Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| estudiante | /estuˈdjante/ | feminine, masculine |
| alumno | /aˈlumno/ | masculine |
| discente | /disˈθente/ /diˈsente/ |
masculine |
| educando | /eduˈkando/ | feminine, masculine |
| alumna | /aˈlumna/ | feminine |
| universitario | /unibeɾsiˈtaɾjo/ | masculine |
The term refers to a person enrolled at a school, university or other educational institution. While estudiante is the most common and neutral term for anyone who studies, universitario is used specifically for a university student.
Which one should you use?
Estudiante is the general, neutral term for a student at any level. In contrast, alumno and alumna often imply a specific relationship between a student and a teacher or an institution. Additionally, universitario denotes a student specifically attending a university.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Estudiante is the neutral, everyday choice. Alumno and alumna are more formal and traditional. Discente is a highly formal, technical term used almost exclusively in academic or pedagogical contexts to refer to a learner.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of estudiante is estudiantes, which can refer to a group of only males or a mixed-gender group. The plural of alumno is alumnos, which is used for a group of male students or a mixed-gender group. Educando is a term that can be either masculine or feminine, as can estudiante.
How do you pronounce it?
/estuˈdjante/
Did you know?
- The word alumno comes from the Latin alumnus, which originally meant 'foster child' or 'one who is nourished'.
- The word discente is the formal counterpart to docente, the word used for a teacher.
- In many Spanish-speaking academic settings, you might hear the word matriculado used to describe a student who is officially registered, rather than just 'estudiante'.
Examples in context
- No soy una alumna.I'm not a student.This sentence shows how to use the feminine form alumna in a negative statement.Tatoeba #1876155 by marcelostockle, translation #258994 by CK
- No es un estudiante.He is not a student.This sentence shows how to use the masculine form estudiante in a negative statement.Tatoeba #2374530 by Shishir, translation #2730657 by afyodor
- No soy un estudiante.I am not a student.Tatoeba #509629 by Shishir, translation #1354298 by bapouy
- Soy estudiante de arquitectura.I am a student of architecture.
- La alumna es muy dedicada en sus estudios.The student is very dedicated in her studies.
- Los estudiantes están en el aulaThe students are in the classroom
- Soy estudiante de derecho en la Universidad de BarcelonaI am a law student at the University of Barcelona
- 345 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young man and woman talk at a university campus.
- MateoHola, ¿eres estudiante aquí?Hello, are you a student here?
- LucíaSí, soy estudiante de medicina.Yes, I am a medical student.
- Mateo¡Qué bien! Yo también soy estudiante.That's great! I am a student too.
- LucíaMucho gusto, Mateo.Nice to meet you, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “student” translations and entries estudiante, alumno, discente, educando, alumna, universitario, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alumno, discente, estudiante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
