preescolar
/pɾeeskoˈlaɾ/
The Spanish word for preschool is preescolar.
The word preescolar is an adjective relating to the years before primary school. When you want to refer to the level of education itself as a noun phrase, it is common to use educación preescolar.
Meaning: relating to years before primary school (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed using the prefix pre-, which functions identically to the English prefix 'pre-' meaning 'before'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, kínder is commonly used to refer to preschool, though preescolar is also a common term there. In Argentina, el jardín maternal is used more frequently than guardería infantil.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective preescolar is invariant in gender, so it does not change its ending to match a masculine or feminine noun. To express the plural, use preescolares.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾeeskoˈlaɾ/
Did you know?
- The term jardín de niños is often used interchangeably with preescolar and mirrors the 'garden' metaphor found in the German original.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word kínder is a shortened version of the German term Kindergarten, which literally means 'children's garden'.
- In some regions, calling a child preescolar functions as a social category and a legal age bracket for government services, rather than just a description of their schooling.
Examples in context
- La entrada es gratuita para los niños en edad preescolar.Admission is free for preschool children.This sentence is useful for demonstrating how to use the adjective preescolar when describing children of a certain age.Tatoeba #1910345 by topofabi, translation #266314 by CK
- Mi hija va a una guardería infantil muy cerca de nuestra casa.My daughter goes to a preschool very close to our house.
- El nivel preescolar es muy divertido.The preschool level is very fun.
- Busco un centro preescolar cerca de aquí.I am looking for a preschool center near here.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are discussing their child's education.
- Sofía¿Ya buscaste un centro preescolar para el niño?Did you already look for a preschool center for the boy?
- MateoSí, encontré uno muy cerca de casa.Yes, I found one very close to home.
- SofíaEs importante que sea un ambiente preescolar alegre.It's important that it's a cheerful preschool environment.
- MateoLo es, tiene muchas áreas de juego.It is, it has many play areas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “preschool” translations and entries preescolar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
