educar en casa
/edukaɾ en kasa/from spelling rules
To homeschool is to say educar en casa in Spanish.
The phrase is used as a verb to describe the act of educating children at home.
Meaning: educate children at home (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal construction where educar means 'to educate' and en casa means 'at home'.
Which one should you use?
To refer to the concept of homeschooling as a noun, use the noun phrase educación en casa. To describe a person who was homeschooled, use the past participle educado (masculine) or educada (feminine) followed by en casa.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and Ecuador, the phrase educación en casa may be preferred.
Did you know?
- If you describe a child as 'educado', you are not necessarily saying they were homeschooled. In most Spanish-speaking cultures, 'un niño educado' means an 'educated' or 'well-mannered' child who has good manners.
- The word 'casa' shares an ancient root with the English word 'cottage'. Both descend from the Latin 'casa', which originally referred to a small hut or cottage rather than a large house.
- While 'educar' is the direct translation for 'to educate', in many Spanish-speaking contexts, it can also imply 'to raise' or 'to bring up' a child. A person might say they are 'educando a su hijo' to mean they are raising him, not just teaching him academic subjects.
Examples in context
- Estoy considerando la educación en casa para mis hijosI am considering homeschooling for my children
- Muchos padres prefieren educar en casa.Many parents prefer to homeschool.
- ¿Vas a educar en casa a tus hijos?Are you going to homeschool your children?
- Decidimos educar en casa para tener más tiempo.We decided to homeschool to have more time.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their different parenting styles over coffee.
- LucíaYo quiero educar en casa a mi hija.I want to homeschool my daughter.
- MateoEs una decisión muy importante, Lucía.It is a very important decision, Lucía.
- LucíaSí, pero creo que es lo mejor para ella.Yes, but I think it is best for her.
- MateoTe apoyaré en todo el proceso, Lucía.I will support you in the whole process, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries casa, educar, en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
