pupitre
/puˈpitɾe/
The English phrase school desk is translated into Spanish as pupitre.
A pupitre refers specifically to the piece of furniture used by a student in a classroom, which often includes a tabletop and an attached chair or storage space.
Which one should you use?
While escritorio refers to a general desk or office desk, pupitre specifically refers to the student desks found in classrooms.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of pupitre is pupitres.
How do you pronounce it?
/puˈpitɾe/
Did you know?
- The word pupitre is a doublet of púlpito, which means 'pulpit'. Both words share the same Latin ancestor, pulpitum, referring to a raised platform.
- While the English word 'desk' is a broad category for many types of furniture, calling a home office piece a pupitre in Spanish would make it sound like you are a small child in a primary school classroom.
- While pupitre is the standard term for a student desk, some regions use banco to refer to both the seat and the desk unit.
Examples in context
- Libertad. En mis cuadernos de la escuela. En mi pupitre de la escuela y en los árboles. En la arena de la nieve. Escribo tu nombre.Freedom. On my school notebooks. On my school desk and the trees. On the sand of the snow. I write your name.This sentence illustrates the use of pupitre in a poetic context regarding school items.Tatoeba #1771577 by Shishir, translation #1542103 by Scott
- El estudiante se sienta en el pupitre durante la clase.The student sits at the school desk during class.
- El pupitre viejo necesita ser reparadoThe old school desk needs to be repaired
- El pupitre es de madera.The school desk is made of wood.
- Guarda tu libro en el pupitre.Put your book in the school desk.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are in their classroom.
- SofíaDaniel, ¿está tu mochila bajo el pupitre?Daniel, is your backpack under the school desk?
- DanielSí, la puse ahí hace un momento.Yes, I put it there a moment ago.
- SofíaTienes que limpiar el pupitre ahora.You have to clean the school desk now.
- DanielEstá bien, Sofía, lo haré ya.Alright, Sofía, I will do it now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pupitre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pupitre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
