades (Spain, private) | Public schooling is free in all four |
| She does not speak Spanish yet | Todavía no habla español. | |
| Do you have language support? | ¿Tienen apoyo con el idioma? |
El acudiente is the Colombian word for the adult responsible for a pupil, and it appears on every form there. Mexican schools say el padre de familia or la madre de familia for the same role. In Spain and Argentina people say el tutor legal, or just los padres.
Talking to the teacher
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary teacher, spoken | la maestra, el maestro | la seño, el profe | la profe, la seño (Caribbean coast) | la seño, la maestra |
| Secondary teacher | el profe, el profesor | el profe, el profesor | el profe | el profe, el profesor |
| Formal, in writing | el docente | el docente | el docente | el docente |
| Form tutor | el maestro de grupo | el tutor | el director de grupo | el preceptor (secondary) |
| Head teacher | el director, la directora | el director, la directora | el rector, la rectora | el director, la directora |
Seño, short for señorita, is what small children call a primary teacher in Spain, Argentina and the Colombian Caribbean, and parents pick it up from the children. In Mexico people use maestra for that, and adults use it warmly too. Profe is affectionate and respectful at once in all four countries, and is safe from a parent to a teacher.
On the pronoun: in Spain parents and teachers use tú with each other almost immediately, and usted to a teacher sounds distant. In Colombia stay with usted in both directions, including with a teacher you see every morning. In Mexico open with usted and let the teacher move you to tú. In Argentina it is vos, so ¿Cómo andás? and ¿Vos qué pensás? are what you say to your child’s teacher without giving offence, while the head teacher may get usted on a first meeting.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Can I have a word? | ¿Podemos hablar un momento? | |
| I would like a meeting | Quisiera una tutoría. (Spain) / Quisiera una cita con la maestra. (Mexico) | Spain’s tutoría is the one-to-one parent meeting |
| How is she doing? | ¿Cómo va? / ¿Cómo la ve? | |
| Is she keeping up? | ¿Va al día? / ¿Va al ritmo del grupo? | |
| She is struggling with maths | Le cuestan mucho las matemáticas. | Costarle algo a alguien is the normal way to say this |
| He is being left out | No lo están integrando. | |
| I think he is being bullied | Creo que le están haciendo bullying. | El bullying is the word used in all four. Spain also says el acoso escolar |
| He was absent because he was ill | Faltó porque estaba enfermo. | |
| Here is the doctor’s note | Aquí está el justificante. (Spain) / el certificado médico (Mexico, Argentina) / la excusa médica (Colombia) | |
| He will be picked up early | Lo van a recoger antes. | |
| His grandmother will collect him | Lo recoge la abuela. | Argentina says lo pasa a buscar la abuela |
Homework, marks and reports
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | la tarea | los deberes | la tarea | la tarea |
| The report card | la boleta de calificaciones | el boletín de notas | el boletín | el boletín |
| Marks | las calificaciones | las notas | las notas | las notas |
| To pass | aprobar, pasar | aprobar | ganar la materia | aprobar |
| To fail | reprobar | suspender | perder la materia, perder el año | desaprobar, llevarse la materia |
| To sit an exam | presentar un examen | hacer un examen | presentar un examen | rendir un examen |
| To repeat the year | repetir el año | repetir curso | repetir el año | repetir el año |
Suspender is the Spanish word for failing a subject, and learners get caught out because everywhere else the verb means to call something off. A Spanish parent saying ha suspendido tres means the child failed three subjects.
The scales differ. Spanish schools mark out of 10 with a pass at 5, and the words on the report are insuficiente, suficiente, bien, notable, sobresaliente. Mexican schools mark out of 10 with a pass at 6. Colombian schools report in the national bands desempeño superior, alto, básico and bajo, and many put a number out of 5.0 beside them. Argentine schools usually mark out of 10 and the pass mark is set by the province, so ask rather than assume.
Words on the report itself: la asignatura or la materia (subject), el área, la conducta or el comportamiento (behaviour), la asistencia (attendance), las faltas (absences), el promedio (average), la observación (the teacher’s comment), el período or el trimestre (the term).
Meetings, groups and the rest of school life
La junta de padres de familia in Mexico, la reunión de padres in Spain, Colombia and Argentina. These are usually early evening, often short, and attendance is treated as expected rather than optional. Colombian schools hold la entrega de boletines, a day when parents come in person to collect the report and speak to the teacher, and skipping it is noticed.
Every school has a parents’ body, and the name changes by country. La asociación de padres de familia in Mexico and Colombia, run in Mexico by la mesa directiva. El AMPA in Spain. La cooperadora in Argentina. They raise money for the school and they will ask you for some.
