mañana tengo clases
/maɲana tenɡo klases/from spelling rules
To say "I have school tomorrow" in Spanish, use mañana tengo clases.
This phrase is used to state that you must attend classes the following day. While you might be tempted to translate "school" literally, speakers more commonly use expressions involving classes to describe the act of attending lessons.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase mañana tengo clases literally translates to "tomorrow I have classes".
Which one should you use?
The phrase mañana tengo clases is more common than the literal translation mañana tengo escuela when you are specifically referring to the act of attending lessons. Additionally, you can say Mañana tengo cole to express the same idea in an informal way.
How does it change in a sentence?
You may also use the singular form tengo clase to mean "I have class" or to express that you have school in a general sense. If you wish to emphasize the feeling of obligation or necessity to attend, you can say Mañana toca ir al colegio, which conveys that it is your turn or your duty to go.
Did you know?
- Using the verb tocar in the phrase mañana toca ir al colegio changes the meaning from 'to touch' to 'it is one's turn' or 'it is one's duty'. This adds a layer of perceived obligation to the sentence.
- The word mañana comes from the Vulgar Latin māneāna, which literally meant 'tomorrow morning'.
- The word mañana is used not just for 'tomorrow' but also as a noun meaning 'morning'. This creates the common phrase mañana por la mañana, which literally means 'tomorrow during the morning'.
Examples in context
- Mañana tengo escuelaTomorrow I have school.
- No puedo ir a la fiesta porque mañana tengo clases.I cannot go to the party because I have school tomorrow.
- Mañana tengo clases muy temprano.I have classes very early tomorrow.
- No puedo ir al cine porque mañana tengo clases.I cannot go to the cinema because I have school tomorrow.
- Me duele la cabeza, pero mañana tengo clases.My head hurts, but I have school tomorrow.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are deciding on a time to hang out.
- Mateo¿Quieres ir al cine mañana por la noche?Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow night?
- MaríaLo siento, Mateo, mañana tengo clases temprano.I'm sorry, Mateo, I have school tomorrow early.
- MateoNo importa, podemos ir el viernes.It doesn't matter, we can go on Friday.
- MaríaPerfecto, nos vemos el viernes entonces.Perfect, I'll see you on Friday then.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mañana, CC BY-SA 4.0.
