Spanish · C1 · Everyday language
Big School Words Made Clear in Spanish
Translate formal school and club jargon into simple, actionable steps for your child. At C1 level, we focus on nominalization—turning complex nouns back into active verbs to clarify meaning.
What you'll learn
- Unpack formal Spanish nouns into active verb phrases.
- Understand the use of 'de' to represent grammatical objects in nominal phrases.
- Explain administrative school procedures in child-friendly language.
Spanish phrases for big school words made clear
La revisión de los deberes simplemente significa que revisamos la tarea juntos.
The checking of your homework simply means that we check your homework together.
'Revisión' is the nominal form of 'revisar'.
La distribución de los libros significa que tu profesor entrega los libros.
The distribution of the books means that your teacher hands the books out.
'Distribución' (noun) becomes 'entregar' (verb) for clarity.
La recogida de los niños significa que os recogemos a ti y a los demás después de la excursión.
The collection of the children means that we pick you and the others up after the trip.
'Recogida' is a noun derived from 'recoger'.
El uso del pabellón deportivo significa utilizar la sala para las actividades de tu club.
The use of the sports hall means using the hall for your club activities.
'Uso' is the noun form of 'usar/utilizar'.
El etiquetado de tus pertenencias significa poner tu nombre en las cosas que llevas al colegio.
The labelling of your belongings means putting your name on the things you take to school.
'Etiquetado' refers to the process of 'etiquetar'.
La repetición del ejercicio solo significa volver a hacer ese ejercicio.
The repetition of the exercise just means doing that exercise again.
'Repetición' (noun) maps to 'repetir' or 'volver a hacer' (verb).
El pago de la cuota del club significa que yo pago el dinero para tu plaza en el club.
The payment of the club fee means that I pay the money for your club place.
'Pago' is the nominalization of 'pagar'.
La explicación de las reglas significa que el entrenador explica cómo funciona el juego.
The explanation of the rules means that the coach explains how the game works.
'Explicación' (noun) becomes 'explica' (verb).
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
La revisión
Checking / Review
A common noun in school reports.
Los deberes / La tarea
Homework
'Deberes' is common in Spain; 'tarea' is used across Latin America.
La cuota
Fee / Membership payment
Refers to a recurring payment for a service or club.
Pertenencias
Belongings
Formal term for personal items.
Nominalization with 'de'
In Spanish, official communication often uses nouns (nominalization) instead of verbs. To explain these to a child, you identify the core verb and the object linked by 'de'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun Phrase | La revisión de [objeto] | La revisión de los deberes |
| Verb Phrase | [Sujeto] + revisa + [objeto] | Nosotros revisamos los deberes |
More examples
¿Qué significa 'la entrega de materiales'?
What does 'the delivery of materials' mean?
Asking for an explanation of a nominal phrase.
Significa que nos dan los lápices y el papel.
It means that they give us the pencils and the paper.
Unpacking the noun 'entrega' into the verb 'dan'.