educación física
/edukaˌθjon ˈfisika/
In Spanish, pe refers to physical education. The standard term is educación física.
The term pe serves as an abbreviation for physical education, a school subject centered on sports and physical fitness. Note that in certain informal contexts, the word pe can also be used as a colloquial particle in phrases like ¡No te apures, pe!, which translates to 'Don't worry, man!' or 'Take it easy, mate!'
How do you pronounce it?
/edukaˌθjon ˈfisika/
Did you know?
- Because física means both 'physics' and 'physical', a student saying Tengo física could be referring to a high-intensity workout or a complex lesson on thermodynamics.
- The word educación comes from the Latin ēducātiōnem, which originally meant 'a leading out' or 'bringing out' of a person's potential.
- While educación física is the formal term, Spanish speakers often use gimnasia to describe the actual activity of the class, though the subject remains educación física on a report card.
Examples in context
- Tom trabajó de profesor de educación física, no de entrenador personal.Tom worked as a PE teacher, not a personal trainer.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe a job role using educación física.Tatoeba #10237968 by manufrutos, translation #10233176 by ddnktr
- Me herí durante la clase de educación física.I injured myself during PE class.This sentence is useful for describing an injury that occurred during an educación física class.Tatoeba #338554 by tatoerique, translation #595865 by Scott
- La clase de educación física es obligatoria para todos.The PE class is mandatory for everyone.This sentence is useful for stating that an educación física class is mandatory.Tatoeba #2003157 by topofabi, translation #13024150 by araneo
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their school schedule in the hallway.
- Javier¿Tienes educación física hoy?Do you have physical education today?
- MaríaSí, es mi primera clase.Yes, it is my first class.
- JavierQué suerte, yo tengo matemáticas.Lucky you, I have math.
- MaríaBueno, al menos no es muy difícil.Well, at least it is not very difficult.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry educación física, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries educación, física, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
