Education and Work

Subjects come up in every version of this topic, and most take a definite article (el, la, las). Learn the gender with the word.

Spanish	English
las matemáticas	maths
el español / el inglés / el francés	Spanish / English / French
las ciencias	science
la física / la química / la biología	physics / chemistry / biology
la historia / la geografía	history / geography
la informática	ICT / computing
el arte / el dibujo	art
la música / el teatro	music / drama
la educación física	PE
la religión	RE

To say a subject is your favourite, use mi asignatura favorita es la historia. Note the plurals: las matemáticas and las ciencias are always plural, so any verb or adjective with them is plural too (las ciencias son útiles).

This is where you gain marks, by pairing an opinion with a reason. Two structures do most of the work: gustar-type verbs and se me da bien (I am good at).

Spanish	English
me gusta la historia	I like history
me encanta / odio...	I love / I hate...
se me da bien el inglés	I am good at English
se me dan bien las ciencias	I am good at science
se me da mal el dibujo	I am bad at art
es fácil — difícil	it is easy — hard
es útil / interesante — aburrido/a	it is useful / interesting — boring

Worked example: Se me dan bien las ciencias porque son interesantes, pero odio las matemáticas porque son difíciles. (I am good at science because it is interesting, but I hate maths because it is hard.) With se me da bien, the verb agrees with the subject: da for one subject, dan for plural subjects like las ciencias.

Beyond subjects, you may describe your school, its rules and your day. Combine places with routine verbs.

Spanish	English
el instituto / el colegio	school / secondary school
el/la profesor(a) / el/la alumno/a	teacher / pupil
la clase / el aula	lesson / classroom
el horario / el recreo	timetable / break
los deberes	homework
el examen / la nota	exam / grade
aprobar — suspender	to pass — to fail
el uniforme / las normas	uniform / rules
la biblioteca / el comedor / el patio	library / canteen / playground
sacar buenas / malas notas	to get good / bad grades

Worked example: En mi instituto tenemos que llevar uniforme y no se permite usar el móvil en clase. (At my school we have to wear a uniform and using your phone in class is not allowed.) Tener que + infinitive and the impersonal se permite are both useful for describing rules.

Job vocabulary supports both the present (part-time work) and the future (ambitions). Most jobs have a masculine and feminine form.

Spanish	English
el/la médico/a	doctor
el/la enfermero/a	nurse
el/la profesor(a)	teacher
el/la abogado/a	lawyer
el/la ingeniero/a	engineer
el/la dependiente/a	shop assistant
el/la camarero/a	waiter / waitress
el/la peluquero/a	hairdresser
el/la bombero/a	firefighter
el/la periodista	journalist

The key rule: after ser, do not use an article before a job. Say quiero ser médico, not quiero ser un médico. Some jobs, such as periodista and dentista, keep the same form for men and women; only the article changes (el periodista, la periodista).

Talking about the future is essential in this topic. Each of these structures is followed by an infinitive, which raises your grade when used with a reason.

Structure	Example	English
ir a + inf	voy a estudiar medicina	I am going to study medicine
querer + inf	quiero ser ingeniero	I want to be an engineer
me gustaría + inf	me gustaría viajar	I would like to travel
pensar + inf	pienso ir a la universidad	I plan to go to university
esperar + inf	espero aprobar	I hope to pass
tener que + inf	tengo que sacar buenas notas	I have to get good grades

Useful vocabulary: la universidad (university), el trabajo a tiempo parcial (part-time job), ganar dinero (to earn money), hacer prácticas (to do work experience), tener éxito (to be successful), cuando sea mayor (when I am older — Higher tier; sea is the subjunctive).

Sequence your plans with primero, luego and después: Primero voy a aprobar mis exámenes, luego iré a la universidad.

Learn these frames and swap in your own subjects, jobs and plans.

• Mi asignatura favorita es la historia porque es interesante y el profesor es simpático. — My favourite subject is history because it is interesting and the teacher is nice.
• Se me dan bien las ciencias, pero odio las matemáticas porque son difíciles. — I am good at science, but I hate maths because it is hard.
• En mi instituto tenemos que llevar uniforme y hacer muchos deberes. — At my school we have to wear a uniform and do a lot of homework.
• Los fines de semana trabajo a tiempo parcial en una tienda para ganar dinero. — At weekends I work part-time in a shop to earn money.
• 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 instituto, voy a ir a la universidad para estudiar ingeniería. — After school, I am going to go to university to study engineering.
• Primero tengo que aprobar mis exámenes y sacar buenas notas. — First I have to pass my exams and get good grades.

1. Adding an article before a job

After ser, drop the article: quiero ser profesor, not quiero ser un profesor. The article only returns when the job is described, as in es un profesor excelente.

2. Treating las matemáticas as singular

Las matemáticas and las ciencias are plural, so verbs and adjectives agree in the plural: las ciencias son útiles, se me dan bien las matemáticas.

3. Using a conjugated verb after a plan phrase

Ir a, querer, me gustaría and tener que are followed by an infinitive. Write voy a estudiar, not voy a estudio.

4. Confusing aprobar and suspender

Aprobar means to pass an exam and suspender means to fail. They are easy to mix up, so learn them as a pair.

5. Giving a plan with no reason

Quiero ser médico on its own is thin. Add a reason with porque: ...porque me interesa la medicina y quiero ayudar a la gente. The reason is where higher marks come from.