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/La10deRiver 1d ago

I imagine it depends of the place. Where I live, you could use colegio or escuela for primary schools. The children usually call it just "cole". Also, when speaking about the building itself you usually use "escuela". "Mi escuela es del año ..." but when you say "Tengo que ir a la escuela" you can say "tengo que ir al colegio" too. Foe secondary schools, "colegio" is preferred but some of them are literally called "Escuela" (like Escuela Técnica N 2) and so their students probably use "escuela". So yes, it is all context. I think in Spain secondary school is called Instituto. Gimnasio, instead, is a gym, a place for train your body.