Lesson 8.2.2 · Estudios, Escuela y Lugares
📚 School, Studies & City Places
Talk about what you studied or are studying, the supplies on your desk, and the places you'll point to around any Colombian city — plus a clutch of small connector words that make sentences sound natural.
Sub-lessons
Break this lesson into focused chunks. Each sub-lesson has its own Memory Lab — active recall, mnemonics, elaboration, interleaved review, and shadowing — scoped to just those words.
School & University
In Colombia 'el colegio' usually means K-12 school, while 'la escuela' can be either generic 'school' or a specific institute. 'La universidad' is universally clear.
school
school (K-12)
the university
the subject
'La asignatura' in formal contexts.
the teacher
the student
to study
to teach
Subjects & Studies
Major-name vocabulary you'll hear when people talk about what they studied or are studying.
studies
psychology
biology
history
programming
journalism
art
Example sentences
Estudio programación en la universidad.
I study programming at the university.
Mi materia favorita es la historia.
My favorite subject is history.
Tests, Notes & Supplies
On your desk: cuaderno, lápiz, lapicero. In your bag: portátil and cargador. On the wall: a 'nota' (grade) you hope is good.
the test
the problem
the note / grade
difficult
the example
the pencil
the pen
'Esfero' is also common in Colombia.
notebook
desk
laptop
charger
shelf
well done!
Places Around Town
Combine these with '¿Dónde está…?' from the directions lesson and you can find anything in any Colombian city.
hair salon
the movie theater
the factory
the zoo
the store / shop
the restaurant
the museum
the hospital
the station
the square
the farm
Everyday Objects & Body
A grab-bag of high-frequency nouns and verbs that come up around the house and the kitchen.
the nose
peace
cigarette
grill
to burn
the pot
the case
the song
Connectors & Direction Words
Tiny words that make your Spanish sound natural instead of textbook. Drop these in and your sentences immediately stop sounding translated.
either / any
neither
even
so / then
here
up
down
again
still / yet
Example sentences
Todavía no entiendo, ¿puede repetir otra vez?
I still don't understand, can you repeat again?
No me gusta el café, y a ella tampoco.
I don't like coffee, and she doesn't either.
Clothing & Accessories
Round out the shopping kit: shirts, pants, jackets, glasses, umbrella — and the verb 'pagar' (to pay) for when you're ready at the register.
shirt
t-shirt
pants
jeans
vest
jacket
coat
sweater
Colombian for sweater. 'Suéter' also fine.
dress
glasses
umbrella
'La sombrilla' is more common in Colombia.
to pay
Drinks Beyond Coffee
A few drink orders, including two Mexican classics for context — both have Colombian cousins worth knowing.
a sweet coffee
an orange juice
a hibiscus water
Mexican drink; in Colombia ask for 'agua de flor de Jamaica'.
a strawberry atole
Mexican; the Colombian counterpart is 'una colada de fresa'.
Memory lab
Five research-backed techniques — active recall, mnemonics, elaboration, interleaving, and production — applied to this lesson's vocabulary. Your progress trains a spaced-repetition schedule under the hood.
Force the answer from memory before peeking. The struggle is the workout — that's the testing effect.
Recall from English
a sweet coffee
Practice exercises
Test what stuck. Multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank — pulled live from this lesson's vocabulary.
el museo
el estante
the restaurant
the station
la camisa
la materia
Fill the blank
Estudio programación en la _____.
I study programming at the university.
Fill the blank
Todavía no entiendo, ¿puede repetir _____?
I still don't understand, can you repeat again?
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