Which one should you use?
The various forms available depend on the level of formality and the specific country you are in. Graduarse de la escuela secundaria, Obtener el título de bachiller, Finalizar la educación secundaria and Completar los estudios de nivel medio are all formal ways to express this concept. Specifically, Completar los estudios de nivel medio translates to complete middle-level studies.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different regions have specific preferences: in Mexico, you can use egresar de la preparatoria. In Spain, the most commonly used phrase to express graduate from high school is obtener el título de bachillerato. And in Argentina, it is common to say recibirse de bachiller.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb graduarse is reflexive, so you must use reflexive pronouns like me, te, se, nos or os when conjugating it.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying graduarse en when naming the institution. English speakers often mistakenly use the preposition 'en' instead of 'de' after graduarse.
Did you know?
- The word escuela comes from the Ancient Greek word skholḗ, which originally meant 'leisure' or 'spare time'. It referred to the conversations and knowledge gained during free time before it became the word for the place where those conversations happened.
- In Mexico, the term preparatoria for high school is often shortened to prepa in casual conversation.
- While English uses 'graduate' for both high school and university, in some Spanish contexts, graduarse is more traditionally associated with earning a professional degree from a university.
Examples in context
- ¡Felicidades por graduarte de la escuela secundaria!Congratulations on graduating from high school!
- Él quiere graduarse de la escuela secundaria pronto.He wants to graduate from high school soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, escuela, la, secundaria, CC BY-SA 4.0.
