School (Leaving Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
School
When discussing your school in Spanish, you'll need to describe facilities, subjects, people, and your experiences. This topic allows you to show variety in tenses and express opinions clearly.
This is one of the most versatile conversation topics as it allows you to demonstrate different tenses, express personal opinions, and use descriptive language. Practice building longer responses by connecting ideas with linking words.
Describing your school
Start with basic details about your school's location, type, and size. Use these key structures to build your responses:
Mi colegio está en un barrio que se llama ___ y es un colegio mixto/solo de chicos/solo de chicas (My school is in a neighbourhood called ___ and it's a mixed/all-boys/all-girls school)
Mi colegio es bastante grande y tiene varios edificios (My school is quite big and has several buildings)
Essential vocabulary for school facilities includes:
- la biblioteca (library),
- el gimnasio (gym),
- la piscina (swimming pool),
- los laboratorios (laboratories),
- las aulas (classrooms),
- el comedor (canteen),
- la sala de estudio (study hall)
When describing what your school has, use: Hay muchas aulas, dos laboratorios de Física y Química, una biblioteca y una sala de estudio (There are many classrooms, two Physics and Chemistry laboratories, a library and a study hall).
Building a School Description:
Step 1: Start with location and type "Mi colegio está en Dublin y es un colegio mixto" (My school is in Dublin and it is a mixed school.)
Step 2: Add size details "Es bastante grande con aproximadamente ochocientos estudiantes" (It is quite big with approximately eight hundred students.)
Step 3: Describe facilities "Tiene una biblioteca moderna, dos gimnasios y varios laboratorios" (It has a modern library, two gyms, and several laboratories.)
Complete response: "Mi colegio está en Dublin y es un colegio mixto. Es bastante grande con aproximadamente ochocientos estudiantes. Tiene una biblioteca moderna, dos gimnasios y varios laboratorios."
(My school is in Dublin and it is a mixed school. It is quite big with approximately eight hundred students. It has a modern library, two gyms, and several laboratories.)
School subjects and preferences
You'll study around seven subjects: Inglés, Matemáticas, Irlandés, Geografía, Física, Química, Biología, Historia, Hogar y Español (English, Maths, Irish, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Home Economics and Spanish).
Express preferences using the gustar pattern. Remember: me gusta + singular noun, me gustan + plural noun.
Critical Grammar Rule: The GUSTAR Pattern
- Me gusta + singular subject (Me gusta la historia) (I like history)
- Me gustan + plural subject (Me gustan las matemáticas) (I like mathematics)
- This is a common mistake area - the verb agrees with what is liked, not the person doing the liking!
Mi asignatura favorita es Español porque me encantan las lenguas (My favourite subject is Spanish because I love languages)
La asignatura que más me gusta es Física porque se me da bien (The subject I like most is Physics because I'm good at it)
Odio las Matemáticas porque me resultan muy complicadas y me parecen muy aburridas (I hate Maths because I find them very complicated and I think they're very boring)
Use a variety of opinion expressions to show language range: me encanta (I love), me gusta mucho (I really like), no me gusta nada (I don't like at all), odio (I hate). Always follow with porque and give a reason.
Teachers and classmates
Describe the school community and your relationships:
Hay unos veinte/treinta profesores (There are about twenty/thirty teachers)
Hay aproximadamente ochocientos estudiantes. En cada clase normalmente hay veinticinco o treinta estudiantes (There are approximately eight hundred students. In each class there are normally twenty-five or thirty students)
Me llevo bien con mis compañeros de clase. Hay un buen ambiente en clase (I get on well with my classmates. There's a good atmosphere in class)
Mi profesor favorito es el profesor de Inglés porque es muy simpático y explica la asignatura muy bien (My favourite teacher is the English teacher because he's very nice and explains the subject very well)
Getting to school and school rules
Explain your daily journey: Vengo en autobús/en tren/en bicicleta/a pie (I come by bus/train/bicycle/on foot)
La verdad es que vivo muy cerca, a diez minutos a pie (The truth is I live very close, ten minutes on foot)
For school rules: En mi colegio hay algunas normas que no me gustan pero me parecen justas, como apagar el teléfono móvil mientras estamos en clase (In my school there are some rules I don't like but they seem fair to me, like turning off mobile phones while we're in class)
Transport vocabulary is essential: en autobús (by bus), a pie (on foot), en coche (by car), en bicicleta (by bicycle), en tren (by train). Use tardo + time to say how long it takes: "Tardo veinte minutos en llegar al colegio."
