carrera no declarada
/kareɾa no deklaɾada/from spelling rules
The English phrase "undeclared major" is translated into Spanish as carrera no declarada.
The phrase carrera no declarada refers to the status of a college student who has not yet chosen a specific field of study for their degree. It is primarily used in academic contexts, such as official student records or university registration.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of carrera (career or major), no (not) and declarada (declared).
Which one should you use?
An alternative way to express this concept is estudiante sin carrera definida, which translates to "student without a defined major".
How does it change in a sentence?
Because carrera is a feminine noun, the adjective declarada must also be in its feminine form.
How do you pronounce it?
/kareɾa no deklaɾada/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, students do not have an 'undeclared' period because they must choose their carrera before even applying to the university.
- The word carrera is a cognate of the English word 'career' and shares a common ancestor in the Latin word carrus, meaning 'chariot'.
- While 'undeclared major' refers to a field of study, the word carrera literally translates to 'race' or 'running' in many contexts, reflecting the idea of a student's professional journey.
Examples in context
- Mi hijo es un estudiante sin una especialización declarada.My son is a student without a declared major.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their university degrees.
- MaríaJavier, ¿cuál es tu especialidad?Javier, what is your major?
- JavierTodavía tengo carrera no declarada, María.I still have an undeclared major, María.
- MaríaEso es genial, tienes tiempo para elegir.That's great, you have time to choose.
- JavierSí, pero ya estoy pensando en psicología.Yes, but I am already thinking about psychology.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carrera, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
