Education and work — la educación y el trabajo
This topic covers Spanish school life, post-16 options and the world of work. AQA examiners expect knowledge of the Spanish system alongside personal opinions and future plans.
Core vocabulary — school (el colegio / el instituto)
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| primary school | la escuela primaria |
| secondary school / high school | el instituto |
| subject | la asignatura |
| homework | los deberes |
| exam | el examen |
| to revise | repasar / estudiar |
| to fail | suspender |
| to pass | aprobar |
| school report | el boletín de notas |
| head teacher | el/la director/a |
| teacher | el profesor / la profesora |
| school uniform | el uniforme escolar |
| timetable | el horario |
| break time | el recreo |
Post-16 options
- el bachillerato — Spanish academic sixth form (2 years, age 16–18, leads to la Selectividad / EBAU university entrance exam)
- la Formación Profesional (FP) — vocational training, highly respected in Spain
- la universidad — university (el grado = degree)
- la beca — scholarship / grant
World of work vocabulary
- solicitar un trabajo / empleo — to apply for a job
- el currículum — CV
- la entrevista de trabajo — job interview
- el sueldo / el salario — salary / wage
- trabajar a tiempo completo/parcial — to work full/part-time
- estar en paro — to be unemployed
- el desempleo — unemployment
- el autónomo/a — self-employed person, freelancer
Grammar focus — future tense
Regular future: infinitive + endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án)
| pronoun | estudiar | vivir |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estudiaré | viviré |
| tú | estudiarás | vivirás |
| él/ella | estudiará | vivirá |
| nosotros | estudiaremos | viviremos |
| vosotros | estudiaréis | viviréis |
| ellos | estudiarán | vivirán |
Irregular future stems (memorise these):
- tener → tendré
- poder → podré
- hacer → haré
- ir → iré (regular looking but check: it IS regular)
- querer → querré
- saber → sabré
Near future (ir a + infinitive) is also widely used and accepted: Voy a estudiar medicina. — I'm going to study medicine.
Model phrases
- En el futuro me gustaría ser médico porque quiero ayudar a la gente. — In the future I would like to be a doctor because I want to help people.
- Después del bachillerato, pienso ir a la universidad para estudiar ingeniería. — After sixth form, I plan to go to university to study engineering.
- En España, la tasa de desempleo juvenil es bastante alta. — In Spain, the youth unemployment rate is quite high.
- Las prácticas laborales son útiles para conseguir experiencia. — Work experience is useful for gaining experience.
- Si sacara buenas notas, podría estudiar en el extranjero. — If I got good grades, I could study abroad.
Cultural notes
Spain has a two-track post-16 system: bachillerato (academic) and Formación Profesional. The Selectividad / EBAU entrance exam (taken at 18) determines university access. Spain suffered very high youth unemployment after the 2008 financial crisis — still a politically sensitive topic and likely exam stimulus. The MIR (Médico Interno Residente) is the prestigious medical specialisation exam, similar to the UK Foundation Programme.
⚠Common mistakes
- Using el colegio for secondary school — in Spain it usually means primary. Use el instituto.
- Saying quiero ser un médico — in Spanish, omit the article after ser: quiero ser médico.
- Confusing el examen (singular) with los exámenes (plural with accent shift).
- Using present instead of future: Mañana voy a trabajar (near future — correct) vs Mañana trabajo (also acceptable as scheduled future, but future simple is safest in essays).
- Forgetting that suspender means to fail (not "to suspend") and aprobar means to pass.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-spanish