School Vocabulary in Different Languages
Explore 55 school words in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and Galician. Click around the classroom, compare stationery and school subjects, hear pronunciations and test yourself.
Explore the Classroom
Tap any label — or any numbered hotspot on mobile — to reveal the word in seven languages.
Explore a school word
Select a hotspot in the classroom or a word from the gallery to see it side by side in seven Romance languages.
Backpack / schoolbag
Backpack / schoolbag across seven Romance languages
Use the speaker buttons to hear a browser-generated pronunciation when a suitable voice is available.
Explore all 55 school words
Search by English word or translation. Filter by category, then choose which language appears on every vocabulary card.
Compare two school words
Choose any two words and compare their names across all seven languages.
Build your school vocabulary
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School language challenge
Can you identify the English school word from its translated name?
All school vocabulary in one table
Use this crawlable reference to compare all 55 terms across Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and Galician.
| English | Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Catalan | Romanian | Galician |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | escuela | école | scuola | escola | escola | școală | escola |
| Classroom | aula | salle de classe | aula | sala de aula | aula | sală de clasă | aula |
| Teacher | profesor / profesora | professeur | insegnante | professor / professora | professor / professora | profesor / profesoară | profesor / profesora |
| Student / pupil | alumno / alumna | élève | studente / studentessa | aluno / aluna | alumne / alumna | elev / elevă | alumno / alumna |
| Classmate | compañero de clase | camarade de classe | compagno di classe | colega de turma | company de classe | coleg de clasă | compañeiro de clase |
| Desk | pupitre | pupitre | banco | carteira | pupitre | bancă | pupitre |
| Chair | silla | chaise | sedia | cadeira | cadira | scaun | cadeira |
| Board / whiteboard | pizarra | tableau | lavagna | quadro | pissarra | tablă | encerado |
| Book | libro | livre | libro | livro | llibre | carte | libro |
| Textbook | libro de texto | manuel scolaire | libro di testo | manual escolar | llibre de text | manual | libro de texto |
| Notebook | cuaderno | cahier | quaderno | caderno | quadern | caiet | caderno |
| Pencil | lápiz | crayon | matita | lápis | llapis | creion | lapis |
| Pen | bolígrafo | stylo | penna | caneta | bolígraf | pix | bolígrafo |
| Coloured pencil | lápiz de color | crayon de couleur | matita colorata | lápis de cor | llapis de color | creion colorat | lapis de cor |
| Marker pen | rotulador | feutre | pennarello | marcador | retolador | marker | rotulador |
| Eraser / rubber | goma de borrar | gomme | gomma | borracha | goma d'esborrar | gumă de șters | goma de borrar |
| Ruler | regla | règle | righello | régua | regla | riglă | regra |
| Pencil sharpener | sacapuntas | taille-crayon | temperamatite | afia-lápis | maquineta | ascuțitoare | afialapis |
| Pencil case | estuche | trousse | astuccio | estojo | estoig | penar | estoxo |
| Backpack / schoolbag | mochila | sac à dos | zaino | mochila | motxilla | ghiozdan | mochila |
| Scissors | tijeras | ciseaux | forbici | tesoura | tisores | foarfecă | tesoiras |
| Glue | pegamento | colle | colla | cola | cola | lipici | pegamento |
| Paper | papel | papier | carta | papel | paper | hârtie | papel |
| Worksheet | ficha de trabajo | fiche d'exercices | scheda di lavoro | ficha de trabalho | fitxa de treball | fișă de lucru | ficha de traballo |
| Folder | carpeta | dossier | cartellina | pasta | carpeta | dosar | carpeta |
| Calculator | calculadora | calculatrice | calcolatrice | calculadora | calculadora | calculator de buzunar | calculadora |
| Computer | ordenador | ordinateur | computer | computador | ordinador | computer | ordenador |
| Keyboard | teclado | clavier | tastiera | teclado | teclat | tastatură | teclado |
| Computer mouse | ratón | souris | mouse | rato | ratolí | mouse | rato |
| Projector | proyector | projecteur | proiettore | projetor | projector | proiector | proxector |
| Clock | reloj | horloge | orologio | relógio | rellotge | ceas | reloxo |
| Globe | globo terráqueo | globe terrestre | mappamondo | globo terrestre | globus terraqüi | glob pământesc | globo terráqueo |
| Map | mapa | carte | carta geografica | mapa | mapa | hartă | mapa |
| Door | puerta | porte | porta | porta | porta | ușă | porta |
| Window | ventana | fenêtre | finestra | janela | finestra | fereastră | xanela |
| Bin / wastebasket | papelera | poubelle | cestino | caixote do lixo | paperera | coș de gunoi | papeleira |
| School uniform | uniforme escolar | uniforme scolaire | uniforme scolastica | uniforme escolar | uniforme escolar | uniformă școlară | uniforme escolar |
| Timetable | horario | emploi du temps | orario | horário | horari | orar | horario |
| Homework | deberes | devoirs | compiti | trabalhos de casa | deures | teme | deberes |
| Lesson | lección | leçon | lezione | aula | lliçó | lecție | lección |
| Break / recess | recreo | récréation | intervallo | intervalo | esbarjo | pauză | recreo |
| Exam | examen | examen | esame | exame | examen | examen | exame |
| Test | prueba | contrôle | verifica | teste | prova | test | proba |
| Grade / mark | nota | note | voto | nota | nota | notă | nota |
| Maths / mathematics | matemáticas | mathématiques | matematica | matemática | matemàtiques | matematică | matemáticas |
| Science | ciencias | sciences | scienze | ciências | ciències | științe | ciencias |
| History | historia | histoire | storia | história | història | istorie | historia |
| Geography | geografía | géographie | geografia | geografia | geografia | geografie | xeografía |
| Languages | idiomas | langues | lingue | línguas | llengües | limbi străine | linguas |
| Art | arte | arts plastiques | arte | artes | art | artă | arte |
| Music | música | musique | musica | música | música | muzică | música |
| Physical education (PE) | educación física | éducation physique (EPS) | educazione fisica | educação física | educació física | educație fizică | educación física |
| Library | biblioteca | bibliothèque | biblioteca | biblioteca | biblioteca | bibliotecă | biblioteca |
| Playground / schoolyard | patio | cour de récréation | cortile | recreio | pati | curtea școlii | patio |
| School cafeteria / canteen | comedor escolar | cantine | mensa | cantina | menjador escolar | cantină | comedor escolar |
School language patterns to notice
School vocabulary combines everyday objects with highly international academic vocabulary, making it especially good for comparison.
Libro, livre, livro and llibre are visibly related, while Romanian uses carte.
A pencil is lápiz, crayon, matita, lápis, llapis, creion and lapis.
Matemáticas, mathématiques, matematica, matemática and matematică make the relationship obvious.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say “school” in these languages?
Spanish: escuela; French: école; Italian: scuola; Portuguese: escola; Catalan: escola; Romanian: școală; Galician: escola.
How do you say “teacher” in different Romance languages?
Common forms include Spanish profesor / profesora, French professeur, Italian insegnante, Portuguese professor / professora, Catalan professor / professora and Romanian profesor / profesoară.
Why do some classroom words look similar while others do not?
Academic vocabulary often comes from shared Latin or international terminology, while ordinary objects such as pencils, chairs, bags and windows developed through older everyday vocabulary.
Are these the only correct school words?
No. School terminology can vary by country, region and education system. This page uses common standard forms suitable for broad comparison across the seven languages.