graduado
/ɡɾaˈdwado/
The English phrase "graduated" is translated into Spanish as graduado.
When using the related verb form to express that someone graduated from an institution, you must use the preposition de (graduarse de). If you are referring to the event of graduation as a noun, you can use la graduación or el acto de graduación.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the form must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use graduada for a female, graduados for a group of males or a mixed-gender group and graduadas for a group consisting exclusively of females.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɾaˈdwado/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use graduado en to mean graduated from a university. However, de is the standard preposition to use when referring to the institution itself.
Did you know?
- While graduado refers to the degree, a person who has completed their studies but has not yet attended the ceremony is often called egresado.
- In some Latin American countries, students celebrate the end of high school with el último timbre, a loud final bell that signals they are finally graduados.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, people do not say they 'graduated' from a university, but rather that they 'obtained a degree' in a specific field. You might hear someone say they are licenciado or ingeniero instead of using the word graduado.
Examples in context
- Se ha graduado de Harvard.He graduated from Harvard.This sentence shows how to use graduado to say someone graduated from an institution.Tatoeba #3867173 by cueyayotl, translation #2266291 by _undertoad
- La inestabilidad laboral tiene muy preocupados a los estudiantes recién graduados.Occupational stability is of great concern to recently graduated students.This sentence uses graduados to describe recently graduated students.Tatoeba #4378641 by umano, translation #4409780 by LB
- Todo estudiante que se ha graduado de nuestra universidad ha estudiado inglés con un hablante nativo por al menos dos años.Every student who has graduated from our university has studied English with a native speaker for at least two years.This sentence demonstrates the use of the verb form to express graduation from a university.Tatoeba #1251909 by marcelostockle, translation #953257 by CK
- Me he graduado de la universidad.I have graduated from college.
- Ya me titulé en ingeniería. ¡Estoy muy emocionado!I have already graduated in engineering. I am very excited!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are talking about their careers at a party.
- DanielHola Sofía, ¿ya estás graduado de la universidad?Hi Sofía, have you graduated from university yet?
- SofíaSí, me he graduado hace dos meses.Yes, I graduated two months ago.
- Daniel¡Qué bien! ¿En qué te graduaste?That's great! What did you graduate in?
- SofíaMe gradué en arquitectura y ya tengo trabajo.I graduated in architecture and I already have a job.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry graduado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
