Talking about school schedules is one of the most practical ways to practise present tense verbs and school-related vocabulary. Below you will find useful vocabulary, common verbs in the present tense, model sentences you can copy, and practice tasks to make this language stick.
What a typical school week looks like (vocabulary)
Many schools run Monday to Friday, with classes starting in the morning and finishing in the afternoon. Students usually have a lunch break and several vacations during the year: a short fall break, a winter holiday around Christmas and New Year, and a spring break. The academic year often ends in May or June.
Days and common time words
- Monday — lunes
- Tuesday — martes
- Wednesday — miércoles
- Thursday — jueves
- Friday — viernes
- Saturday — sábado
- Sunday — domingo
- morning — la mañana
- afternoon — la tarde
- lunch — el almuerzo / la hora de comer
- break / recess — el recreo / el descanso
- vacation / holidays — las vacaciones
- spring break — las vacaciones de primavera
- Christmas — la Navidad
Subjects (as courses)
- English / literature / composition — inglés / literatura / composición
- Mathematics — matemáticas
- Algebra — álgebra
- Geometry — geometría
- Calculus — cálculo
- Statistics — estadística
- Biology — biología
- Physics — física
- Chemistry — química
- Art — arte
- Music — música
- Drama — teatro / drama
- History / social studies — historia / estudios sociales
- Geography — geografía
- Technology / engineering — tecnología / ingeniería
- Computer science — informática / ciencias de la computación
- Cooking / life skills — cocina / habilidades prácticas
Key verbs in the present tense
Use these verbs to describe schedules and routines. Below are the infinitives, a short note about irregularity if relevant, and example conjugations for the pronoun yo and él/ella/ustedes.
- empezar (to start) — stem change e to ie. Example: yo empiezo / él empieza
- comenzar (to begin) — similar to empezar. Example: yo comienzo / ella comienza
- terminar (to finish) — regular. Example: yo termino / ellos terminan
- tener (to have) — irregular (yo tengo). Example: yo tengo clase / nosotros tenemos examen
- estudiar (to study) — regular. Example: yo estudio matemáticas
- almorzar (to have lunch) — stem change o to ue. Example: yo almuerzo / él almuerza
- descansar (to rest) — regular. Example: yo descanso en el recreo
- ir (to go) — irregular. Example: yo voy al colegio / ellos van a clase
Useful example sentences
- Las clases empiezan a las ocho de la mañana. — Classes start at eight in the morning.
- El colegio termina a las tres de la tarde. — School finishes at three in the afternoon.
- Los estudiantes tienen recreo al mediodía. — Students have recess at noon.
- Yo estudio biología y química. — I study biology and chemistry.
- En febrero tenemos una semana de vacaciones. — In February we have a week off.
Las clases empiezan por la mañana y terminan por la tarde.
How to practise this language
When you talk about schedules, focus on the present tense for routines. Pay special attention to stem-changing verbs like empezar and almorzar and irregular verbs like tener and ir. Use the subject pronoun when you need emphasis but remember many verbs are fine without it because Spanish verb endings show the subject.
Practice tasks
Exercise 1 — Translate into Spanish
- Classes start at 9:00 on Mondays.
- We have lunch at 12:30.
- She studies mathematics and physics.
Exercise 2 — Conjugate the verb in parentheses in the present tense
- (empezar) La clase ____ a las siete. — Subject: la clase
- (tener) Tú ____ una prueba mañana.
- (almorzar) Nosotros ____ a la una.
- (ir) Yo ____ al colegio en autobús.
Exercise 3 — Vocabulary matching
- Biology
- History
- Computer science
- Art
Exercise 4 — Write a short schedule
Write 5 sentences in Spanish describing a typical school day or week. Use at least two different verbs from the list (empezar, terminar, tener, estudiar, almorzar, descansar, ir).
Answer key and model responses
Exercise 1 — Suggested translations
- Las clases empiezan a las nueve los lunes.
- Almorzamos a las doce y treinta. / Tenemos el almuerzo a las doce y treinta.
- Ella estudia matemáticas y física.
Exercise 2 — Conjugations
- empieza
- tienes
- almorzamos
- voy
Exercise 3 — Matching
- Biology — biología
- History — historia
- Computer science — informática / ciencias de la computación
- Art — arte
Model for Exercise 4
Example: Yo voy al colegio a las ocho. Tengo clase de inglés a las nueve. Estudio matemáticas por la mañana. Almuerzo a las doce. Las clases terminan a las tres de la tarde.
Try to write your own now and, when possible, say it out loud. Speaking routines helps solidify the present tense and the vocabulary for school life.
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