The WhatsApp group is real in all four, and the parents in it write fast. El grupo del salón in Mexico, el grupo de la clase in Spain, el grupo del curso in Colombia and Argentina. The lines you will need most are ¿Alguien sabe qué tarea dejaron?, does anyone know what the homework was, ¿Mañana hay clase?, is there school tomorrow, and ¿Qué uniforme se ponen mañana?, which uniform are they wearing tomorrow. The teacher opens with Buenos días, papis in Mexico and Colombia and Buenas, familias in Spain.
Uniforms. Colombian schools, state and private, have a daily uniform plus la sudadera, the tracksuit worn on PE days. Mexican public schools have uniforms too, with a separate uniforme de educación física. Spanish state schools generally have none, while colegios concertados and private schools usually do. Argentine state primaries have el guardapolvo blanco, the white overall worn over ordinary clothes.
The school day is split, and each country has words for the parts. Mexican schools run el turno matutino and el turno vespertino, Argentine schools turno mañana and turno tarde, Colombian schools la jornada de la mañana and la jornada de la tarde, with jornada única where the school runs a single long day. Spanish schools have either jornada continua, mornings only, or jornada partida, with a long break for lunch.
Everyday objects: la mochila (bag), el recreo (break), el timbre (bell), los útiles escolares (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) and el material escolar (Spain) for the supply list, la lonchera (Mexico, Colombia) and la vianda (Argentina) for the packed lunch, el comedor for the school canteen in Spain, la cooperativa or la tiendita for the Mexican school shop and el kiosco for the Argentine one.
What the teacher will say
| You will hear | What it means |
|---|---|
| Va muy bien. | She is doing well. |
| Le falta concentración. | He needs to concentrate. |
| Habla mucho en clase. | He talks a lot in class. |
| Es muy participativo. | He joins in a lot. Meant as praise |
| Le cuesta la lectura. | Reading is hard for him. |
| No entregó la tarea. | He did not hand in the homework. |
| Tiene tres faltas este mes. | He has been absent three times this month. |
| Necesita refuerzo. | He needs extra support. |
| Mándeme el justificante. | Send me the sick note. Spain |
| Los citamos el martes a las cinco. | We are asking you to come in on Tuesday at five. |
| Que traiga el uniforme completo. | He should come in the full uniform. |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Quiero inscribir a mi hijo en primero de primaria. I want to enrol my son in the first year of primary.
- ¿Hay cupo para el próximo año? Are there places for next year?
- ¿Qué papeles necesito para la matrícula? What papers do I need to enrol? (Spain, Colombia)
- Buenos días, seño. ¿Podemos hablar un momento? Good morning. Can we talk for a moment?
- ¿Cómo va mi hija en matemáticas? How is my daughter doing in maths?
- Le cuesta la lectura, ¿qué puedo hacer en casa? Reading is hard for her, what can I do at home?
- Faltó ayer porque estaba enfermo. Aquí está el justificante. He was off yesterday because he was ill. Here is the note. (Spain)
- ¿Alguien sabe qué tarea dejaron? Does anyone know what the homework was?
- ¿Cuándo es la entrega de boletines? When do we collect the reports? (Colombia)
- Hoy lo pasa a buscar la abuela. His grandmother is collecting him today. (Argentina)
Questions people ask
Is it “colegio” or “escuela”? In Spain, colegio is primary and instituto is secondary. In Mexico and Argentina, escuela is the ordinary word for a state school and people often take colegio to mean a private one. In Colombia almost every school is el colegio, state or private.
How do I address my child’s teacher? Profe is safe in all four countries and warm without being familiar. Maestra in Mexico, seño in Spain, Argentina and the Colombian coast. Add usted in Colombia and Mexico, tú in Spain, vos in Argentina.
Homework: tarea or deberes? Los deberes in Spain, la tarea in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. Both are understood everywhere, and tarea in Spain means a task rather than schoolwork.
What is “la ESO”? Spain’s compulsory secondary stage, four years from twelve to sixteen, said as a word: la ESO. After it a student chooses bachillerato or FP, vocational training.
What does “prepa” mean? The Mexican upper secondary school, ages roughly fifteen to eighteen. On the certificate it is bachillerato, in speech it is always la prepa.
How do I say my child failed a subject? Reprobó in Mexico, ha suspendido in Spain, perdió la materia in Colombia, se llevó la materia in Argentina, which means carrying it to a resit.
What is a “guardapolvo”? The white overall worn over clothes in Argentine state primary schools. Schools in the other three countries do not use it.
What do I say when I arrive late to collect my child? Perdón por el retraso in Spain and Colombia, perdón por la demora in Mexico and Argentina, and then the reason in one line.
Practise these words
escuela, colegio, maestra, profesor, tarea, nota, calificación, materia, aprobar, matricular, reunión, uniforme, faltar. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.