educación física
/edukaˌθjon ˈfisika/feminine
educación física is the Spanish way to say physical education.
educación física refers to the academic subject or the curriculum component itself. If you are talking about a specific period of time or a lesson, you should say clase de educación física. In school environments, you will often see the abbreviation EF used to represent the subject.
Meaning: curriculum component (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of 'physical education': educación means 'education' and física means 'physical'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term Gimnasia is common in colloquial conversations.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a feminine noun phrase, educación física is preceded by the feminine article la when referring to the subject in a specific context.
How do you pronounce it?
/edukaˌθjon ˈfisika/
Did you know?
- While educación física is the official term, the word física is also the Spanish word for 'physics'.
- In some Latin American school systems, the clase de educación física is formally known as Educación Física, Recreación y Deporte to emphasize play and sport.
- The word física in this phrase shares the same Greek root as 'physics' and 'physique', linking the concept of physical education directly to the study of nature and the physical world.
Examples in context
- ¿Educación física es una asignatura requerida?Is physical education a required course?This sentence is useful for asking if educación física is a required course.Tatoeba #1249402 by marcelostockle, translation #275240 by CK
- El colegio ofrece clases de Educación Física dos veces por semana.The school offers physical education classes twice a week.
- La educación física es muy divertida.Physical education is very fun.
- Mañana tenemos clase de educación física.Tomorrow we have physical education class.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their school schedule in the hallway.
- Elena¿Te gusta la educación física, Alejandro?Do you like physical education, Alejandro?
- AlejandroSí, es mi asignatura favorita.Yes, it is my favorite subject.
- ElenaA mí también me encanta correr.I also love running.
- AlejandroElena, siempre eres muy activa.Elena, you are always very active.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “physical education” translations and entries 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.
