Spanish · B2 · Everyday language
What Matters in Your School Day in Spanish
Helping your child navigate the school day involves discussing both practical needs and emotional experiences. In Spanish, we use specific relative structures to link general concepts like 'everything' or 'nothing' to their descriptions.
What you'll learn
- Use relative pronouns after indefinite pronouns like 'todo' and 'algo'.
- Describe school essentials and daily routines accurately.
- Discuss emotions and events using nominalized adjectives.
Spanish phrases for what matters in your school day
¿Has empacado todo lo que necesitas para natación?
Have you packed everything that you need for swimming?
Uses 'todo lo que' to mean 'everything that'.
¿Hay algo que quieras preguntarle a tu profesor mañana?
Is there something that you want to ask your teacher tomorrow?
Subjunctive 'quieras' is used because the specific thing is unidentified.
No hay nada que necesitemos comprar para este proyecto de deberes.
There's nothing that we need to buy for this homework project.
Uses 'nada que' followed by the subjunctive after a negation.
¿Qué fue lo mejor que pasó durante el tiempo de lectura?
What's the best thing that happened during reading time?
'Lo mejor que' translates to 'the best thing that'.
Miremos todo lo que va en tu mochila escolar.
Let's look at everything that belongs in your school bag.
'Ir' is often used to mean 'belong' or 'go inside' an object.
¿Hubo algo que te hiciera sentir excluido en el recreo?
Was there something that made you feel left out at playtime?
'Hiciera' is the imperfect subjunctive, common in hypothetical or emotional inquiries.
Lo más importante que puedes hacer ahora es contarme qué pasó.
The most important thing that you can do now is tell me what happened.
'Lo más importante que' focuses the sentence on the action.
No hay nada que tengas que ocultarme sobre esa regla rota.
There's nothing that you have to hide from me about that broken ruler.
Uses 'nada que' to reassure the child.
Hear these phrases and practise them
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Todo lo que
Everything that
The 'lo' is a neuter article required to link 'todo' to the relative clause.
Nada que
Nothing that
Commonly triggers the subjunctive when referring to the non-existence of a specific thing.
Recreo
Playtime / Recess
The standard term for school breaks in Spanish.
Neuter Relatives with Indefinite Pronouns
In English, we say 'everything that'. In Spanish, when referring to abstract concepts or unspecified things (todo, algo, nada), we use 'que' (often preceded by 'lo' for 'todo').
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Everything that | Todo lo que + verb | Todo lo que veo. |
| Something that | Algo que + verb | ¿Hay algo que te guste? |
| Nothing that | Nada que + verb | No hay nada que falte. |
Nominalized Neuter Superlatives
To say 'the best thing' or 'the most important thing', Spanish uses the neuter article 'lo' + adjective + 'que'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The best thing | Lo mejor que... | Lo mejor que me pasó fue verte. |
| The most important | Lo más importante que... | Lo más importante que aprendiste. |
More examples
Dime todo lo que recuerdes del examen.
Tell me everything that you remember about the exam.
Subjunctive 'recuerdes' implies the parent doesn't know what the child remembers yet.
Lo peor que puede pasar es que tengamos que comprar otro.
The worst thing that can happen is that we have to buy another one.
Example of 'Lo peor que' (The worst thing that).