School uniform
Many schools have uniform policies you can discuss:
Sí, el uniforme consiste en unos pantalones negros, un jersey gris y una camisa azul (Yes, the uniform consists of black trousers, a grey jumper and a blue shirt)
No, en mi colegio no es obligatorio llevar uniforme. Podemos llevar la ropa que queramos (No, in my school it's not compulsory to wear uniform. We can wear the clothes we want)
Me parece muy práctico porque así no tengo que pensar qué ponerme todos los días para ir a clase (It seems very practical to me because I don't have to think what to wear every day to go to class)
Extracurricular activities
Discuss your involvement in school activities:
Sí, hay muchas actividades extraescolares, sobre todo muchas actividades deportivas. Hay un equipo de rugby/de camogie (Yes, there are many extracurricular activities, especially many sports activities. There's a rugby/camogie team)
Por desgracia, este año no tengo mucho tiempo para participar en actividades extraescolares (Unfortunately, this year I don't have much time to participate in extracurricular activities)
Soy miembro del coro/del club de lectura/de debates (I'm a member of the choir/reading club/debating club)
Typical examiner questions
Common Exam Questions:
-
Descríbeme tu colegio: ¿Cómo se llama? ¿Cómo es? (Describe your school: What's it called? What's it like?)
-
¿Cuánto tiempo llevas estudiando en este colegio? (How long have you been studying at this school?)
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¿Qué asignaturas estudias? ¿Cuál es tu asignatura favorita? (What subjects do you study? What's your favourite subject?)
-
¿Hay muchos alumnos? ¿Te llevas bien con tus compañeros de clase? (Are there many pupils? Do you get on well with your classmates?)
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¿Cómo vienes al colegio? (How do you come to school?)
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¿Tienes uniforme en el colegio? ¿Qué opinas del uniforme? (Do you have uniform at school? What's your opinion of uniform?)
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¿Hay actividades extraescolares? ¿Participas en alguna actividad extraescolar? (Are there extracurricular activities? Do you take part in any extracurricular activity?)
Model answers
Worked Example: Short vs Extended Responses
Short response: Llevo seis años estudiando en este colegio (I've been studying at this school for six years)
Extended response: Llevo seis años estudiando en este colegio. Empecé a estudiar en este colegio en quinto curso el año pasado. Es un buen colegio, me gusta estudiar aquí y tengo muchos amigos. Mi hermana está en segundo curso en este colegio también (I've been studying at this school for six years. I started studying at this school in fifth year last year. It's a good school, I like studying here and I have lots of friends. My sister is in second year at this school too)
Note: The extended response shows variety in tenses (present, preterite, present perfect) and includes additional relevant details.
Pronunciation tips
Key Pronunciation Points:
- Colegio - stress on the second syllable: co-LE-gio
- Asignatura - stress on the third syllable: a-sig-na-TU-ra
- Gimnasio - stress on the second syllable: gim-NA-sio
- Laboratorio - stress on the fourth syllable: la-bo-ra-TO-rio
- The double 'r' in aburridas should be rolled strongly
Key Points to Remember:
- Use me gusta + singular and me gustan + plural when expressing preferences
- Include variety by using past tense (Empecé - I started) and present perfect (He estudiado - I have studied)
- Give reasons for your opinions using porque (because)
- Practice describing facilities using hay (there is/are) and location phrases
- Remember gender agreements: el uniforme is masculine, la asignatura is feminine