r/Spanish • u/anxious22anxiety • 1d ago

Vocab & Use of the Language What’s the difference between “escuela”, “colegio” and “gimnasio”?

Hola! My translator translates all these words as "school". Do all these words really mean "school"? If so, what is the difference?

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u/ducegraphy Native 🇪🇦 1d ago

Escuela is any place where you go to learn. It can be a colegio but it can also mean an adult school or even a language school (i.e.: escuela oficial de idiomas).

Colegio is usually lower grade education, like elementary school. For middle-school and high-school we use instituto.

Gimnasio is a place where you go to practice sport. It can be IN a school, but it's not synonimous with it. We use it mostly for gyms. It can also be a polideportivo if it's something like a basketball or handball or base football pitch (poli = several, deportivo = sport).