tarea
/taˈɾea/
The English phrase 'homework assignment' is translated into Spanish as tarea.
tarea refers to a task given by a teacher to a student to be completed outside of class. To say 'to do homework', you use the phrase hacer la tarea.
Which one should you use?
While tarea is common in Latin America, deberes is the more common term for homework in Spain.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun tarea is feminine and is used with the feminine article la to form la tarea (the homework assignment). The plural form of tarea is tareas.
How do you pronounce it?
/taˈɾea/
Did you know?
- The word tarea shares a distant ancestor with the Arabic word for 'to throw'. This implies the historical concept of a task being something 'thrown' or 'cast' upon a person to complete.
- In many Spanish-speaking contexts, the word tarea is not limited to school. It can describe any specific chore or duty, such as a work assignment or a household task.
- In Spain, the word deberes is used for homework, which is the plural form of deber, meaning 'duty' or 'obligation'.
Examples in context
- Tengo mucha tarea de matemáticas.I have a lot of math homework.
- ¿Ya terminaste la tarea de historia?Did you finish the history homework already?
- La tarea es para mañana.The homework is for tomorrow.
Example conversation
Two students are talking in the library after class.
- DanielMaría, ¿tienes la tarea de ciencias?María, do you have the science homework?
- MaríaSí, Daniel, la tengo en mi mochila.Yes, Daniel, I have it in my backpack.
- DanielEs muy difícil, ¿verdad?It is very difficult, right?
- MaríaSí, es bastante larga.Yes, it is quite long.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tarea, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tarea, CC BY-SA 4.0.
