Soy estudiante de leyes en Columbia
I'm a law student at Columbia.
A young woman introduces herself with the same word a man would use, and de adds what she studies.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "student" in Spanish
el estudiante
nounel / la estudianteplural: los estudiantes
"Student" in Spanish is el estudiante for a male student and la estudiante for a female one. The word itself never changes, only the article does. To say what you are, drop the article: Soy estudiante.
Hear "estudiante" in a real scene
One scene where someone says it. The video starts and stops on that line.
Estudiante, alumno, universitario
Words for students, from the classroom to the university.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el estudiante, la estudiante | student | Anyone who studies, from high school to a PhD. |
| el alumno, la alumna | pupil, student | A student of a specific teacher, class or school: mis alumnos. |
| el universitario, la universitaria | college student | Also an adjective: la vida universitaria, college life. |
| el compañero de clase | classmate | For a woman: la compañera de clase. |
| estudiante de medicina | medical student | The subject comes after de: estudiante de arte, de leyes. |
| estudiante de intercambio | exchange student | A student who spends a term or a year in another country. |
Tip: A student ID card is el carné de estudiante in Spain. Keep it handy when you buy tickets.
Grammar: el estudiante, la estudiante
Four rules for talking about students.
The article shows the gender
un estudiante nuevo, una estudiante nueva. Adjectives match the article, while estudiante stays the same.Plural: los or las estudiantes
los estudiantes for men or a mixed class, las estudiantes when they're all women.No un or una after ser
Soy estudiante. Es estudiante. Add an adjective and the article returns: Es una estudiante excelente.What you study goes after de
estudiante de español, estudiante de medicina. For where, use en: estudiante en Madrid.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
¿Eres estudiante?
Are you a student?
Soy estudiante.
I'm a student.
El estudiante tiene examen en marzo.
The student has an exam in March.
Ah, eres estudiante, ¿eh?
Oh, so you're a student, huh?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Soy un estudiante
✓Soy estudiante
When you say what someone is with ser, leave out un and una.
✗la estudianta (for a woman)
✓la estudiante
You may hear estudianta now and then, but la estudiante is the standard form.
✗studiante
✓estudiante
Spanish words don't begin with st, so the e at the front is part of the word.
Real conversation: before your first class
A short chat in the hallway of a language school.
You're in the hallway of a language school before your first Spanish class. A man steps up next to you and starts chatting.
¿Eres estudiante aquí?
Are you a student here?
Sí, ¿y tú?
Yes. And you?
Yo no. Soy profesor... ¡de español!
Not me. I'm a teacher... a Spanish teacher!
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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What do you hear in the video?
The other 31 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
The English word student is almost all there inside estudiante. Put an e in front, swap -ent for -iante, and you have it.
Questions about "student" in Spanish
How do you say student in Spanish?
El estudiante for a man and la estudiante for a woman. Several students are los estudiantes.
How do you say "I am a student" in Spanish?
Soy estudiante, without un or una. To add the subject: Soy estudiante de español.
What's the difference between estudiante and alumno?
Estudiante is anyone who studies. Alumno is a student of a particular teacher or school: Es alumna de mi madre.
How do you say college student in Spanish?
Estudiante universitario, or just universitario. For a woman, estudiante universitaria.
